Ever feel like...

[pchbreeze]

You've been on every road out there, done everything you can with work, friends and family, and every hobby food and flavor has just lost its flavor?


food, sex, travelling, work/ambition...it all melds to some grey goo that eats away at all notions of 'alive' within your view of vision, no matter which direction or dimension you look

you idiot boss doesn't pay you the commission you earned... girls are over-arrogant, underqualified and far from interesting... food has lost its flavor due to gluttony of junk food... you've been everywhere you wanted to go, seen the canals of Amsterdam while it snowed and while it rained, while it was sunny and while it was frozen...the beaches of Coronado and the cliffs near Point Reys, the Mountains of Lake Tahoe and the Lowlands of Belgium, this, that, and the bag of doritos.

I'm only 36 and I feel 63- but no kids, no wife, and no retirement plan at all.

[Steve1962]

Steve,
We all get the blues from time to time .
You have your health and are still young enough to find plenty to do , perhaps even someone to share it all with .
If I lived in the States , I bet I could find plenty to explore without leaving the country .......what about Canada , South America etc .


And sometimes , there are places of interest on your doorstep that you didn't know about either - just going for a ride with no particular place to go may spring a surprise or two .

Ride safe ,

Steve

[stephenwc]

Steve

Sorry if life feels a bit like wading through treacle at the moment.

What an amazingly candid description of how things are for you. Thank you for opening up to us strangers. Must have taken some courage.

Sounds like you're depressingly normal and could be experiencing what is reckoned to be one of the two major life transition phases: 'The Age 30 transition'. If you're interested to know more Google Levison +transition.

The good news is that you really are normal. You are almost certainly not broken and therefore do not need to be fixed (unless you know better). You're not alone either, it's as confusing and difficult for just about everyone.

The better news is that things do improve. Your route to that point will be entirely unique and your own. Some common themes though for many who shorten this transition period is attendance at some major personal development course / proagramme of study and / or working out a life purpose that provides a motivational goal and direction.

Whatever you decide to do, there are many people who can help you to find a way ahead and I am impressed that you've reached out to this community and bared your soul. It says great things about your willingness to try anything to find a way forward. Please keep going, its worth it in the end.

I'm cheering you on from the sidelines.

Stephen

[Twisted Trader]

Go help out at a soup kitchen for a few days. This might bring a different reality to your life.

[Law Dawg (ret)]

Been depressed before (medicine induced) and it really is not fun. My take? If you think of doing anything drastic...promise yourself you will seek medical help right away. Depression is no joke and you probably will not just "shake it off" without time and possible help.

That said, I saw about destinations in your post. Maybe some journeys would spice it up a bit? Go travel and start out by deciding which direction you will go (it matters not where you start or where you stop). Don't set a firm destination, go where you feel like going at the moment. Take time to stop and chat with people, smell the roses as it were. Try actually travelling to experience the moment at that road side rest area. Day trips or longer. Trying Amsterdam without the main attraction might also help

We all have regrets, things we should have done etc. You will find ways to revive the spark if you look out instead of in. Volunteer service has been suggested, great idea. The real reason to reach out and help others is it helps you get over yourself and that's good.

[Astroblue]

Originally Posted by pchbreeze

I'm only 36 and I feel 63- but no kids, no wife, and no retirement plan at all.

GOOD GOD MAN, SNAP OUT OF IT!!!! From when I was a kid onward to when he passed on, that was his advice when I had bad days / weeks / months / years. Well, it doesn't work that way. Having the blues is no fun, but they do go away; it takes time, effort, and somebody to talk to. Easy to say, hard to implement: look at the core issues in your life, and start working on them, a little bit at a time. My problem historically was I'd either not deal with my issues and hangups, or try to deal with them all at once. Time also heals things as long as you can stop fretting over stuff that gets you down. One thing that's helped tremendously for me is my bike. Great therapy. Get on the bike, jump in the car, and go! Do it without plan or destination. It's wonderful the soul-searching that can happen along the way, and seeing new sights and new people and places can really, really help.
HTH!

[Gojira]

Take up something new that will scare the crap out of you like skydiving, hang gliding, head up to Tehachapi for a glider ride, what have you.

Or, like Trader said, go help in the soup line. That will humble you and give you a different perspective when you see how bad off some folks are.

Not judging bud, just making suggestions is all

[FASTRICKY]

I know this feeling...although I've never been anywhere, and my boss is a pretty good guy.

Originally Posted by Twisted Trader

Go help out at a soup kitchen for a few days. This might bring a different reality to your life.

+1...I sponsor abandoned children from abused homes and give them a little bit of Christmas. Making 100 kids smile, helps the blues fade a bit.

[jasunderland]

Originally Posted by FASTRICKY

and my boss is a pretty good guy.

Your boss is an A hole!!!!!

[novicius]

Originally Posted by Twisted Trader

Go help out at a soup kitchen for a few days. This might bring a different reality to your life.

+1