How to find the meaning of life if you don’t want anything - advice from a psychologist

• September 6, 2018
• Depressive states
• Alex Reimers

The phrase “I see no point in living” is scary, but sooner or later, in one way or another, almost every person encounters it. The realization that there is only one life and one day its logical conclusion will be death, triggers a chain of thoughts about the purpose of existence, purpose. Sometimes it happens that all sorts of problems cause disappointment or loss of the meaning of life, which used to be a support, after which a person does not know what to do next.

People whose priorities relate to daily tasks and everyday interests think about such things less often and less urgently. As a rule, searches of this kind are characteristic of those who have to face difficulties too often. Such people tend to seek justification for suffering in the hope that everything that happens is not accidental, but is filled with global significance. And also the meaning of life is relevant for those whose main goal has already been achieved.

How to find meaning

The most destructive words that can take over a person’s subconscious and consciousness are “I don’t see the point of living.” The reasons for such thoughts range from everyday problems to tragedies such as the loss of loved ones.

Sigmund Freud believed that interest in the meaning of life indicates illness. Often, “I don’t want to live,” heard from a person’s lips, indicates various psychological problems, an existential crisis or mental disorders (for example, depression). One should not exclude attempts to attract attention to oneself, which are mainly characteristic of young ladies (but this does not mean that their feelings should be devalued).

Methods of release and treatment vary and depend on individual characteristics. But there are also universal recommendations. When it’s hard to get out of your head the question of what to do if you don’t see the meaning of life, you need to act urgently. Even minor emotional downturns and stress have a negative impact on the body with significant consequences, and depressive states can be completely deadly.

There are methods of struggle, and there are many of them. It is important to remember that you cannot do without the person himself. Viktor Frankl, psychiatrist and psychologist, author of the book “Man’s Search for Meaning” and similar works, spoke about how to find the meaning of life: this is only possible on your own, by listening to yourself. Options for further action:

• Search. Through communication with yourself and other people/animals/nature, books, music and other things.
• Create. Stop waiting and become the creator of your own life.
• Accept that there is no point. There is also a fairly popular theory.

Requests for help Write your story I am 21 years old and I see no point in living. I don't see any point at all. Not with anything. I have no goals, no cherished dreams, no desire to strive for anything, to reach out somewhere... Why? Still the result is the same. Yes, I can live my life, get married, watch my children grow up, then my grandchildren, and if I’m lucky, my great-grandchildren. What about the meaning? Then I’ll die and all this won’t matter to me anymore. Did you strive all your life, build a house, grow a tree, bend your hump and kill your nerves at work only to die? Yes, I have close people and I remember them, yes, I can live for the sake of my future wife and my children, but I don’t want to... I just don’t want to. I don’t want a wife, or children, or a house, or a tree. Meaning? Where is the point in all this? Support the site:

Just a passerby, age: 21 / 05/19/2012

Responses:

AND IT IS NOT... Man is simply unable to comprehend the meaning and purpose of his existence on earth... Just like a mayfly butterfly, living only one summer day, is not given the opportunity to understand what autumn, winter and spring are... Infinity does not fit into the framework of the ordinary human consciousness... And, meanwhile, if anything really torments us, it is it... THE INFINITY OF BEING.

Alexander, age: 52 / 05/19/2012

What other meaning do you need? Such a cycle - you live yourself and continue your life on Earth. Everything else is accompanying joys and troubles. Now you’ve simply lost interest, try to find it and worry less about how bad and pointless everything is. You definitely can’t do it better...

Nitro, age: 24/05/19/2012

I can highly recommend a serious film on this topic with the participation of scientists, a Nobel laureate, etc. https://www.pobedish.ru/forum/viewtopic.php?f=69&t=10469

Rusik, age: 22/05/19/2012

The meaning of life is like achieving some goal - it is different for everyone. But there is another common meaning of life - union with God. If you gain faith, you will also find the meaning of life, not only on earth, but also in Eternity. But you are immortal, whether you like it or not, whether you believe in it or doubt it.

Agnia Lvovna, age: 71 / 05/19/2012

You are wrong, this is not possible. We all live for something. Don't think like that - it's not right! Better yet, go to church, it will become easier.

Lesya, age: 17/05/19/2012

Just a passerby, believe in yourself. It’s possible to live simply by living, enjoying the light and the singing of birds. Well, don’t rush to get married, if you make the wrong choice, how to change if you meet then. What is important for us, necessary, this decision comes invisibly, went outside, just walked, the rain is drizzling and it’s already good. A cute girl passed by, maybe she will be your wife. After all, it is impossible to choose everything you need in life through trial and error. Just one day you will understand what is yours, and everything else has passed by. These are lyrics, but seriously, ideally everything should happen once in our lives. It is impossible to truly love forever ten times. Affection, sex, but not love. Marriage, children and all that. When you meet a girl whom you see as the mother of your future children, then get married. Spraying yourself into just, as they say now, “relationships” is spiritual castration. Physically everything is fine, but nothing is needed anymore. In a marriage, you will want to do everything for that one person as if you were doing it for yourself. So everything is correct for you. Now you have time to prepare the base for your future life. And there is also the path of monasticism. the path is high, but not for everyone. Leave a mark after yourself in this life, one of my friends, a non-believer, an inveterate atheist, on the verge of life and death, sewed 30 pieces of patchwork bedspreads, this is something between craft and art. and when I asked how she was able to do this, she replied that she wanted something to remain in this life after her. And then everything was like in a fairy tale, while she sewed them one after another, giving them to her friends, somehow all the troubles passed, everything has settled down, her disability has been lifted, she now works and spends her holidays in Austria at a ski resort. This is not a fairy tale, she is not a millionaire, she is already retired, but she works to be able to satisfy her whims. in your life it is important to determine what is important to you and this is the most important thing. This is the starting point of every day, in the morning you got up and said to yourself - I want it. Sometimes breakfast in bed really sets me up for the whole day, but for a small moment I need to get up, make coffee, make sandwiches, wash fruit, bring it to my beloved on a tray in bed, Well, then everything is clear, you enjoy it and think life is worth living. I didn’t read this in psychology books, this is my experience - it helped both when I was 20 years old and when I am now 51 years old. It’s worth living even just to be able to stand before God at the end of the journey and say, well, I suffered, I endured everything, I still didn’t understand anything, maybe now you’ll please me with something good. You don’t own your life, it’s not up to you to decide whether to live or not. Just ask, Lord, what don’t I understand, help me, talk some sense into me, a fool. Good luck. Don’t be offended by harsh words, you just have so many opportunities, limit yourself in food, drink and sleep and you will understand that you definitely want to eat, drink and sleep.

Olga, age: 51 / 05/19/2012

Hello. The book “Veronica Decides to Die” by Paulo Coelho helped me. The heroine of the book has the same thoughts as you, but at the end of the story she begins to appreciate every minute of her life, and how and why... you will find out if you read the book.)

Gulya, age: 35 / 05/19/2012

Hello! Let's look for meaning together. The thoughts are approximately the same.. I have a question for you that seems to be unrelated to the topic - do you like something? Well, food, for example. Or books, films... Or this. You can compose the following questionnaire for yourself: 20 points - what you like, 20 - what you don’t like, just 20 facts about yourself, absolutely any, then 20 memories, both bad and good - what stuck most in your 21 years, well, 20 small, everyday desires - not something global, but something like comfortable slippers or a bright T-shirt... Just don’t make it up, just try to remember, feel... Not intrigued? I became very interested in myself... It turns out that I don’t know myself at all... I simply live automatically... In general, they say that living is simply interesting! Only for this you need to feel its taste, yourself in it. Shall we try?

Lesya, age: 30 / 05/19/2012

Hello. I’ll tell you that all those things that you named do not cause joy in you because you do not see YOURSELF first of all in relation to all these things. This is how you see yourself next to your wife, children, and so on. What do you want to be? You have lost your taste because you only go for the result, and seem to ignore the process itself, so your soul is indignant, “how can this be!” She doesn't care about the result, she cares about the process. Because this is life. Understand? Don't look at the results, live here and now. Do it, do it, do it. And you know, time doesn’t exist, it’s just a static variable. That is, there will be no tomorrow. And it wasn't yesterday. There is only now. AND THAT'S ALL!!! ALL!! what happened, or will happen, will happen only at one moment, NOW! There is no need to run ahead of the locomotive. Where is the meaning? The point is that with the help of all this you build knowledge about yourself. So that you understand who you are in relation to this. And when you get to know yourself, you get to know the whole world. You become happy.

Dmitry, age: 20 / 05/19/2012

Alexander, thank you. I don’t know why, but your “AND IT’S NOT” made my soul feel a little lighter. Nitro, I understand that everyone is looking for their own meaning. But this is a local meaning, a meaning with a small letter... I need a big meaning, with a capital letter. I understand how funny the situation is, but what if? It doesn’t seem to get any worse, but there is hope, as they say... Rusik, thank you, I’ll take a look. Gulya, they already advised me, but they never got around to it. It’s probably time to set aside a couple of sleepless nights and still read it. Lesya, life is really interesting if your father is an oil tycoon, and your mother, for example, is a brand designer. Or at least a rich husband or wife. BUT a simple man in the street like me has to achieve everything with his own hands, his sweat and blood, so between work and the endless race for well-being, you, as a rule, do not have time to contemplate the fluttering butterflies in the Garden of Eden and other delights of life. Work, home, family, work, home, family, work... This is what shines for me all my life, and only if I’m lucky. It's worth it? In general, thank you all so much for your response, I’m truly grateful. Maybe it’s just all in my perception, I see the world in black and white. I'll try to look at it differently... I'll try...

Just a passerby, age: 21/05/20/2012

Based on your philosophy, the following follows: you are one of the people on earth, and you have no reason to live. Therefore, all people have no meaning to live. Maybe you could offer everyone a synchronized hanging in this case? Or mass drowning? Collective poisoning? Don't you think this is stupid? While you are alive, you can enjoy the whole spectrum of human emotions (joy, love, compassion, etc.), you can eat your favorite food, travel, pray, fall in love... enjoy everything that you have now. AND WHY SEEK MEANING? You won't find it as long as you look at the world so narrowly.

O., age: 25 / 05/20/2012

Wait, why chase prosperity? Is that the point? I think that in our time, only janitors or workers in the most unskilled professions work hard, when they really only have enough to survive... But for everyone else, it’s not hard to live with their eyes at least sometimes lifting from the ground... I can give many examples of friends who, having a small income - LIVE! They love, give birth to children... Even without their own home... Of course, they are sometimes scared in our unstable country... But they chose to LIVE for themselves. Not to work to raise money for housing, which they may never be able to buy. But to live in a rented apartment, relax, work, raise a daughter, engage in an interesting hobby... No one died of despair and is not going to sit idly by just because they are born not those parents. By the way, many parents are not only poor, but also elderly, who can no longer even help look after the child... So... Each person decides for himself... To be sour to him or get down to business and just LIVE...

Lesya, age: 30 / 05/20/2012

The “meaning” that you described is not even a meaning, it’s a program. Survival & Reproduction. Do not correlate these concepts with the meaning of life, this is a mistake. These are secondary goals that a person CAN realize in his existence. Look for the meaning of life in those things that may be interesting to you: from understanding the world to skydiving. Try EVERYTHING you can get your hands on. Don't put limits on yourself. That's the point. And nothing else.

Alexey, age: 19/07/26/2012

05/19/12... And no one answered you. Your words echo my thoughts. Everything is too meaningless, why run forward if there is no goal? Goals in everything, in all of existence, since this can be called life?.. I would like to add... it’s not that I don’t want children, a tree, but the meaning? So that they grow up and are faced with the same choice, the same hopelessness... a vicious circle without meaning.

Stuen, age: 18/05/11/2012

You, quite possibly, are one of those people who clearly see the life cycle, who do not want to trade for “temporary pleasure” if in the end there is “one outcome.” Meaning = purpose. The purpose of Life lies beyond the limits of Life itself, and beyond the limits of Life there is only Death. “The meaning of Life is in Death,” but is that fun? Pfft. If you have a cold, then you are treated, and do not kill yourself, although you feel bad. You always have time to die, but you can only live once. Take everything from Life, and then die. Maybe the Time Machine will soon be invented and we will be able to travel back in time. Imagine: on April 21 you will commit suicide, and on April 22 the Time Machine will appear in the world - “a new super cool toy.” It will be a shame, won't it?

Mediocrity, age: 17/03/13/2013

Life is already short, before you know it it will end. And when it ends, you will find out what the meaning is and why you were here. Until you die, just find what you enjoy and enjoy life. What's the point? When you want to sleep, eat or have sex with a beautiful girl, you don’t ask yourself what’s the point? You just want it. So live and do what you want, what makes you happy, and when you die, you will get answers)

Beazle, age: 19/08/09/2013

Oh, more than a year has already passed since then, and soap sometimes receives notifications about answers here. Thank you all, guys, but now everything seems to be getting better. I never found any meaning, but now I don’t have the need to look for it. At least that often. Just living. Without a goal. Without meaning. Maybe he resigned himself, got used to it... I don’t know. But thank you very much everyone again, you are all very good people)

Just a passerby, age: 22 / 08/09/2013

Maybe you’re just depressed, it happens, you just have to get carried away with something and everything will go away. don’t think about it so often, look for activities that you like. For example, I have always been fascinated by extreme sports... skydiving and so on))) I just need to do something, thoughts of suicide and other abnormal ideas are born in a bored head. even if there is no meaning in your life, then live it with pleasure, you are a free person and there are no restrictions in your field of activity. Be happy!

Angelica, age: 18/02/22/2014

Are you baptized? If yes, then the meaning of human life is the Kingdom of Heaven. This life is temporary, but that life is endless. And despondency is a sin! God bless you!

Antonina, age: 36 / 11/15/2014

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From quotes from historical figures

Great personalities, writers, inventors, philosophers and so on have tried and continue to try to find the keys to life's meaning, adding to the collection of phrases about the meaning of life. Chekhov wrote that he (the meaning) is in the struggle. Jack London believed that the real purpose of a person is not to exist, but to live. “The meaning of life does not exist, I will have to create it myself,” said Jean-Paul Sartre. Other versions of what the meaning of life is:

• Knowing yourself.
• Knowledge of the surrounding world.
• Self-development, knowledge, go through the path of spiritual development.
• Self-expression, creativity.
• Understand your purpose.
• Work and having goals.
• Movement. Contribution to the movement and improvement of the world.
• Goodness, prosperity, improvement of all humanity.
• Enjoying every step, love and joy.
• Beauty.

In addition, many are sure that leaving life (children) behind is the meaning of life. Equally, believers find it in unity with the Creator. By the way, about children. Of course, they are our future and happiness, but we should not make children the meaning of life. And to live only for the sake of another person, even if he is the best, dearest and beloved, harms both yourself and the child.

Help others

Sometimes, when you lose the meaning of life, you can try to find it by helping others. Volunteering and charity are sources of inspiration and a sense of meaning. This is both an act of kindness and self-care. It is worth doing something good for animals, children or the sick. At a minimum (besides the fact of a good deed), this way you can diversify your life and get distracted for a while, and at the maximum, you can find salvation.

Help others.

Sometimes, if there is no meaning to life for yourself personally, you can find it in helping others. Thus, finding a new purpose for your existence. Charity can inspire a person, filling him with a sense of his own importance in this world. After all, selfishness is very often a product of improper upbringing.

On the one hand, a person does everything for his loved one. On the other hand, he can get bored with it pretty quickly. At times like these, it's worth doing something nice for someone else for a change. Who knows, what if you like it?

Changing jobs and hobbies

A common reason for the question “I don’t see the point in life, what to do” is doing something you don’t like, something that’s not your business. Seventeen years is too early an age to understand what a person wants to devote his whole life to. In addition, graduates often listen not to themselves, but to their parents, partners or friends, choosing the wrong type of activity. Of course, you need to think about survival and means, but there are many more ways to implement this than it seems. And vocation provides even more opportunities. It is worth thinking about the likelihood of an error and making efforts to correct it.

No less important are a person’s hobbies, both the opportunity to realize one’s abilities and to compensate for the inaccessibility to professionally engage in what one’s soul is passionate about. All kinds of sports, playing musical instruments, drawing, gardening, collecting, fishing, tourism - nowadays the list of hobbies is huge, and everyone, even those who are convinced of the lack of talent, will be able to find something of their own. It is possible that one day your hobby will become your main source of income.

Traps of searching for the meaning of life

Trying to find the meaning of life, you can unknowingly reach a dead end. There are two striking examples:

1. Dependent relationships. This trap works when a person decides that his meaning is children and family. Perhaps you think so too, you’ve even already planned what you will do in the future for many years to come. You have made a plan and now strictly follow it, for fear of not being able to do something in time. This is the main mistake. You need to lead a certain lifestyle not because it is necessary or right, but because you want it so much, you get joy and satisfaction from it. Be a rational person. Carefully consider your every step, weigh the pros and cons, analyze your strengths and capabilities.
2. Workaholism. It happens that a person throws himself into work, completely forgetting about family, friends, entertainment, etc. And this is bad, because communication skills, the ability to empathize, and maintain good relationships with other people are lost. Workaholics do not see the problems arising around them and experience constant stress and anxiety. The result is dissatisfaction with oneself and, as a result, again the loss of the meaning of life.

There is another trap - destructive behavior. There are people who believe that the meaning of their existence is entertainment, self-destruction, etc. They spend all night in clubs, drink cocktail after cocktail, and often change sexual partners. But all this can hardly be called the meaning of life. It's a waste of time. And at some point a person realizes this. But will it be too late?

Reading books

Books, an eternal source of wisdom and good times, tell you how to find the meaning of life. Millions of stories from many writers from different parts of the world can become a consolation, a companion and an assistant even for those who are completely desperate. Any book, even not the best one, can be useful and influence your worldview. And for some, it may be time to join the authors and take on their own story or novel.

Travel, sports and psychologist

Another effective way to combat a condition that can be described in ordinary words as “tired, I don’t want to live anymore” is travel. Trips and excursions are not the key to success in searching for the meaning of existence, but they will leave little time for sad thoughts and fill your days with impressions, interesting experiences, experiments, and acquaintances.

The world is diverse and definitely worth exploring. To begin with, you can pay attention to your own city and region, then travel around the country and visit neighboring states. Many believe that there is no reason to live until a new goal arises. Even a short tram ride around the city is medicine for body and soul.

Just like sports. Jogging, gym, cycling, football or yoga clears the mind, lifts your mood and changes your thoughts. It doesn't hurt anyone to make exercise a habit.

It’s also worth going to a psychologist. This is useful in the early stages, until there is a need for a more serious specialist and treatment. Together with a psychologist, you can understand the reasons for the turning point period and find a way out.

Fighting depression

It is important to remember that depression is a serious illness that requires treatment and (preferably) timely consultation with specialists. And “I don’t want to live anymore at all” is often about depressive disorders. It is equally important to know what to do and how to live during treatment.

Medicines are an integral part of the process of getting rid of the disease, but this is not enough. Depression also affects physiology. This state is characterized by self-destructive thoughts of powerlessness and worthlessness, low self-esteem, and social misunderstanding. Apathy becomes habitual and forces you to think that there is no other way to live, therefore, any efforts are pointless. This is a fallacy, and it is dangerous.

It is necessary to realize where a person finds himself, to compare the situation with what it was a year ago. If a person was healthy then, then most likely he had desires, plans, energy, social contacts, an adequate perception of himself and a reaction to criticism. It is unlikely that he imagined his future locked up, contemplating the ceiling or Facebook feed, without strength, money, goals and joy. This is depression and it is just a phase, you need to work on your lifestyle to leave it behind.

Small steps, rear and doctor

Simple and slow. It’s hard for people who are far from the statements “I don’t want to live” and mental disorders to imagine what it’s like when you can’t get out of bed, brush your teeth, take a shower, or cook food. Such elementary actions require a lot of effort, but there is neither strength nor desire for them. But it is still necessary to do this. Stepping over yourself, slowly, with breaks, but do it. Psychologists and psychiatrists recommend making a list of tasks, marking those completed, rewarding yourself for every small step and praising them. When a person suffers from depression, any small step is equal to a big success.

Rear. Anyone who has no desire to live, sees no meaning and is weak, really needs the support of loved ones: a partner, friends, parents and other relatives. Lonely people should try to find a support group (for example, on the Internet). It is necessary to tell caring people about what worries you, illustrating with articles or videos if it is difficult to formulate thoughts.

A loved one will not necessarily be able to understand, but will be able to take part in his efforts: support with words, start cooking, find a doctor and take him to him. Moral support makes the patient stronger.

Psychiatrist. “I have no desire to live, I don’t see the point” - about suicidal ideation and (usually) mental illness. One of the significant steps is to find a good psychiatrist. Precisely a psychiatrist, not a psychologist, neurologist or psychotherapist. When choosing, it is important to focus on the doctor’s education, reviews of him, intuition and personal sympathy.

You should be extremely frank with the doctor: the accuracy of the diagnosis and the effectiveness of treatment depend on the quantity and quality of the information he receives. The doctor’s task is to explain why the patient got sick, how to cope with the disease, and prescribe medications. The main thing is that working with a doctor takes place in the form of cooperation and is comfortable.

Acute crisis conditions are best treated in the day department. This allows you to establish a sleep schedule, take medications and move more. Patients are also often prescribed psychotherapy, physical therapy, and exercise therapy.

In post-Soviet countries, stereotypes about psychiatry are still relevant, which repel people and lead to a deterioration in their condition, even death. For example, many people are afraid of accounting. It is a myth.

Fight the victim complex

If you are overly focused on finding the meaning of life, it only means that you have too much free time to think. You ask yourself this question again and again, looking for advice from others. The reason for this may be the desire to arouse pity for oneself, for such a poor and unhappy person, to see sympathy in the eyes of others. You just need someone else's attention. Be careful not to get carried away by the position of the victim, otherwise you risk developing a complex that only a professional psychologist can cope with.

Self acceptance

If at a certain period you do not see the meaning of life, it is important to accept yourself. It is important to accept your physical and moral weakness, the fact that now it is often or even always bad, but this does not devalue personal qualities and does not affect the love of those close to a depressed person.

Now such a person needs help, but this stage is temporary and will certainly pass one day. Recommendations for relieving the condition and rules of struggle:

• Drawing up a rescue plan. It is important to remember that “if you are alone, you are not a threat” (“Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”).
• Movement against and through force, but movement. While a person is weakened, simple exercises that help the body produce serotonin (“the happiness hormone”) are quite enough. You need to force yourself and get up. Despite difficulties, pain and unbearability. One day this experience will be remembered as very valuable.
• The more often you manage to overcome yourself, the more dopamine the brain produces and the more pleasure appears.
• We need to remember what a person loved before. Reading, swimming or walking near the railway are all important to do again. In spite of the lack of desire, energy and joy. After a while everything returns to normal.
• Defining the boundaries of possibilities. The main task is to recover. Overloading yourself is contraindicated.
• Time to rest. You will need it after every task, even the simplest one. And after the break you need to continue moving.
• Protection from stress and conflict situations.
• You cannot reproach and scold yourself. If a person feels worse and is unable to complete the task, he should try again when it becomes easier.

Useful exercises

The problem “I don’t see the point in life, what to do” is a cry for help from the human body. You can try to solve it, for example, using special exercises:

1. The last moment. You will need silence, a journal and introspection. You need to imagine that there is one day of life left, and ask yourself: what is a person most proud of, what does he regret, and what does he want to hear about himself after he dies. Next, you need to think about what you want to do on the last day, what really matters. From this list you are asked to choose what can be accomplished in the next 24 hours. The exercise is not recommended for people who are deeply depressed.
2. How to find your purpose. You need a piece of paper and a place where no one will distract you. At the top we write the question “What is my meaning in life?”, and then everything that comes to mind. There is no need to analyze the points, spontaneity is important. There are no stupid or wrong answers. After some time, everyone realizes that they have written down something important: by trembling, tears or joy. The process is individual and without time restrictions, some need twenty minutes, others two days.
3. “What should happen in the world thanks to you?” You need to listen to yourself, perhaps change the wording.

The words “I see no point in living” are familiar to every person at certain times. They can be scary and/or indicate the need for change in one area or another. The most important thing is not to ignore or take lightly such thoughts in your own head or from the lips of a friend. And also, if possible, benefit from such an experience (or at least do without harm).

“There is a test to determine whether your mission on earth is completed or not. If you are still alive, then you are not finished,” wrote Richard Bach. The meaning of life can always be found or created independently. Or choose the option about its absence, free yourself from unnecessary worries and just live. And in cases of serious problems such as depressive disorders, you should immediately contact a specialist. Take care of yourself.

I don’t know whether to continue living?

Every year the number of people who lose their understanding of how to live is increasing. More and more people are trying to figure out what to do when they don’t want to live.

“I don’t want to live.” This phrase has become commonplace in the modern world, especially often heard among young people and teenagers. Although, as it seems, everything is just fine for them - their whole life is ahead of them, prospects, travel, achievements. It seems that they should be filled with hopes and dreams. But instead of the expected aspirations and results, they abandon all this and “fall” into the state of “I don’t want to live.”

This is not limited to teenagers and young adults. Many adults, faced with different circumstances, ask the question: “what to do when you don’t want to live?” What happens to people that they don’t want to live?

And one more important “silent” question is “What to do when you don’t know how to live further?” Where does this flow of questions about life come from? For what reason is the first basic need - to survive - questioned in our modern times? People ask questions: “Should I continue to live?”...

Everyone asking this question, it seems to me, is trying to find an answer to the questions: “What is life worth to continue? And if it is really so important, then how to live?”

We are losing direction. Or have already lost direction. Lost self-awareness of “who I am.” For several previous generations, the party answered this question: “We are the working people. We are building socialism - heaven on earth." And there was a previously written plan: kindergarten, school, college and 20 years at some factory, where you will become a production drummer. And this is what your parents tell you, or rather those who replace them - educators, teachers, the media, your boss at work, everyone loudly agrees with this. Here are the answers.

And then everything fell apart. And everyone began to shout out loud: “Be whoever you want! Be yourself! You can become whoever you want!” And everyone rushed to “be yourself.” But this “I am what I want” did not live up to expectations. I didn’t become a millionaire, a pop star, or the owner of my own business. Someone is trying to live according to the old Soviet plan “kindergarten-school-institute-work”, but more and more people are admitting that this scheme has stopped working, and the understanding of how to live has not returned. Then we began to engage in self-development - 2 languages, self-development trainings, weight loss, healthy lifestyle. Has this reduced the number of people who do not understand how to continue living? It seems not. Moreover, there are more of them.

So, we have lost the “blueprint for a happy life.” Or are we just used to others broadcasting this plan to us? Maybe we are used to parents, teachers, and the government giving us step-by-step instructions for life? But something happens in our lives, something is not at all according to the “plan” and what should we do then?

I want to remember such a unique instruction for our life, which was used by millions of people before me, and is still used by millions now. I'll take the Bible. Yes, you can laugh at these. But have you ever wondered why such a huge number of people turn to it? Why do many people begin to pray in a crisis situation? Maybe there is something “there”?

When I feel bad and on the edge; when I don’t know what to do, how to live further; how to live when you don’t feel like it at all, I turn to the words of God written in this book. And they have never let me down. After all, only God knows the plan. And only He knows our next step. So why not go to him with your pressing questions?

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28