What is Apathy? How To Break Past It.

Apathy is one of those mental states that can be very debilitating. You really don’t care about anything. Apathy can be defined as reduced motivation to engage in goal-directed activities across 3 domains: Initiative, Interest and Emotional responsiveness.

You can overcome apathy by working to achieve a flow state which is a positive mental state where you are absorbed in activities that are sufficiently challenging to keep you interested but are not too hard for you to feel mastery and control over the activity. What you do to get into a flow state depends on how you are wired. The assessment at the Flow Genome Project can give you some ideas of activities that you can pursue.

Gold J, Ciorciari J. A Review on the Role of the Neuroscience of Flow States in the Modern World. Behavioral Sciences. 2020; 10(9):137.

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Disclaimer: All of the information on this channel is for educational purposes and not intended to be specific/personal medical advice from me to you. Watching the videos or getting answers to comments/question, does not establish a doctor-patient relationship. If you have your own doctor, perhaps these videos can help prepare you for your discussion with your doctor.

[charlottebrown]

I feel so trapped by this, even though I have goals I am too apathetic to care most of the time. I went for a walk yesterday in a park, a really long one, and it was beautiful, near the end I realized I felt alive and not apathetic which was amazing. Yet, I got back home and it settled on me again.

[vacationeyes]

Apathy can also be your mind's response to chronic stress. When you are constantly bombarded with abuse from toxic people around you, your mind responds with apathy, to shut down pain.

Sometimes I suffer from this, along with being irritated and annoyed by EVERYTHING. Some days I just wake up irritated and it doesn’t go away until the next day. Like when that happens I don’t even want to hear people talk, I just want silence and peace.

[cleft_]

It absolutely is the worst. It’s the hardest hole to get out of I’ve ever found myself in.

[crystalynnbearr]

This is me, 100% apathetic. My brother died eleven months ago and I’ve been this way since Christmas. I’m just existing.

[rhiannonfoley]

I forget what caring feels like. This helps me understand it a little deeper. Thanks Dr. Marks.

[rafarraes]

Depression makes me apathetic and it's always a sign that it's coming back. Anyway, super interesting video, those graphs enlightened me so much, you have no idea. I'm gonna share it with my friends and my therapist <3

[generalmaul]

Apathy has been a double edged sword for me. After suffering a break up, I’ve lost myself. I’m generally emotionally aware and I was always stuck in a state of “flow”. I was always immersed in living and I was just generally happy with life no matter what.

Now I’m a blunt tool. I literally don’t care about anything. Good or bad. It helps in someway. I managed to overcome my insecurities immediately but I’ve completely lost touch with myself. I have no real identity since my fears/wants are completely gone. It even overrode my depression. I don’t care to feel or build connections with anyone. I don’t hate or love anything.

This is the most empty existence someone could feel. I only hope that no one else has to go through this.

[chrbotno]

Thank you so much for making these videos. Sadly, many of us are finding more help working ourselves on YouTube than in the mental health system.

[trashcanbees]

This made me realize that maybe I'm actually not as apathetic as I thought. I always have this vague sense of dissatisfaction and frustration but no....real feelings I guess. But I get ideas and maybe I even have the motivation for them, just not the energy. It's more like a constant state of being overwhelmed, everything is just more effort than it's worth but on some level I still want to do it. I just often can't

[shauntessier]

One reason why many feel apathetic is from being constantly overstimulated from our fast lives which leave us feeling like dopamine addicts looking for another hit from the internets dopamine slot machine (social media, youtube, etc.)

[egrace]

Dr. Marks... this is GOLD. Not only do you describe the mental state with research, you offer a clear assessment tool to help us learn more about ourselves AND you offer solutions to help us out of the whirlpool...thank you so much for this. Much appreciated. I will forward this to a friend who seems to fit this problem.

[YkAiS]

I had this ever since childhood and still struggle with it till this day. Unfortunately, many African American families just think the kid is rebellious. So I appreciate your videos.

[daviewaviee]

Apathy is a hard state to be in when you have comorbid mental illnesses 🙋🏽‍♂️. Anxiety, coupled with depressive states and an apathetic state make it tough to commit to (or even begin) anything. I've found that just *doing an activity* that fits your profile is a good way to begin breaking through the slump. Don't wait until you "feel better" to start something, *just go for it* and with time, it'll usually arouse the parts of your brain that are kind of "sleeping" when you're feeling apathetic, and you should slowly experience some relief... but keep at it! It rang a bell when you got to Deep Thinker 🧠. This explains why gaming 🎮 and the arts 🎨 have always been my go-to for reducing stress and anxiety, as well as to feel "charged up." Thanks, Dr. Marks! ☺

[kaylablount]

I feel like it takes me a lot to actually be immersed into something or to genuinely be excited. I can get excited but very rarely can I feel pure joy and outward excitement

[shorefyre]

Strange how a single word can clarify and open up so much. This is definitely something I need to look into more. Thank you!

[mebeasensei]

Wonderful…thanks…overwhelmed today…sometimes I get apathy when really, I am perhaps overwhelmed and feel rushed. I zone out and lose focus…no goals can be prioritized then…it’s overwhelming …and I grasp for a dopamine hit… buzz my hair etc.

[JunoBug]

I was a musician and was constantly in a state of flow. It was amazing but was so hard to lose when I had to quit. The first half of this video gave me physical chest pain....it hurts so badly to lose your ability to be in flow. But the second half of this video gave me hope, thank you.

[Courtney-ofpo]

I've mentioned it on other videos, but this also ties in with hormone imbalances. I would love to see an explanation deep diving into this topic.
I have pcos (estrogen dominant) and I am just realizing the link between my apathetic and depressed state and my hormones. A realization came to me a couple of years ago, that I literally had no feelings. I never was extremely happy or sad, did not feel intense love or anything. I thought back to my teenage years and how happy I used to be and how many emotions I felt when experiencing life.
I realized something was definitely wrong. My family even actually told me I seemed so flat and emotionless.
I began with hormone replacement therapy and doing steps to ease my pcos symptoms and suddenly I was beginning to feel like a "real" person with deep emotions. I'm now seeing I was apathetic for the last 10 years of my life due to my hormone imbalance. So I definitely think that's something that should be looked at as well.

[andremills]

I already had chronic depression when my son passed away. Thats when the apathy took over my life and almost cost me my job. This video helps me see it wasnt just me but a normal part of grief.