The Feeling of Emptiness
A lot of us had this feeling before…
A strange yet oddly familiar feeling to most of us.
However familiar it may be, it is never a comfortable feeling no matter how “used to it” we feel. The feeling of emptiness is a feeling of a lack of meaning or purpose in life. I too was a victim of this moment of despair at a certain point in my life.
Is there a reason?
Everyone has a different reason for why they feel empty.
For some, it is the loss of a loved one that may have been the emotional support to their life. For others, it could be the lack of meaning in life as a person realizes that what they are doing has no purpose in life at all. For several people, emptiness is a chronic feeling, where they are so detached from their lives that they sense a void in it. There is also a very good chance that it occurred from the constant suppression of your emotions in the past that causes you to no longer feel them. I will list the possible reasons that could cause this feeling of Emptiness.
- Depression and/or Anxiety
When anxiety takes over your mind, it is extremely nerve-wracking. You start giving up on feeling because it’s painful and you choose to run away from it. Anxiety is often over small reasons but it leads to nerve-wracking moments that cause you to overthink and you hate that about yourself which causes you to hate yourself which often leads to depression. This would lead to the feeling of emptiness. - Social Media
Believe it or not, spending too much time on social media could lead to FOMO which is the fear of missing out. When you see your friends having a good time or doing better than you are and you start to feel envy or jealousy which can lead to emptiness. - Job
Honestly, a lot of people get bored with life eventually and want to change directions. After all, we never really “choose” our job after all a lot of us chased for a degree and never really chose a job we like but rather a job that offers decent pay. Even if it is a job we like, sometimes the feeling of discontent still occurs because we spend so much time on our work that we feel unsatisfied with the current life we live in. This can lead to unhappiness which leads to emptiness. - No Purpose
Everyone has a different purpose in life, it requires the exploration of oneself to find out what their purpose in life truly is. However, sometimes we start to ask what is the meaning of life because of how vast the universe is. This could lead to the feeling of emptiness. - Relationship/Friendship/Kinship
It could be that you lost someone you care about or it could be realized how pointless the constant arguments your family members or friends have that made you feel empty inside.
Is it normal?
Truth be told, no one knows if it is normal but you’re not alone…
No matter how empty or lonely you may feel, many people have experienced it. However, if the feeling is persistent and causing you to feel depressed, you would have to find a way to trigger your emotions again. I know it sounds confusing considering the feeling is numbness and yet you feel depressed but the feeling of emptiness is not easy to explain.
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
- Albert Einstein
Is there a way to fill the void?
Doing something different, it may be small but it will change something in your life that could cause excitement.
Getting your heart pumping like going out for an exercise is a great way to start your day. Sprinting is a good way to combat the feeling of emptiness or even stress because it releases endorphins. Endorphins are commonly known as “Happiness Hormone”, it allows you to “charge up” your energy.
Spending time with yourself, such as exploring what you like or dislike and getting to know yourself which could help create a more meaningful life.
Going crazy would also help, no I don’t mean going insane literally but letting loose and having fun at a party could help. Experiencing the moment and not caring about what others think of you would help a lot.
Believe it or not, Sleeping plays a role as well. Getting too much sleep can cause depression and not sleeping enough can cause a lack of energy. Having a proper sleep schedule would stop this from happening.
People. The right support around you matters too. You don’t want to get overly negative people who are so pessimistic that they restrict everything but you don’t want to meet overly wild people that cause you to stray from the path you are on.
“To me, the worst feeling in the world isn’t loneliness, it’s emptiness. It’s being surrounded by so much life and yet feeling so little. The world isn’t crashing down. It isn’t raining outside. Nobody is breaking my heart. I’m not sad, but I’m not happy either. I’m neutral. There’s a void inside of me that I can’t seem to fill. At this point, I think I’d rather be lonely, at least then I’d feel something.”
— themindsjournal
Conclusion
I hope you learn more about this feeling of emptiness after reading this article. Do remember that the suggestions are very personal and may not work for everyone! Emptiness is a very strange feeling that truly baffles the human mind and it isn’t easily understood.
Author’s Note
I wrote this article in hopes of everyone to learn more about the feeling of emptiness and how to cope with it. However, as I mentioned above, the suggestions may not work for everyone so it is important to ask around for help and to look deep within yourself as everyone is different. I do encourage readers to find out more about it, and if possible share it with me too c:
