Lack of stimulation & boredom = depression and anhedonia

It seems like when I'm idle, not stimulated and bored, depression and anhedonia sets in. Feel the "blahs". Some times angry or atleast more easily angered. Maybe more moody, too. Especially the emptiness but that is a given, so forget that part of the question.

I'm interested in this specific combination causing these particular symptoms. Anyone relate?

I hope this response makes sense and I've understood correctly. I find when I'm not stimulated or distracted and have idle time, that I really notice the emptiness. Not necessarily depression. I just become much, much more aware of emptiness. It's like when there is nothing that has to be done and I have free time to do whatever I want, I don't know what to do with myself.

It makes me feel sad and/or agitated. As often times like this is when I have the time to think. Time to think is usually when things go bad. Anger tends to make me really driven, so generally when I have free time and feel flat, there isn't any anger there. It's a bit of the chicken and the egg though. Sometimes, the only time I'll allow myself to do nothing and be bored are when I'm already feeling depressed. But I can relate to feelings of low mood that creep in when you have nothing to keep you stimulated.

understimulated leads to a brain coma and me being very lazy not a depression
for me running and powertraining help with endophines
interacting with ppl (analysing )
anthropology and psychology and thinking about those help
i play computtergames if i have to much time (just to kill time does not really help)
go to a party and get drunk (as long as you know you can keep it from spinning out of controle)
sex (protect your body and mind)
the hard thing is going in the other extream and getting self distructive
(like getting someone pregnant drinking to much etc)
being understimmulated i Always knew i was prone to addictions but the funny thing is acohole and drugs (legal and illegal) don't really work on me (feel like a joke i don't get lol) but i'm addicted to women and (doing) sports

for me being understimmulated is not the same as a depression
i do 2 things to combat that things to keep me bizzy and actualy things that stimmulate that
if i would go only to things that stimmulate me i would get in trouble

Interesting replies, thanks.

Alexithymia

personality construct characterized by the sub-clinical inability to identify and describe emotions in the self.[1] The core characteristics of alexithymia are marked dysfunction in emotional awareness, social attachment, and interpersonal relating.[2] Furthermore, individuals suffering from alexithymia also have difficulty in distinguishing and appreciating the emotions of others, which is thought to lead to unempathic and ineffective emotional responding.[2] Alexithymia is prevalent in approximately 10% of the general population and is known to be comorbid with a number of psychiatric conditions.[3]

basicly you have to keep moving or you get understimulated
they stop moving they have to look at their own behaviour and they start to hate themselves
(in teh soprano's the shrink compairs it to the shark that has to keep moving or it's ll die and sais to tony soprano that ani-socials have it year 2/11house arrest)


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexithymia

I see I misread your quote. If it is comorbid with other disorders I can see that, but as its own condition I do not completely identify with it. I believe mine is due to my PDs.

I believe histrionics and narcissists struggle with this. Perhaps also borderlines? Any pwBPD care to comment?

I have no trouble with cognitive empathy that I am aware of, it is affective empathy that is inhibited. I'm quite adept at reading people and their emotions.

But it is about relevance, and if it's not relevant to me, I do not care.

Interesting post though. I may read the link later.

Yeah, I think I get what you mean.

Whenever I'm left alone with myself, so to speak, with no outside stimulation, I start to feel down.
Usually this results in getting annoyed more easily, feeling uncomfortable, hopeless, lost etc.

I notice a lot of people don't really get boredom. They don't REALLY understand it. Even the word "boredom" comes off as a gross understatement. I can't believe there isn't a better word for it in the English language. Sometimes boredom = pain. It's closer to a claustrophobic feeling, like being trapped in solitary confinement, locked in a room where you can't fully move your limbs. NOT A NICE FEELING. But most people wouldn't describe "mere" boredom in those terms. They don't really get it. They don't see why it can lead to rage, or acting out, or deep depression. But it seems the biggest battle of my life is boredom. I spend most my time trying to combat it. Most people just don't understand boredom though. They're wired so differently.

When I'm just alone and not doing anything, I feel extremely empty and disconnected from reality. I've been having this problem lately, as college begins and instead of being out and about I'm in and just kinda not doing anything in my free time.

I'm feeling this right now. I have homework to do, but I just don't have the motivation right now. Strange as I just started an ADHD medication, but we'll have to see. I find that I need some alone time because I find social interactions to be somewhat exhausting and life in general exhausting. I need to turn my brain off for a bit. Usually by watching TV.

Right now I just feel so sad and alone. I made theoretical plans with a friend, but she's flaky. Yesterday, I had plans to get drinks with friends, but after a long day of running around, I just didn't have the energy to go downtown and was content to spend the night by myself. But today I have no errands to run and I lack the motivation again to clean my room or do my homework so the sads have set in. I can't be alone for long periods of time. A full day of it like today makes me feel so depressed. Today it's complicated by my switching of meds and coming off of my AD, but now that I've stopped being busy I feel so lonely. I was bored and bad and did a line of coke that I had sitting in the back of my closet for a rainy day and while stimulating and producing a bit of a high, it still put very little of a damper on my loneliness. Made it worse in some ways as it increased my horniness and I haven't had sex in a week or two.

I'm hoping my ADHD med with eventually help with this, but yes. I often feel bored when I'm alone. I wouldn't go so far as to say depressed or experiencing anhedonia, but I feel extremely unhappy and I think it leads to a lot of impulsive behavior. I was fine keeping that $hit in the closet for a week now and it's not even a drug I really care for (as usual impulsivity struck and I took home a bump when my friend met with her dealer) but I need to feel something. I didn't feel the need to contact old sexual partners until today. But being alone for a day or two is intolerable. I probably need to go outside, but I'm too sad to really want to and I don't see the purpose in it. I hate being stuck in my own head. I hate feeling like a loser and not having anyone to hang out with. I hate being single without a significant other to think about and keep me from feeling so disconnected from the world. I need to focus on making friends. Texted 2 other people and they had plans/were out of town. I would call up friends in other cities, but that feels weird.

I feel useless and like I lack part of my humanity.