For a quite time now, I have been going through a phase of nonchalance or one can say, numbness. It is a state in which you cease to care about certain things, or maybe everything.
This greatly hinders your productivity and health. You start to lose interest in things that once made you happy and miss the things that once made you happy. It’s like going towards a blackhole, you slowly descend into it and from a certain point, there is no return.
How it starts
In my case, it started because I had set some unrealistic expectations for university life. I had spent spend a huge amount of time in high school studying for the university entrance exam and I thought that university is going to be this very nerdy and fun place where I will meet like-minded people and have a great time building nerdy stuff.
But that was all in my head. As time passed, I realized all that I had in mind was just a fantasy. I constantly suppressed this inner voice that wasn’t happy with the way things turned out. It slowly devoured me and I started to lose interest in everything that once I loved.
This is how it started for me. It can be different for others. It can be any event in life.
Is this copium?
Another thing that this might explain the phenomenon is that this might actually be a natural respone in our brain. Our brain triggers this response when an unfortunate event happens and the burden of it is too much too handle, this response is triggered which might make it easier for the person to cope with the situation.
How it affects life
Nonchalance can have different effects on people depending on their level of nonchalance. For me, it affected my productivity and mental health severely. Even though my university grades were good, I could not bring myself to do other things that I liked to do like reading and even coding. My nonchalance levels fortunately didn’t affect my health (I managed to keep myself quite healthy).
However, for some people, it can have effects on their health. This can be addiction to ciggarettes, alcohol or even drugs. I haven’t found any reason for people to start smoking heavily other than this nonchalance that my mind came up with. This is a topic on its own that I might want to write about in the future. The nonchalance is keeping individuals from caring about themselves.
Are these people weak?
Please do not think that these people are “weak” and thus you are “better than them”. You never know what people are going through. Maybe you would have ended up in the same situation if you were in their shoes.
These people need guidance and help. They need to be assured that they are not alone and there a way out.
Is there a way out?
I am still trying to figure it out. I haven’t completely gotten out of the situation. I still can’t get myself to wake up early in the morning and do the things I love/loved. But I am trying (not my best, but I am trying). It is always important to know that there is a way out. Just keep pushing through it.
Here are some things that I have found that might help you get out of this situation:
- Just do the things you used to love: I know it’s hard, but just keep doing it. it is going to be hard, you will feel like you can’t do it but just keep pushing.
- Talk to others: This one isn’t really what I like but it might help you out.
- Find the root: It is always helpful to find what led you here. It might help you get out of the situation.
- Exercise: This can help you temporarily feel better. It is a good medication for keeping yourself sane.
- Sleep well: Not sleeping enough or sleeping late can make you feel even worse. Make sure to get enough sleep.
- Forgive yourself: It is okay to feel this way. It is okay to not be okay. Forgive yourself and keep pushing.
Conclusion
Us humans go through a lot of things in life. We go through our personal downs and ups. It is important to know that life is an uneasy journey and whatever we go through is just a part of life.