Watch cat TikTok’s until you feel your brain oozing from your ears. Take a nap. Wake up, eat a snack. Repeat until the urge comes back. Sometimes having patience w yourself is just as important as keeping up with skills. Meditate & realign your chakras, babe. The joy will come back!
First, do something. Clean, work, read, walk, build, garden or? The liking will come later. There isn't any pre-set liking-things button in most people, but when people are moving and doing constructive things, sometimes there are surprise interests waiting.
Then stop. Give your self time away from what you're doing and find a new hobby to learn and gain interest about. When you are ready to start drawing or signing again it will still be there waiting for you.
Think to what motivation drove you here, and subsequently, what happened to it? Stress is a chaotic snow storm that obstructs your view. Without a clear understanding of your motivation, stress will blind you and wear you down. Try to recall that motivation, and see if it truly matters to you still.
Step away from stressors like the internet if you can, for a bit. Lots of bad news constantly being thrown at us is the worst. Pick up a new game or easy hobby, watch your favorite movies, make Pinterest boards of aesthetics you like. Let yourself just exist without forcing yourself to be creative +
For a while. It sucks because you have to warm your drawing muscles back up, but when you come back make yourself sketch random little things until you feel more comfortable. Sometimes it just takes 15 minutes of fighting through the cobwebs to get back to it. Being present in the day to day and +
Depression is rough, the state of the world is making it worse especially right now. Sometimes we just have to go through creative hibernation for a while until we can burst out of our burrow again. I wish I had a definitive fix for you, but if you ever want to talk more you can find me on discord 🧡
Sometimes, taking a break is about allowing yourself ALL the blehness and tension and everything-sucks-ness and serious consideration of letting it all fall down and NOT FIX IT SO THERE NYERR. And it's only a break, so it doesn't matter! You'll get back to wanting to fix stuff once break is over!
legit, it's okay to have a small outburst every once in a while about shit you're stressed about. if you need to burp your brain, burp it. your gonna pop too hard otherwise.
that's anhedonia. go make yourself something/do something with your hands that you can feel and that can give you tactile feedback. you're low on enrichment and you need touchies, potentially even a tasty treat with good mouth textures. when i enjoy nothing i mush my face in the cat and it helps
Pleasure experienced without prior need for pursuit is terrible for things like motivation. Relearning how to crave reward through effort or perseverance is important in controlling your relationship with motivation & desire :) Try to avoid such pleasures that are so readily available. Good luck!! 🙏
Have you tried spite cleaning? Surfaces and cleaning supplies can take a lot of GRARG and then stuff is clean and you're tired and possibly still unhappy but then you've earned it. See also: spite dancing, spite showering, spite laundry folding, etc. (Spite grocery shopping is next level tho)
Get outside and stay there for a while. Turn off the news and social media, and then listen to the natural world around you. Do this for a couple weeks and see how you feel then.
Plastic: If you've already been diagnosed with depression, have you considered seeing someone? You can make appt, do sessions online; sounds likes a mental health professional might help you emerge from this.
On a wait list for therapy. I promise I'm not trying to beg for attention or air my dirty laundry, I just know this specific conundrum comes and goes and I need to know how to get out of this burnout.
Plastic: Wait listed. Well, shoot. Were you prescribed antidepressant, and have you been taking as prescribed? Play music, exercise, stimulate endorphins, pleasure, go for walks. Google endorphins
Sometimes, we just need a reset. Don't worry about doing anything. Relax and take some time away from those things. You'll come back refreshed and ready.
Short answer: This is gonna suck, for a while. But eventually, the colors will start coming back.
For while you're In It: music, or films, or a book-- wait the feeling out, until the anhedonia passes. (Preferably away from online news/social media; those make the feels *louder.*)
There's some other stuff I can mention later that might help, too, but that's for when the Nothing doesn't feel as loud as it does right now.
I've got a couple soothing music playlists I can offer. Can't guarantee they'll work for everyone, but if it might help, I've got no problem posting links.
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Also, Go to therapy if you can/have the resources because that sounds like depression.
Short answer: This is gonna suck, for a while. But eventually, the colors will start coming back.
For while you're In It: music, or films, or a book-- wait the feeling out, until the anhedonia passes. (Preferably away from online news/social media; those make the feels *louder.*)
I've got a couple soothing music playlists I can offer. Can't guarantee they'll work for everyone, but if it might help, I've got no problem posting links.
Take care of yourself, you are your own care taker