Currently I am a uni student, working 4 days a week during the summer, moving to about 3 during term time.
Every day I’m not working I feel tired constantly, regardless of amount of sleep. I push through anyways to get the work that needs done finished, then sit down and just collapse basically. I wouldn’t even call it relax, just sit and switch off.
I don’t have any energy or motivation to play games anymore, even though I used to play avidly. I play guitar but it’s been feeling like I’m not getting as much out of it now…
Once I’m out of uni, I’ll be in full-time and, if I get into the industry I want, more mentally taxing work.
In short, is there something I’m missing here, or is work-eat-sleep-repeat all there is until I retire? Cause frankly I’m more sure I can be arsed if not…
EDIT
Thanks for the responses, I kinda posted this in a moment of hopelessness for life and I don’t really know what I wanted as a response.
Asking for the meaning of life? Lemmy’s great and all, but I don’t think I’ll find it here lmao
Regardless, there’s a few things here for me to look into and take further, so thank you again!
If this is to close for comfort for rule 3, feel free to delete mods
Life is what you make of it. There’s no meaning, no purpose. You have to make your own. That takes effort, but it can be rewarding.
There’s no meaning, no purpose. You have to make your own. That takes effort, but it can be rewarding.
It’s like an open sandbox RPG. But you’re forced to play it.
I’ve always said the meaning of life is a blank page. You get to fill out out. But that’s both freeing and terrifying at the same time.
Except it’s not really you /get/ to fill it out. It’s more like you have to start filling it or you will die. If you ever let your pen stall for too long, you will become homeless, and you will starve. I’m just so tired and my page is still so blank.
There’s no meaning to life. It’s a scam of an idea that we all fall prey to. Instead, think of it as just creating new meaning to it every single day depending on what you think and do. It’s a liberating feeling, to be honest. Because now you don’t have to stress yourself out to figure out some grand meaning [that doesn’t exist] and inevitably failing and being depressed over that.
Absolutely correct. There is no inherent meaning to life. You get to decide what the meaning of your life is. For me, this is the purpose of my life:
- Be happy, and make other people happy too.
This is the objective. Then I try to figure out what steps will best accomplish that goal. Sometimes choosing to do something unpleasant now will lead to overall more happiness in your life, like going to the dentist so you don’t lose a tooth. But don’t just do a constant stream of unpleasant things just because society or family pressure you to do them. Do what you want to do with your own life.
I disagree a bit.
There is a meaning to life, but too many people are taught that the meaning of life will be foisted upon them by the invisible hand of fate and fail to realize that the meaning of life is kind of like the meaning of lego. You are given all of the pieces, what you make out of it is what is valuable.
So I agree with you that you do have to make something out of life to have a meaningful life but I disagree that it’s a void and nebulous thing that you somehow have to wrest a shape from the nothingness for it to matter, that it has no inherent meaning.
The meaning of life is that we have the opportunity to create something out of the pieces we are given, not that we have to make a meaning out of something that is meaningless.
I am 26 and have been in the workforce for a few years.
In short, is there something I’m missing here, or is work-eat-sleep-repeat all there is until I retire?
Yes, except for the fact that you and I will not be able to retire.
I’m almost twice your age and found out the holy 401k that I’ve been putting money into magically has hardly anything in it. So yeah, I’m not getting the retirement that was promised either.
But luckily I got brought down with a huge illness, so I get to “retire” on medical disability. I’m thankful for that.
It sounds like you’re experiencing anhedonia, which is strongly associated with depression. Ultimately life is cyclical, day to day, week to week, etc, but there should be frequent periods of happiness sprinkled in there, where you spend time doing things you like with people you like. If you can’t find anything like that, maybe talk to a therapist.
In short, is there something I’m missing here, or is work-eat-sleep-repeat all there is until I retire?
You might die before then. I definitely saw “bottlenecks” in my mid-20s and late-40s where friends dropped like flies and some never got back up again.
Anyway, it sounds like you are having a crisis - people talk about the mid-life crisis but they can happen at any age but often a turning point:
- Late teens - wait! I have to grow up and get serious?
- End of Uni - wait! I have to get a job and all that other adult nonsense?
- 30 - wait! I should really be married and having kids by now.
- 40 - wait! My biological clock is ticking, I haven’t been promoted like I thought I would and my body is starting to creak.
- 50 - well that didn’t turn out how I wanted but there’s still time.
- 60 - where did my life go? Ah well, retirement is looming, I can’t wait for all that free time.
- 70 - death is looming, where did all that free time go?
Unfortunately, the meaning of life is what you make of it, so start managing your expectations.and don’t measure your happiness against other people’s - they’re probably less happy than they appear.
I can’t claim to have any clear answers but find.out what you love doing and build your life around doing more of that. Don’t let your worklife eat into your personal time. Stop caring what people think about you, but that’s not a license to be a dick. Make the world a better place for having you in it. If you need help, ask. Eat well, don’t smoke, drink in moderation and wear sunblock - these things will help your later life be more worthwhile.
I think at around age 50 theres some negative sentiment towards younger generations and that racket they keep making. Source: am 50
