I have no suggestions for you, but I at least wanted to let you know that you’re not alone in this world. I hope you find whatever you are looking for.

Maybe try fostering a pet and see if you want to adopt one. They give me meaning and joy.

I would also recommend traveling. It costs money, but you can find good deals, and it’s worth it.

Have you tried getting a pet?

Having another life to care for can give your life meaning.

I can’t emphasise how badly you need to travel. I’m old and very well travelled, much of it for work, like easily 20 countries all across the globe and it has been a huge eye opener to experience different cultures, foods, make friends with fellow travellers, locals and has broadened my horizons on so many fronts.

Yes it can be expensive but it is something you will never regret if you can scramble the money together for it. Embrace it. Deeply.

If you’re in North America you can experience lots of cultures and experiences like the national parks in the US very reasonably. I’m guessing you’re not in Europe because travel is cheap AF here.

I honestly think it will bring down many of the current barriers you express.

These are classic signs of major depression.

There are some decent comments here overall with stuff I bet would help you. But it sounds to me like you have lost the appreciation and rewards from life and the world around you. I would wonder if you have undiagnosed anxiety.

This isn’t going to sound great probably, but the problem isn’t the world around you, it’s just you. The good news, ‘you’ is the only part of this you can fix. The rest, totally outside of your control.

You need to retrain your brain. Slow down to appreciate the smaller things. Even the tiniest things. Read up on the raisin technique. I think raisins are kind of dumb, but apply it to everyday things. Go slow. Examine. Savor. Eat slowly. And with each bite think of the process that got that very thing into your mouth. From growing the ingredients, raising, milking, whatever. The process and storage, maybe inspection, transporting it to the store, you buying it and cooking it. The skill it took to do that and the history of you cooking to get there. It’s an awful lot packed into each bite. Do that with as many bites as you can. Be mindful. Repeat it. You don’t need a different thought every time. Just keep thinking it through. And apply that to more things throughout your day as you’re able to. It’s not an overnight process but it’s much faster than you might think to regain the value, passion for things. Do this people as well. Forgo the NPC thoughts, and delve in. How they got to be who they are. Ask questions over time and build a mental roadmap.

That’s pretty much it. I could have easily written your post word for word a decade ago. With therapy and general learning, fighting anhedonia was a process. And still is. But I do appreciate things and I look forward to things. I often look forward the most to me not being me tomorrow but a slightly better version of me.

Books, podcasts, niche youtubers, video games. Jusy keep trying different subjects until you find something that interests you. Learning is usually a draw for a lot of people. You could also try volunteering in some way. Maybe that will be more fulfilling.

My answer isn’t gonna resonate. It’s so frustrating how being depressed makes getting off the couch to go for a walk just feel like… Jumping into a mosh pit ot something.

Find a 2 mile walk to do every day. Must include at least one hill or set of stairs or something. Works best if in nature.

Could it be depression?

Anyways, would you be able to recall at the end of the day something nice that happened to you, even if small? Gratefulness is my personal path to inner peace doesn’t matter if big or small. And even if you decide to not take this path, you can use the memory of that good moment to 1 make it happen more often, or 2 invest your time/thoughts to make it even better next time it happens or 3 follow up and build on top of it.

Therapy.

Allow yourself enjoyment. Do things.

Enforce ‘this was fun’.

Sounds stupid and piling responsibility on you. I’m sorry about that. But maybe this can help you. I’ve been there.

is there any way to stop this

There’s pretty much every way. Work, eat, shower, sleep is such a minimal place to start that if emptiness is your issue, I feel like you could go in any direction you want and do better.

Maybe no one ever told you this so I’ll try. There is no objective meaning to life or purpose for it. The meaning is up to you to make. I don’t think any path whatsoever (therapy, volunteering, art, hobbies, dating, travel, whatever) will work unless you take responsibility for the problem. If you are hoping for others to provide the genius answer, or looking for some global perfect answer or “meaning of life” then you aren’t taking on the responsibility yourself.

You have to do that or nothing else can work. This thread might be a start. You did ask. Now you need to put the time into the many fine suggestions here.

Don’t take them in turns and try them “to see if they work.” That’s still the main problem of assuming the answer is outside of you somewhere. Instead, take them in turns and put everything you’ve got into them. If you can do this, any of them will work.

How’s your anxiety level? Depression and anxiety are linked pretty closely and with you mentioning the expense of things that sticks out to me you might have other issues.

It sounds like a mental health evaluation would benefit you, honestly. I would not want to be alive today if not for medication.

I still don’t feel like doing anything or being with anyone but I don’t feel worthless.

I hope you can find something that helps

If we end capitalism then human life has intrinsic value again instead of a sticker price

Honestly, if you’re in the US especially, mutual aid might at least be interesting. You can try Food Not Bombs or MADR or a regional/local org.

There’s pscilocybin or MDMA for a break from the shitshow or even a guiding light.

Therapy is kind of difficult since it’s expensive and you need to sift through multiple therapists to find one that clicks with you. It’s the most likely thing to benefit you as long as you find the right one. Maybe antidepressants will help?

At the end of the day you have to choose something to do for meaning. Change is going to take months or years. Silver bullets are the rare exception.