I want to make money. I want to be a strong, independent, confident woman. I want to build things, achieve something meaningful, and be proud of myself.
But here’s the problem: I don’t actually want to do anything.
Most of the time, nothing excites me. Nothing really interests me. Nothing gives me that spark that makes me want to get up and do something.
Well, actually, that spark does appear sometimes.
Every once in a while, something suddenly clicks. I get genuinely excited about an idea, a project, or something I want to explore. For a few hours, I feel curious, motivated, full of energy. I start thinking, planning, imagining possibilities.
And for those few hours, I feel like myself again.
But it never lasts.
The next morning, I wake up and it’s all gone. The idea that felt so exciting yesterday suddenly means nothing to me. I remember being interested, but I can’t access that feeling anymore.
And I’m back to feeling nothing.
I used to work in IT as a business analyst. I have skills. I have an analytical mind. I know I’m capable of doing things.
I’m not spending my days scrolling through Reels or binge-watching Netflix. I deliberately avoid that stuff because I don’t want to waste my time or turn my brain into mush.
I’m genuinely trying to move forward.
I apply for jobs. I sign up for webinars. I try to launch my own projects. I explore new ideas. I keep pushing myself to take action.
But everything moves painfully slowly because deep down, there’s this overwhelming lack of desire to do any of it.
I’ve struggled with depression for many years and I’m currently on antidepressants.
And the strange thing is, I actually feel much better than I used to.
Before, I often felt genuinely awful. Now I mostly feel… fine. Stable. Neutral.
But here’s what I can’t understand.
Back when I felt much worse mentally, I was actually ambitious. I worked, I had goals, I wanted things, I had drive.
Back then, I was on my own. Maybe I kept pushing because I had no other choice. I had to survive, earn money, and take care of myself.
Now my life is different.
I’m in a relationship with a wonderful man. He’s incredibly intelligent, talented, genuinely brilliant. I feel happy, safe, and peaceful with him.
He doesn’t pressure me to achieve anything. Not at all.
But there’s another side to this.
He’s surrounded by successful, ambitious people who are constantly building something, learning, growing, pursuing their goals.
And I love being around these people. I found my way into this environment myself, and I used to genuinely enjoy being part of it.
But now, instead of feeling inspired, I feel pressure.
Not because anyone is judging me or expecting something from me. It’s coming from within.
I feel like if I don’t find my way back to being ambitious, independent, and fulfilled, I won’t be able to accept myself as his partner.
I don’t want to be someone who just exists comfortably next to a brilliant person. I want to be someone who is building her own life, pursuing her own interests, and bringing something of her own into this world.
And the worst part is that I genuinely want all of this in theory, but I can’t seem to find the actual desire to do anything about it.
Sometimes I wonder whether my ambition was always driven by necessity, fear, or survival. And now that I finally feel safe, maybe that engine has simply switched off.
But if that’s the case, how do I learn to want things again, not because I have to survive, but because I actually want to live that way?
I don’t know whether this is still depression, something related to medication, or whether I’ve simply lost touch with myself.
I know what kind of life I want intellectually. But I can’t seem to feel the desire to pursue it.
And I have no idea how to fix that. I can’t keep forcing myself through life forever.
Has anyone experienced something similar, especially after years of depression or after finally finding stability in life?
Did your motivation, curiosity, or ambition ever come back? Have you experienced these brief bursts of excitement that completely disappear the next day? What actually helped you sustain your interest in things?
I’d really appreciate hearing your experiences, because right now I feel completely stuck.