How do you ignite the spark of your life-long passion again?

[Anonymous]

I feel like I've ended up in some sort of dead-end road instead of a one-way-street towards the life and career I was pursuing. I am certain that the last years played a huge role in it - the pandemic, not being able to study in University the way it was intended, and later on feeling burned out by the eventual experiences I gained. Somehow I lost the passion for the very subject I devoted my studies to - something that has always been a huge part of my life and that I truly enjoyed. The branch even requires you to collect experience with internships and jobs before you get accepted into the studies, so I've had plenty of time to do that as well and realize that it's different than I expected at first - but nonetheless, something I liked and wanted to do.

And now that I finally got closer to a big goal of it, I just lost that spark. I know it sometimes happens when you turn a hobby into a job, but that I feel especially miserable about it and I can't get out of my field anymore puts a lot of pressure behind it as well. I think the people here have ruined it for me, but the worse thing in all of this for me is really that I can't seem to stand anymore what I used to love.

Does anyone with more life experience than me know a way out of this? Am I just a burn-out case and need therapy, perhaps? Is this normal? I just want to enjoy my life and work again and I don't know if this will ever get better. I've bonded over this very passion with my family and most people I've met in my life and if it's gone now, what else do I have left? I am really at a loss.

[Anonymous]

I was in the 3rd year of university and was 20 years old in the beginning of the pandemic, I too feel the same, that covid took from me a very significant time period of my life. Now I have the degree but I just feel the same as you. I don't have a direction. I turned 25 recently. I didn't date anyone. I think for most people early 20s is the time they date. While my early 20s were in isolation. Yet I got covid thrice but I survived, but I ask myself why! I had a lot of plans that I wanted to do in my early 20s and now I'm 25 and did nothing. I'm from South Asia and girls get married in their early twenties or at least mid twenties, people have started to ask me when am I gonna get married? I don't have an answer because that's the last thing in my mind at the moment. I'm not depressed or I hopefully believe that I'm not. It's the sensation of getting old without achieving any of my goals which is really killing me. I think an individual gains a lot of experience, have the most fun, enjoys friendships or relationships in their early 20s, but I never got to do any of it. I'm living a very restricted life (I know it may sound alien to you but south Asian culture (conservative) is very different from western culture), I am just stuck in my home 24/7, I am not supposed to go out. This restriction had me wishing that I was born a boy at least id have the freedom to go out or at least take some decisions by myself😭

I know my answer doesn't answer anything you've asked but I am in the same situation as you, I am not sure if that'd make you feel better. But I just wanna say that you're not alone.

[Anonymous]

It’s time to try something new. Remember we change and grow as we move through life and that’s okay! You can return to your “passion” as a hobby or a way to decompress when you’re feeling up to it. For now, set your sights on new goals that will lead you down a different career path. It’s ideal to “love what you do” for work but sometimes the pressures of making money can take the fun out of things.

[exitseven]

Covid has screwed up life for a lot of people. I don't know if it was the isolation or maybe the loss of control over our lives but there has been a lot of people diagnosed with depression and suicides are up as well.

I really don;t know how to fix this. I am going through a similar thing. I spoke to my doctor about it and he said that he hears this all the time since Covid. He blames it on the isolation. Knowing that I was not alone in this helped me somewhat but I am still trying to figure out how to get back on track.

[exitseven]

Thanks for the MHO

[FuqUFggt]

Turn off the TV. I did in 1999. Life is so much better when you are living it instead of watching it.

[Staximus]

Life changes. Your direction, needs, wants, and things that make you happy might change with it. So maybe it's time for you to change your life, too. Start working towards doing something else that makes you happier. Most people don't have a job or career that they love, they are just trying to pay the bills. You're not stuck, you just need to make a change. Give it some time, it's not going to happen overnight