Vicious cycle- how to motivate yourself when you feel like you have nothing left to fight for

Hi, I feel bad posting again, but I am really struggling. I have so many issues (burnout, stress/anxiety, eating issues and urgently need to gain weight etc) and I realised part of me just doesn't want to get better as I feel like I have no goal and nothing I like doing anymore. I had such a strong wish to do a PhD but now that I have offers, I felt no pleasure when I got them, just stress and the feeling that I must be a liar and none of them feel right for me. Having to decide what to do is giving me further agony- I desperately just want one of them to feel right and to motivate me so that I can have something I enjoy and want to work towards again but it all feels wrong for various reasons... but I have no idea what to to if I don't accept any of these. I don't like my job and there is nothing else I ever liked or am good at. 

The other thing that used to motivate me is my love for hiking and outdoor activities (running, cycling, riding etc), but due to injuries I haven't been able to do these for 3 years now and I am too underweight now anyways (which makes it a little easier to bear that I am trapped though of course it is not helping).

I feel like the 2 things that I love science and hiking are outside of my reach or I just don't really seem to care anymore. I am very goal orientated and I feel like I need something I believe in or some goal to work towards to get myself motivated to keep going and to try and break free from all of my problems- but at this point I have given up and don't know what I am still doing on this planet. I don't feel like there is anything left. It's sad and pathetic.

I'm so sorry for writing such a depressed post. I don't know what is wrong with me but I have 0 energy and fight left. I just want to disappear.  

Parents
  • Please don’t disappear! You add value to the forum!

    It sounds like you may have some depression and/or anhedonia (inability to feel pleasure) as part of your burnout. That’s what happened to me.

    I don’t have much to add that previous commenters haven’t said already. It sounds like you are doing a lot to keep going and find help. Please give yourself credit for that. I do think you need to focus your energies on day-to-day survival at the moment. Maybe make small daily and weekly goals to motivate yourself?

    Academia with burnout is tough (I’ve been there). No one can decide for you what you want to do, but can you get more time to decide? Would you consider writing to the programmes to explain the situation and ask for more time?

    Please take care of yourself! Is there anything you still enjoy, however small, that you can use to re-energise right now?

Reply
  • Please don’t disappear! You add value to the forum!

    It sounds like you may have some depression and/or anhedonia (inability to feel pleasure) as part of your burnout. That’s what happened to me.

    I don’t have much to add that previous commenters haven’t said already. It sounds like you are doing a lot to keep going and find help. Please give yourself credit for that. I do think you need to focus your energies on day-to-day survival at the moment. Maybe make small daily and weekly goals to motivate yourself?

    Academia with burnout is tough (I’ve been there). No one can decide for you what you want to do, but can you get more time to decide? Would you consider writing to the programmes to explain the situation and ask for more time?

    Please take care of yourself! Is there anything you still enjoy, however small, that you can use to re-energise right now?

Children
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