Published on 12, July, 2020
last year I was completely fascinated by many things, particularly rainsticks, a composer I really love, my spiritual practice, and a particular person who has been a special interest for a long time. Since the start of this year though, I haven’t really had intense interests. I think this possibly intersects with mental health difficulties: I feel like I’m not entirely alive when I’m not deeply engaging with things. Does anyone else experience extended periods with no intense interests? I would love to hear about any ways you have discovered of moving through them and becoming really passionate and invested again.
Yes, definitely. I've experienced this and feel that loss too.
Mine is a slower, longer term experience. I burned out hard about a decade ago, to the point of being housebound, and I'm still gradually nurturing my special interests back even now that I'm mostly back to full health.
I miss the feeling of immersing myself into other worlds, though, and I can't quite pinpoint why that isn't fully back yet. But I'm working with whatever little fragments of interest pop up each day, even if they die out as quickly as they sparked back to life. I know I cannot force the special interests back or force the topics - they must come from within. Going directly back to old interests hasn't worked, either. Focusing on improving mental and physical health has indirectly helped some interests return and colour return to my life. There's a direct correlation. Since it has been years into burnout, then years of recovery, I've had to employ more patience than I've ever had in me to wait for them to return over years... but/and they are. There is no doubt about that.
Thank you for sharing your experience so openly. What you've been through going sounds so tough, I'm really sorry to hear about it. I hope you continue to recover and find the pathways yneed back into those other worlds you want to explore. Take care.
Thank you, you too.
The hardest part is the patience and remembering that supporting yourself to get back to mental and physical wellness really is helping those interests. Even if it seems to take an age.
There are many, many unexpected benefits to a journey like this - like learning about yourself in invaluable ways you'd never figure out any other way. E.g. I've made a few life decisions that suit me better now. What made me burn out was not knowing how badly my life decisions matched who I was and what my needs were. Glad to be figuring that out now. I'd prefer it if I could have learned it all in a detailed written manual that was present from my birth... but oh well!! :)
Good luck and hope things improve for you.
Please know you’re not alone. That’s not to belittle your unique experience, but lots of us share the need to write or discover, our own manuals :-) I’m really glad you’re figuring things out now, really hope you continue to find what you need. Keep going.