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A grave encounter with the void.

3K views 12 replies 10 participants last post by  aef8234 
#1 ·
Existential anxiety, guilt? meaninglessness??? What do you do???
 
#2 ·
Well, vent your frustrations on a personality forum, of course! :) No, but seriously. It depends on the source of the problems. Are you a 4 and this is your unstable frame of mind at all times? Seek equilibrium by finding reasons we're all more alike and connected than different and disconnected. Is it an anxiety/depressive disorder? Seek medical attention and talk out your feelings and thoughts to lessen your burden. Is it a spiritual dilemma? Do research and prove to yourself by evidence one way or another. If you want to hash it out and would like a sounding board, feel free to start with a stream-of-consciousness rant here or pm me and we'll walk through it together. What do you say?
 
#3 ·
you are quite right, the source of the problem is important and I would have to work it out. What scares me is, would I have go on like this without any meaning for the rest of my life? It is scary to realize that you need a reason to go on and none of the reasons really mean anything much.
 
#4 ·
It is better to make your own meaning in life than to wait and endure it's uncertainty. It is a terrible thing to feel nothing for a time. It makes one question their existence and purpose. I've been there before. Only twice but enough to know that it is akin to torture. I find that it is best to stay away from topics that lead you to it. Entertain yourself and do what you do best. Enjoy and love those you hold dear and try not to lose yourself in the dark.
 
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#5 ·
There seems to be a paradox here. The more you search for meaning, the more absent the world will become of meaning; when you stop searching for it, everything becomes full of meaning.
 
#10 ·
I listen to Joy Division for a while and bemoan my existence (much like an angry adolescent). I then contemplate suicide or masturbate a lot. Then I find another concrete albeit meaningless distraction that allows me to avoid the meaninglessness and my responsibility to create my own meaning in my life. Usually Wednesday is the day that evokes the most existential anxiety.
 
#11 ·
Sometimes I sit with it and accept it as part of my current reality. I look at it in context of the situation and attribute it to the circumstances (ex- a long-standing recession that's made a global impact on people's hopes, dreams, and aspirations). I then find something to be thankful for, the little things, and slowly re-engage myself by keeping busy.. when that mental torture creeps up when I do feel that void again- I remind myself of where I came from, who I am, and the people that meant/mean a lot to me those who have both passed on and still are alive.. I hate that feeling of nothingness.. to fill that void, I seek connections (and that only lasts til a certain extent when I come to the acceptance/realization that we all at some level are alone in this world even though seemingly interconnected there still is that empty space that ebbs and flows). Not a permanent feeling but knowing that suffering is a part of our existence helps me to realize we're not quite all alone in this very human experience of paradoxical joy.
 
#12 ·
that's a little vague for me. Can you say more on this? What did you do, what happened, when you had this encounter?

Because guilt, existential anxiety, and meaninglessness, though can be related, are different concepts.
 
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