I’m having some personal issues causing some severe depression and anxiety. I’d like to get past this time as fast as possible, and my days are dragging on. I can’t sleep, which would be a good way to make time go fast. But I also can’t just play video games, I don’t have the motivation to play more than a few minutes and it also just makes me realize how alone I am with no friends or anyone I can connect with emotionally and I spiral into my anxiety and depression.
I can do stuff during the day, run, chores, etc. But as soon as I’m done, especially at night, I start freaking out and it seems like time stands still. Does anyone have any suggestions? Activities I can do that are mindless that will just kill time and get me through the night before I can just go to sleep?
I know this question is stupid but I’m looking for at least somewhat serious answers.
Seems like a great time to invest in some therapy
I actually have started therapy. But it’s only once a week. So that doesn’t really help the time aspect. That’s more of a long game
This is a very serious question: what makes you think time passing without your awareness of it, will make things better for you?
Yes, therapy is a great way to pass the time.
Go outside. Not in a “go touch grass” way. Explore new places and fill your days with variety and sunlight if you can. If you can’t make the time pass quickly you can at least make it more interesting. And sitting depressed in a park is a lot nicer than sitting depressed at home.
If you’re already running, vary your route a bit, or spend some time in the middle of your run sitting outside for a bit.
I don’t expect it to fix anything, I’ve heard enough of the “just try this and you’ll feel better” bullshit. But I hope it would at least help mix up your days a little.
Podcasts maybe? That’s my most braindead activity. It’s an easy thing to do in bed while trying to sleep too.
Time also goes by faster at night if youre tired so getting some exercise during the day might help.
Good luck, hope things pick up for you soon.
Time also goes by faster at night if youre tired so getting some exercise during the day might help.
I do a ton of exercise during the day. You’d think I’d be tired at night and able to sleep, but nope. Doesn’t matter how many miles I run or walk or hike.
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Unfortunately some people don’t have time to post that kind of bullshit on lemmy
Unfortunately some people don’t experience time as a near concept
Unfortunately time does not care about people
unfortunately some people dont have a consistent internet connection
upvotes pls
Getting books from the library to read?
Not OP but I personally don’t have enough patience to read entire book. I just can’t. I don’t know how other people read whole book in few days.
Audiobooks. Libby app for local library and countless audiobooks already covered by your library card.
I’ve listened to/read so many books. Short ones that are 4 hours or so to entire series where each book is about 20 hours or so.
Long drive? Audiobook. Yard work? Audiobook.
I find myself looking forward to the mundane chores because it gives me an excuse to get back into whatever story/book I’m enjoying.
I’m the same. I read super slow, and I just don’t enjoy it really. Audiobooks are hard for me too. I like podcasts sometimes, and I read a lot of articles and stuff like that. But books are just too much for me.
Have you ever tried listening to hardcore history by Dan Carlin? I find he’s the right level of captivating to keep me interested, but slow enough that I can still drift off to sleep
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Start with Short Stories or novellas. A whole story from beginning to end in as short as 3 pages or as many as 30 or so. There are entire books of short stories (anthologies) in every genre you can imagine. You say you don’t have the patience. However, in the time its taken you to read this entire thread, you could have finished a short story. You’ve proven you have the patience.
Why the oddly specific time period? Is something happening in a month, or are you doing something so that you won’t feel like this in a month?
I’m in a different physical location than normal for the next month, so my routine is totally thrown off. I’m not saying I won’t feel like this in a month. I’m sure I’ll still be having issues. But that’s a different situation I’ll deal with when I get there, and I’d like to get there as soon as possible to just get this over with.
Start a project doing something that allows you to enter a flow state. Could be programming, woodworking, knitting, anything you can reasonably do with your interests and budget. If you can find something that holds your attention it will delete time.
It’s hard to get the motivation to do a project. I’m really looking for something totally mindless. Like, exercise is a good one, but I do a lot of that during the day and it starts to get unhealthy and unproductive. I end up at night doing a lot of pacing, or stuff like that. I was hoping for something the equivalent of pacing but that isn’t physical. I don’t know. I think I’m just grasping at straws that there’s some solution to this that I haven’t thought of.
Jigsaw puzzles, the bigger the better. It keeps you constantly mentally engaged and the act of reaching for pieces and looking around is good physical activity too. I get back ache if I do a jigsaw session for the first time in a while. It really tires me out before bed and can prevent that rumination before falling asleep. Finally it’s really cheap, there are limitless puzzles in charity shops and even some libraries lend them.
Yeah motivation can be tricky and I actually missed the bit where you’re specifically looking for something to do at night before getting to sleep instead of pacing around.
Uhh… Rubix cube? Puzzle? If you don’t want to walk around something where you use your hands and that takes some mental focus might help. Hopefully you find something!
I think it’s generally agreed that repeated experiences are a good way of making time pass faster: your brain recognises a situation and says “I’m not needed here; I’ll fast-forward to something more challenging”. Binge TV you’ve already seen. When I was in your situation I listened to a lot of radio plays, audio books and podcast series.
Do keep running and exercising. Can you ride a bike? Building up some familiar routes might help pass the time in a healthy way.
I am sorry to hear that you’re feeling low. It’s the new epidemic. Hang in there and I do hope life gets more enjoyable in time.
I’m severely depressed and unmotivated as well. I watch a lot of TV. When I get sick of that, I make 3D wooden puzzles, like these dinosaurs. They take about 30-60 minutes each, and when you’re done, you’ve got a dinosaur! Rawr!
Walks. Walking past trees and other natural objects helps the mind process thoughts and emotions, from what I heard. Maybe even not just natural objects.
It engages everything, I suppose. The body and the mind.
Supposedly helps you get over stuff.
I can’t vouch for it myself, but worth giving it a go if it does work. Couldn’t hurt. Good luck, friend!
I’ve gone through bouts of depression and I know motivation is hard to come by but I think it’s difficult to be depressed when you’re in the middle of exercising. I know the ask was to make time go by faster and as someone else said certain activities can make your brain take a break. I feel like walking, running, or biking outside is a fairly good way for your muscles to do the thinking but less hamster wheel than going to a gym or exercising at home.
Also walks will make your body a bit tired which will make it easier to fall asleep and sleep better.
True. 👌
If you can’t sleep and are trying to kill time anyway, why not look into something like mindfulness meditation? It might help you keep some of those anxious thoughts in check to the point where you can actually focus on something to take your mind off of whatever is causing your issues.
I’m sure it’s not for everyone, but it helped me a lot when I was at my worst.
Also, you indicate that your anxiety and depression are due to some personal issues (which it sounds like will no longer be an issue in a month). If I’m understanding that correctly, that sucks for the time being but I’m glad to hear it has an expiration date. If those are feelings you deal with chronically, however, and you have the means to do so, I highly suggest trying to find professional help. The right meds can make an absolute world of difference, and talk therapy can help you straighten out how you approach those feelings.
Whatever route you take, I hope this passes for you soon and you start to feel so much better. Those feelings suck, but life can absolutely get better.
If those are feelings you deal with chronically, however, and you have the means to do so, I highly suggest trying to find professional help
It’s a combination of an expiration date as well as chronic. I started therapy recently and I’m on meds as well. We’ll see how that goes. So I just want to get this short period over with, because the combination is pretty unbearable…
Ah! Glad to hear that. Yeah, starting new meds can be rough for the first while. Especially if you’re experiencing side effects (which in my experience at least vastly diminished over time). Good luck, and I hope you’re able to start getting some better sleep. That’ll make a huge difference once possible.
Learn to crochet. It’s not hard to learn, aside from some people whose brains are wired a bit different, and it doesn’t cost much to get into. Eats up a lot of time for larger projects, and you can kinda watch tv or listen to radio/audiobooks while doing it.
It’s not the right choice, but alcohol has been doing well for me for this.
Dad died last year due to what I feel is my fault…
Stay the fuck away from alcohol, OP.
Alcohol doesn’t help anyway.
We all feel like it was our fault. The coulda/shoulda will eat you. Find something else to occupy your brain.
We all feel like it was our fault
No. I feel like it was all YOUR fault.
Using alcohol as a self-medicating behavior caused me more pain, ruined relationships, lost me jobs, etc. than anything else. Stay the fuck away.
Alcohol will temporarily alleviate anxiety and then make it much much worse. I do not recommend this at all. I’m sorry to hear you’re having a rough time.
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I heard opioids also make doing jack shit easy.
Opiods and benzos help. That is something that will likely happen this month but I only have so many. And it only helps because it’s a change. If I took them every day I’d just need more and shit. So, those will come and help me sleep when I need it, not an every day thing.
Hmm seems ur craving somthing different. And u said previously u got money so there is always travel throw a dart at a world map till it lands on land that isnt a warzone.
Technically I’m currently traveling, that’s what this month period is. I COULD go somewhere else, but I don’t want to by myself. This is the best place for me mentally at the moment.
Would you consider volunteering at an animal shelter? Doing good for others helps you feel less bad about yourself.
I actually occasionally do volunteer at a shelter. It’s a good idea, but I’m mostly asking about things to do once all the available “activities” are over. Let’s say, starting at 9pm or so
Do more things, start doing something at home that will take a long time and keep doing it until you’re so tired you can’t keep going.
That’s kind of exactly what I’m asking. What kinds of things would fall under that?
What are you into?
Learn to draw? Build/make something?
Learn to program?
Shoot videos with your phone and learn to edit (davinci resolve is a free editing software). Shoot whatever, little stories/vlogs/clips for friends.
Clean everything in your house, inside the fridge, the whole shower (above/below), dust the walls, go through your closet/drawers/bookshelfs/etc. The places you’d never otherwise pat attention to.
Move furniture in your home and reorganize the layout of your stuff.
Learn to cook, really dig into how to make sauces, properly cook steaks/fish/etc. Practice cutting veggies and perfect your knife skills.
I mean, there’s a million things to do.
Paint a wall in a certain pattern, using multiple colors. It needs time for planning, time for buying tools, and time for execution.
Fix something. Replace dying batteries for electronics, take a look around the house, anything you can find parts on ifixit for. It requires focus and skill, gives you a sense of pride and accomplishment, and you benefit from your items longer. Also cheaper in the long run.
Tinker around the house. There’s always something broken or in a bad condition. Repaint stuff, reapply stuff.
Build something with your hands. Try woodworking.
Gardening unfortunately is usually done outside and during the day, but you could try indoors hydroponics or vertical gardening. Try to automatize it.
Learn programming. Learn hobby electronics. Arduino is easy to learn and requires both. Could help with the automatization above. You can find cheap clones and parts. You mainly work with DC under 12V, so it’s relatively safe.
Be curious. Watch Youtube videos about any subject you might find interesting, learn how stuff works, no matter how familiar or not they are. A lot of times I don’t have the patience to watch a show, but I find myself getting into a Youtube / Wikipedia rabbit hole about cryptography, programming, how games are made, how mechanical pinball machines work, lockpicking, painting, large buildings fails, quantum physics, astrophysics, photography.
Watch Cosmos, presented by Neil deGrasse Tyson.
