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.
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.
Unfortunately, this would be gender and/or location dependent. Great advice for daylight hours, but the society we currently live in makes it perhaps less viable for women in certain areas or countries, or even in general if it’s a particularly socially deprived area.
Absolutely on board with the exercise thing though. I’ve taken to trying to waste time on an exercise bike - even an inexpensive one, or a normal bike mounted on a turbo trainer. I’m not expecting anyone to bang in speeds and times like Lance Armstrong on some special supplements, but a slow spin for longer periods of time is great fun… just get a good wide comfortable saddle!
This is what I meant by
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.
I run, and do activities to make the day go by. But that’s not sustainable. I’d love to be able to do like a 7 day adventure race, or try to run a ultra marathon or something crazy like that. But I’m not physically capable of that at the moment (I’m in really good shape, but not at THAT level. I run like 5-10 miles a day at most) and I’d just end up hurting myself trying.
Good effort, that’s a decent shape to be in. 10k runs are my “thing” but as my march into middle age progresses, I find I can’t do them back-to-back any more, I’m needing more than a day or two to recover.
Maybe go for something a little more varied - I’m training for (but never done) local triathlons. Great way to build physical fitness with only a third of the high impact on the joints. The major limiting factor will be the pool of course, unless you’re fortunate to own (or have unrestricted access to) a pool.
Random turn of conversation direction, are you creative at all? Crocheting seems to make the world go by at an alarming rate - it’s both a time killer and very rewarding.
You’re completely right. Though depending on your area it may be possible to sit in a cafe (even a Starbucks or equivalent) occasionally to pass the time. Often without needing to purchase anything (or, if you have to, purchasing a simple black coffee for cheap).
But yes, unfortunately that isnt always possible. I hope you can find something to make your days more varied OP. something to break the routine of sitting at home waiting for time to pass.
Coffee shops are fantastic. My other half doesn’t get why I go out to buy a coffee that I could easily make in the house for next to fuck all, but it was never about the coffee - it was about being out of the house and watching the world go by. There’s a coffee shop in a hotel that overlooks the thoroughfare between one of my local city’s biggest shopping centres and it’s rail station, and it’s nice just wasting an hour or two watching people go about their lives.
The cost of the coffee is just a warmth and comfort tax really for sitting there.
