How To Find Your Passion When You Are Depressed

December 29, 2022

Finding your passion is an elusive goal for many people. It seems like everyone has their passion, but only for so long before they realize that it’s gone.

When you are depressed, it can be difficult to know what your passion is. You may feel too overwhelmed or distracted about things to identify what you truly want to do.

It can also be hard to recognize that you have lost your passion. You could keep thinking that you still enjoy something about past experiences, even if you cannot remember what it was exactly anymore.

This can make it harder to find your passion because you don’t acknowledge that you no longer desire anything.

Finding your passion requires you to be honest with yourself about what you want out of life and who you want to be as a person. It takes work to figure this out, but once you do, then it will naturally come back around.

The more you expose yourself to new ideas, the more opportunities you create for yourself to discover your passions. This can include finding your passion through studying other subjects, exploring different career paths, and interacting with people from all walks of life.

Finding your passion doesn’t necessarily happen quickly, but when you stop looking, it disappears forever.

Look to your inner voice

how to find your passion when you are depressed

Finding your passion is not about having an incredible vision of what you want to do, it’s being willing to go after what you want with all your heart while at the same time giving up things that you think you should pursue.

It’s listening to your internal guidance system instead of external pressures.

Your internal guidance system doesn’t depend on money or social acceptance for validation. It’s simply you thinking about yourself for too long. Thinking about yourself in a positive way and looking within helps you find your true calling.

In fact, a recent study conducted by University of Pennsylvania found that people who were passionate about one thing tended to share their enthusiasm with other areas of life.

The researchers surveyed 1,000 individuals between 18 and 35 years old and asked them about their passions as well as how motivated they were in various domains- such as work, school, family, and community-beyond what might be considered normal.

They found that people with higher levels of engagement in one area of life were more likely to describe themselves as engaged in others. In other words, those who loved cooking didn’t just enjoy preparing food, but also enjoyed talking about foods and eating, and they was confident they could cook even if they had to spend the day alone.

Keep an open mind

how to find your passion when you are depressed

Finding your passion is not about having an already lined up list of things you want to do, it’s more like exploring a new area or domain. If you are ever feeling down, try looking into different areas or domains that seem interesting to you — perhaps by thinking about what types of experiences you have enjoyed in the past, or ways to improve upon them.

You can also explore different areas through hobbies and studies. For example, if you enjoy reading, take some time to find out how other people managed their stories and themes and see what you learn. Or if you love to cook, start experimenting with recipes and studying tips.

There are many ways to discover your passions. The best way depends on you and what you desire from life. Being passionate and able to describe your passion makes you feel good so trying to find this is important.

It may be that you realize later in life that your passion lies outside the work place, but still, there are lots of ways to achieve personal fulfillment.

Ask yourself what you would do if you knew you could not fail

Finding your passion is more than just knowing what things you like, it is also about finding something that makes you happy, no matter how little or few of those things you have.

Finding your passion takes time, but don’t worry, you are not alone! There are many ways to work through this stage, from talking to friends, looking into different career paths, and even doing new activities.

By breaking down this task into smaller steps, you will find success in the long run. It may feel overwhelming at times, but remember, you are not failing – you are living your life.

Become a digital nomad

how to find your passion when you are depressed

Being a traveler is one of the most passion-inducing things you can do, but only if you are passionate about traveling! If not, then why not just stay at home and be comfortable?

The key word there is "just".

Become a traveler by investing in good quality travel gear (for example, through online stores or from brick and mortar locations) and renting a room or apartment via sites like Airbnb. Once you have this thing, you're spending more time doing it so you should feel happy about that.

And don't worry about having enough money for all of this — you can invest in your dream journey gradually. Many people start off with a cheap place to stay and work up from there.

There's an app called GetPaidToTravel which allows you to make extra cash by browsing and listing available positions as a tour guide, photographer, writer, etc. I've personally earned over $2,000 per month between both my job and side business.

Find a therapist

how to find your passion when you are depressed

Finding your passion is difficult when you are depressed or in a state of self-hatred. The way to work through these stages is by talking with a professional.

A good psychiatrist will help you find the root cause of your depression, address any underlying emotional issues and give you tools to treat yourself better. They can also be a great source of inspiration as they help you learn about life and what makes you happy.

Therapists that specialize in mental health have spent their career studying how to help people feel happier, more connected and less stressed out. Some focus only on children’s well-being while others may focus more on adults.

No matter which area of therapy she/he specializes in, every trained psychologist has at least one tool that helps patients identify their passions. This is called the Passion Checklist or the PASSION questionnaire.

The reason this works is because we all have different things that make us feel passionate.

Some of us love to create new things — like writing a book or designing a house. Others are inspired by nature, traveling, or working with animals. There’s not really anyone who doesn’t enjoy doing something they think is fun or cool.

By asking ourselves questions about those activities and thinking about why it gives us pleasure, we can figure out our own passionalities.

Learn to meditate

how to find your passion when you are depressed

Finding your passion is not about having an impressive career or spending your life in busy, productive times; it’s not about being rich, owning a house, and traveling the world. It’s not even necessarily about living a good, moral life.

Finding your passion takes effort – lots of effort. It takes time outside of work, which can be tough when you are trying to focus on achieving your dreams.

But investing that time will pay off in ways you could never anticipate.

By exploring the things you love doing, and diving into them with all your heart and mind, you will find what makes you feel alive and passionate. You will know this thing inside you, this source of energy and happiness. This will keep you motivated and inspired every day.

Do things that make you happy

how to find your passion when you are depressed

Finding your passion is about finding what makes you happy and then making it accessible for the rest of the world. Being passionate means doing something you love, so why not choose something that already makes you feel good?

Many people find their passion in music, sports, or reading. If you have a hobby that you enjoy, try expanding on it by teaching yourself more about it or investing in equipment needed to fully pursue it.

Alternatively, if you are struggling to figure out what you want to do with your life, consider learning a new skill — anything from painting to baking to coding.

Connect with your friends

how to find your passion when you are depressed

Finding your passion is not about having an incredible career or life goal, it’s not about being super talented, intelligent, rich or attractive – it’s about finding what you were meant to do with your life.

It’s about connecting with who you are as a person and understanding what makes you happy.

By this I mean things like talking about yourself and your experiences, reading self-help books that challenge you, working on creative projects, exercising, spending time with people who make you happier, investing in educational resources and courses, and doing activities that bring you joy.

All of these can be done alone or with others so don’t feel like you have to do them alone.

When you find something that makes you happy, devote more of your time to it and eventually you will realize that you can’t live without it.

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