What do you don't really "feel" anything anymore?
I've (25f) been struggling heavily with my mental and physical health for the past few years. I experienced a lot of medical gaslighting, which has made it extremely hard to get treated and for the people around me to take me seriously. I've spent years mostly unemployed, friendless, and living with people who were convinced I was faking all while being in a lot of pain and feeling like I was dying.
I'm finally feeling better physically, but mentally I'm at a loss. I've struggled with anxiety and depression in the past as a teen, and right before I got sick I was finally starting to discover myself again, but now I feel like whatever identity I had is gone. I keep hearing advice that when you're depressed that you should do things that have meaning to you, but I'm really not sure what those are anymore. I feel empty and confused, and don't feel like I have a "self". I keep trying to do things that I know I used to like, like listen to music I loved, watch movies that used to resonate with me, try to reconnect with old hobbies, etc. but when I actually do these things, I find that they don't make me happy or I don't feel them as deeply, and I just end up confused and saddened that I'm so detached from myself. I'm having an extremely hard time making any kind of decision because I don't know what "I" actually want because I don't feel close to myself anymore. How do you combat this? I feel like I don't really have anything left.
Posted Feb 25, 2026, 5:47 AM UTC