Anhedonia

I have felt anhedonia before. I wouldn't have been given a diagnosis of it as it was a short term 'lack of feeling'/numbness.

Despite the fact that we likely differ, maybe sharing one or two things I've felt may help a bit, so I'll continue:

When I found out about the word anhedonia was when I'd broken up from a relationship of 6 years. I'd broken up. I'd initiated it. Part of the reason was that the relationship was starting to become too demanding. I was meant to (my partner had decreed) get a 'better' job. She wanted an answer on whether we would have children together, and by that point I'd decided that the world was essentially too kind of wrong to risk myself having a child who might go through what I have.

When I left that relationship, I had a period of perhaps a week when everything felt numb. It wasn't even that I felt depressed. I just didn't feel much at all.

However, I feel and understand that depression and anhedonia are pretty closely related? The complete lack of feeling. The feeling like I'm in a bubble wherein nothing much matters has typically come during depression for me. It's as though the anhedonia is preventing me from getting too sucked in or too over-pressured by the depression.

In terms of the "people only speaking to me when they need/want something and making decisions which affects me but never actually get asked my opinion on said decision". I can sympathise/empathise with this. It happens to me. It can be frustrating and a bit isolating as you say. When I'm feeling quite 'spiritually together' [I use spiritually in a very loose term here], I tend to see this side of things as not such a bad thing and as (often) more of a good thing.

To help others even if I may not feel gratitude being given in return can be viewed as a very pure act of giving. There is something of a 'higher purpose' to be said for those of us that give in small ways to others without necessarily getting things in return.

I know some of us may feel that we shouldn't be used or exploited so there is a sense of finding the right balance. To be as giving as we feel appropriate but not to our clear detriment.

I doubt I've answered much here but I thought I'd share a couple of thoughts I've had from reading your post.

I have felt anhedonia before. I wouldn't have been given a diagnosis of it as it was a short term 'lack of feeling'/numbness.

Despite the fact that we likely differ, maybe sharing one or two things I've felt may help a bit, so I'll continue:

When I found out about the word anhedonia was when I'd broken up from a relationship of 6 years. I'd broken up. I'd initiated it. Part of the reason was that the relationship was starting to become too demanding. I was meant to (my partner had decreed) get a 'better' job. She wanted an answer on whether we would have children together, and by that point I'd decided that the world was essentially too kind of wrong to risk myself having a child who might go through what I have.

When I left that relationship, I had a period of perhaps a week when everything felt numb. It wasn't even that I felt depressed. I just didn't feel much at all.

However, I feel and understand that depression and anhedonia are pretty closely related? The complete lack of feeling. The feeling like I'm in a bubble wherein nothing much matters has typically come during depression for me. It's as though the anhedonia is preventing me from getting too sucked in or too over-pressured by the depression.

In terms of the "people only speaking to me when they need/want something and making decisions which affects me but never actually get asked my opinion on said decision". I can sympathise/empathise with this. It happens to me. It can be frustrating and a bit isolating as you say. When I'm feeling quite 'spiritually together' [I use spiritually in a very loose term here], I tend to see this side of things as not such a bad thing and as (often) more of a good thing.

To help others even if I may not feel gratitude being given in return can be viewed as a very pure act of giving. There is something of a 'higher purpose' to be said for those of us that give in small ways to others without necessarily getting things in return.

I know some of us may feel that we shouldn't be used or exploited so there is a sense of finding the right balance. To be as giving as we feel appropriate but not to our clear detriment.

I doubt I've answered much here but I thought I'd share a couple of thoughts I've had from reading your post.