Many people feel devastated because of their sad mood and depression. Sometimes loneliness or any boredom in the daily routine can also cause a feeling of emptiness. So what could be the reasons for this feeling?
Everyone has experienced a feeling of emptiness at least once in their life, but usually this feeling is temporary.
The duration of emptiness felt in depression or very sad can last several weeks or even months. Of course, this is based on a psychological basis. Let’s delve into the details.
Depression makes you feel that way because your emotions can get quite complicated in the process.
In the process of depression, various symptoms occur. For example, situations such as feeling sad or suddenly feeling unwell are very common in this process. Pleasant things can suddenly lose their meaning. With depression, the metabolism of the brain deteriorates and the stress hormone is strongly activated. Excessive secretion of this hormone negatively affects the work of both nerve cells and other organs in the body. According to psychologists, these symptoms experienced by people with depression may be the source of the feeling of emptiness they experience. In other words, changing hormone levels is the most important source of this feeling. Psychologist Sherry Amatenstein says that if this feeling does not go away, it can cause a person serious problems.
So if a person has been in a sense of nothingness and emptiness for a long time, it can be dangerous. Some people may feel like they have a problem even if they don’t have a physical or psychological problem. These people are called hypochondriacs, that is, sick with diseases. When many people suffering from this condition undergo psychological treatment, it may turn out that they have such a tendency to close their sense of emptiness. This emotion is also characteristic of people with bipolar or borderline personality disorder, because these disorders cause brain chemicals to work differently than usual. Thus, these people are characterized by a sudden fall into the void.
Post-traumatic stress disorder is another reason for this feeling.
Amatenstein argues that people captured by the infinite lightness of emptiness may begin to experience such feelings because of the protective mechanism they have learned after experiencing trauma. Because after a sad and triggering traumatic event, a person can no longer cope with strong emotions, becomes introverted and begins to feel nothing.
Sometimes problems at work, termination of romantic relationships, boredom, fatigue or sleep problems also cause a person to go into a state of “I don’t feel anything”.
It is often said that a good night’s sleep is necessary for rest. However, sometimes when you work hard and add to this the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it can be difficult to get enough sleep. Thus, lack of sleep causes fatigue, and fatigue creates a feeling of emptiness. A study of neuroimaging and neurochemistry conducted at Harvard University on this subject states that a good night’s sleep helps to increase both mental and emotional stability, while chronic lack of sleep lays the foundation for negative thinking and emotional collapses.
Other studies claim that excessive fatigue causes stress and burnout syndrome. Because instead of taking care of yourself psychologically and physiologically, a person may gradually begin to feel empty because he spends too much time on something else. It seems that this feeling is more often experienced by people who take responsibility for someone else, or mothers who spend more time with their children than they take care of themselves.
According to psychologists, people who are mobbed by superiors or colleagues and who are assigned too much unnecessary work can also experience this feeling after a while. Experts say that these people should start looking for a new job and change their lives.
Sometimes the problem may be in the person himself; For example, if a person does not have a goal and vision in life, he can often fall into the void. Psychologist Sherry Amatenstein says that in order not to feel like this, a person must find something that gives him meaning in this life. The loss of a loved one, separation from a loved one, or the end of a long marriage can also cause a person to feel sad and lonely. This situation actually leads to apathy and numbness.
Unfortunately, such feelings can also arise in people whose boundaries are violated too much and who are subjected to abuse.
Some people develop addiction after such an unpleasant experience. For example, excessive alcohol consumption, sex and drug use can affect a person’s feelings after a while. Although a person uses these methods to forget about what he has been through and suppress excessive emotional tension, in fact, these are quite unhealthy methods of survival. All this creates a feeling that something is missing in a person’s life in the long run, and a person can fall into the void.
Sometimes it’s just because you don’t feel anything for things you used to like.
This is called anhedonia. People with anhedonia can suddenly become cold because their past activities no longer bring them satisfaction. Thus, when people do something that used to mean something to them, they can suddenly feel meaningless. This is a situation that usually happens to insatiable people. So, what do you think about this? Have you ever been depressed and sad? If so, how did you feel? You can share your thoughts with us.
