Nothing in my life worth living for

[Dennis1]

i am 17 and i dont have any friends or the motivation to do anything. i stopped working out because i didnt care about getting any bigger but i realize that was the only thing keeping me alive because now i spend even more time in front of this computer.

i cant get things done for school because when school is all you have to do with your life its really depressing. my mom stays at home and does my laundry and cooks for me anytime i want and doesnt require me to do any chores. even if i go to the park to keep from off'ing myself or somewhere its depressing to do these things alone. i go to school and come home i dont have a TV just this old computer so all i can do is homework.

i cant get any hobbies because i dont want to do it alone thats depressing. so there is no reason for me to live and i dont know what to do i think just off myself and be on the news in between football and other BS that seems reasonable at this point.

[LoraleighV]

Is there a help line in your town you can call?

Sometimes if I can connect with another human being, I start to feel better...

Keep me posted.

[maxdof]

Read/Study:
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
The Venusian Arts

You know you have a reason to live for because you have posted here... if you hadn't, you wouldn't have!

[Hoamaru]

Persue a hobby that you are interested in that you know of others that do. Does your school have any clubs that interest you? It'd be great to join one so you won't be doing it alone.

Having a hobby is actually a great starting point for meeting new people. There are sure to be others with the same hobbies, and you could even learn new hobbies from them.

[The Cloud]

I hear you. I think that what you really mean to say is that nothing that you are told you are supposed to live for seems worth it. It all seems empty and meaningless, and you just wish that everyone would stop asking you to want it.

My advice? I'm not sure, I'm wrestling with the same issue. What do I do if I'm not doing what I'm told? What do I enjoy if I don't want to enjoy what I'm supposed to? Now you could off yourself, but then you would never find the answer. And I know that you want an answer. So you'll keep looking, and I'll keep looking, and in the end I'm sure the answer will be so obvious that we won't understand how we never saw it in the first place.

[maxdof]

Find what you are for, what you want to be for, and live accordingly.
Be principle-centered, live accordingly with your principles, Begin With The End In Mind, habit 2, from The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stepeh Covey.
Good luck on your journey.

Many of human beings feel depressed, or at least misunderstood, when we are teenagers. It is not a reason to just say 'it is normal', but to find your way and live your life! Cheer up!

[mercuryrising]

Originally Posted by Dennis1

i am 17 and i dont have any friends or the motivation to do anything. i stopped working out because i didnt care about getting any bigger but i realize that was the only thing keeping me alive because now i spend even more time in front of this computer.

i cant get things done for school because when school is all you have to do with your life its really depressing. my mom stays at home and does my laundry and cooks for me anytime i want and doesnt require me to do any chores. even if i go to the park to keep from off'ing myself or somewhere its depressing to do these things alone. i go to school and come home i dont have a TV just this old computer so all i can do is homework.

i cant get any hobbies because i dont want to do it alone thats depressing. so there is no reason for me to live and i dont know what to do i think just off myself and be on the news in between football and other BS that seems reasonable at this point.

A lot of it could just be your age. It's the chemicals in your brain. I was chronically depressed when I was 17. I felt just like you described. Finding a counselor would be of great help.

When you are feeling this way, you might ask yourself, "In a couple years, will I care at all about what's going on right now?" Life can and will change in ways you can't even imagine. There will be women to meet, places to see, a career to find. You can custom design this life if you so choose. And you can start any time you want, no matter what has happened.

The only stipulation is that you have to be here. You have to stick around long enough to see it.

Here is a guy who started out a college kid in Canada, moved to LA, started his own company, moved to Hawaii and recently completed a tour of South America. And you can see how he got there. I hope he inspires you.

[carenkh]

You could make a choice to do *anything*, and that would get some energy flowing. It doesn't have to be perfect, or define you for the rest of your life. Check and see what clubs are in your area you might be interested in - even something like a gem & mineral club - just something to get you out and connected with others. See if your library has a book club. We have a weekly paper here that lists all kinds of meetings, clubs, etc.

You might also read The Teenage Liberation Handbook - it's very inspiring!

[vitalsparx]

I think it's a courageous step you've made in posting on here asking for advice.

This means one thing: you realise you have an issue and you'd like help.

That is a brilliant start...

Did you find it easier to describe your feelings on the forums in a way that you might not talking to someone around you- like your mom? Maybe you'd find it difficult to express how you feel in words and it depends on what kind of relationship you have with her.

Has she raised with you or have you raised it with her?

Perhaps, she can see that you're acting in a way that might suggest you're feeling negative about stuff but doesn't feel able to bring it up.

It might be worth thinking about telling her how you feel- if you can.

Best wishes.

[Jennihul]

If nothing in your life is worth living for, you are just doing it wrong.

Not everyone is good at everything all the time or even the first time around. it doesn't mean life is worthless. It means you have to look in the places you AREN'T before you can find life.

You have to figure out how to get good at living.

You sound a little coddled so start there. Do your own damn laundry. Clean your own bedroom and when you are done, go to the phonebook and look up volunteer organizations. Maybe seeing and helping people who truly have no reason to live but still try and would never think of giving up something as precious as 100 years of being alive will help you get a fresh perspective.

Just some ideas.

Jennifer

[garentee]

Heres my 2 cents... whenever I start thinking that life has nothing to offer I start being thankful for everything that I do have. Even if it is that I had a good meal... I fully believe that when you start taking stock of all that you do have to be thankful for your outlook will change.There is much to be thankful for. Every time you wake up in the morning is a great day full of beauty and abundance. Try it. there must be something that makes you say wow I am blessed. Hope that helps For the record I am grateful that you gave me the opportunity to share this nugget with you. It has made a difference in my day. G

[Ecce Homo]

First of all congrats! Relatively few people ever allow themselves to even see, let alone acknowledge, just how empty life really is. Of course there’s nothing in your life worth living for! That’s a literal fact. You can seek meaning for the rest of your life, but in the end if you're honest with yourself, you’ll only see your own emptiness reflected back to you as the reality. And neither I, nor anyone else can give you any *honest* reason why you should not in fact kill yourself. And your depression, if it’s rational as opposed to chemical or situational, is a result of your anger at seeing this emptiness. Real despair is nothing more than an existential tempter tantrum aimed at the universe for not giving us what we think we need. We all think the universe owes us meaning. It doesn’t. We all think we need some externally given "meaning" to have a good life. We don't. The fact that you see, or at least glimpse this at some level, is good news because it allows you the freedom to look past the world given solutions to your big questions. You already intuit the futility of the typical person’s “ANSWER”. That just leaves one person left: You. Your reason for living must come entirely from within yourself. That is remarkably empowering. Good luck!

[astra]

#1 you seriously have depression, see a doctor. There's nothing wrong with having depression, it just means you need more of something that you don't have - serotonin. You might not even have to take medication, there are plenty of ways to help correct this imbalance. It'll help your feeling of helplessness.

#2 clearly your mom's world revolves around her - think of how she'd feel if you 'offed' yourself. Do you want to make the wonderful woman who does all this stuff for you feel like that? It's not much of a reward for her is it? Reward her by being the best you can be, and thank her for doing this for you - my mother couldn't do that for me, and many people's mothers wouldn't - take the opportunity given to you and live for that.

#3 sit down and talk with your mom. tell her you'd like more responsibility,that you feel your days are empty. I'm pretty sure she'll have some ideas on how you could fill them up.

Killing yourself because you've got nothing else to do, well that's as horrible as murdering someone else because you're bored. Not to mention selfish. I'm sure that deep down, that's not the result you're really after is it? As for being on the news, that sort of stuff doesn't really make headlines these days. You need to really consider the cold, hard realities of death.

[Patty]

EVERYONE feels hopeless at times..maybe it's hormonal, maybe it's the realization that you have to find your own happiness. Who knows. You have to sort of slap yourself out of it. When stuck feeling hopeless, here are a few tricks that work fast:

1) Take a shower or bath or go swimming. Something about being wet is an instant mood elevator. Think of the effect of putting a cranky baby into a bathtub.

2) Get in a position where your head is lower than your heart. Maybe standing and bending at the hips, or a headstand, or getting on pillows tilting with your head lower. Something about the blood going to the head feels good. Take long slow deep breaths through your nose, holding it slightly before letting it out. Say "in" and "out" to yourself to quiet your thinking.
The breathing thing is good by itself too.

3) Do a little task that takes no time at all but makes you feel better.
It could be cleaning or neatening or removing junk from an area. Even wiping down the sink or the fridge. Anything that keeps your hands occupied.

4) Go to the library, get a magazine or something and sit among people
and read something you're interested in, or even just flip through pages.
The act of getting out of the house with a goal, and being in a place where everyone is pretty much alone is worthwhile.

5) Mental exercise- it's easiest to feel bad if you talk yourself into feeling that your life is bad. Think of other people who really truly need help. Ponder this: When you think about what you want that you don't have, think about what you don't want that you don't have. e.g.such as, disease, hunger, etc. Deep breathing all the while.

6) Call the local social services department in your town and ask if you can volunteer. Someone there willgive you an idea of something to do. You need to connect with other people and it sounds like you know already that it's key. It will bring you outside of thinking about yourself.

Follow your best instincts. Keep working out. Tell your mom you love her.
Check out the writings of Thoreau (a rugged individual who experimented with living alone and had a lot to teach)...read about people who overcame bad situations early in life and acutally became Great people. Maybe in a weird way, feeling like s**t is a catalyst for you to get you into life long habits of learning what not to do in the future when you feel bad. Know that you're not alone.