Hey all As you may know, I have had depression for a while (may be beginning to lift slightly), and so my interests have dwindled. I box about three times a week, meditate occasionally, read novels, and that's about it. I seem to have little to no passion for anything else. Was just wondering if there were any ways I could increase my motivation/find something I'm genuinely interested in and can pursue on a low-budget, in a town/city? Thankyou! Peace(*hug*)
Hm. Off the top of my head and sort of taking an approach of 'throwing everything at the wall'... Make a rule for yourself along the lines of: One weekend a month (at least), you will try something new. Find/make a list of all the museums, public parks, and open to the public events that are in your area. If the place you live is big enough, there are probably a number of events that are free or have only nominal cost to get into (Shakespeare in the Park, festivals of various sorts, etc.) that you can check out. Even if parts of the event are pay to play, often there are other parts that you can just enjoy. Universities and colleges may have free/low cost events happening on campus that are open to the general public. Check out various charitable causes and consider volunteering for some of them. Initially this may just be a one time thing to get a feel for them. But if you decide you like one of them, then you can arrange to volunteer more often. For all of the above, you can probably find information online. Also, consider checking out your local LGBTQ center and seeing what events or groups they may host or know about in your area. Social groups, sports teams, etc. might all introduce you to new things and people. Hope this helps, Todd Consider getting a library card or equivalent and checking out books of a sort that you don't normally read. If reading a given book verges on painful, don't force yourself to do it. But be open to at least getting maybe halfway through a given book to see if you might find new subjects that you find interesting.
What kind of interests/hobbies did you have at times when you weren't dealing with depression? I find that when I'm feeling especially depressed, the things I love to do (reading, going to the movies, and actually boxing also!) tend to not bring me as much joy. But I keep at them because not doing them makes me feel even worse (like I try to get to boxing at least 3-5 times a week, when in the past I easily got there 5-6 times no question. And sparring in particular tends to be so fun that it cheers me up). Otherwise, I think the idea of checking out museums in your area is a great one. I don't know how big of a city you live in, but here in NYC there's always tons of free stuff going on that seems fun to check out. And you may just discover the next random thing that will become a hobby for you just by giving something you normally wouldn't a shot.
