Apathy is an element that day by day wears down the well-being of many people. Although happiness does not have to be the norm and the empire of smiles can suffocate generating unrealistic expectations, apathetic people tend to suffer for different reasons. The feeling that there is nothing that motivates us is hard, and leads to a psychologically painful emotional stagnation.

In this article we’ll see some tips on how to stop being apathetic , as well as information related to managing emotions.

How do you stop being apathetic? Transforming Habits

In the following lines we will see what habits can contribute to leave behind apathy and start living life with a more balanced type of emotional regulation.

1. Set your long-term goals

Many times, apathy appears because that towards which we direct most of our efforts has no meaning for us. This is the case, for example, of people who start a university career without thinking much about it, simply because of the social pressure that points out that if you can afford it, it is almost obligatory to train in a faculty.

These kinds of commitments tie us to long-term goals that we don’t really value, in exchange for sacrificing many things from our daily lives. Therefore, it is necessary to stop and think if there is something holding us back, sabotaging our possibilities of improvement. Which leads us to the next step to follow.

2. Assumes the need for radical changes

To stop being apathetic or listless, profound changes are needed, affecting more than one facet of one’s life. This type of personal evolution is much more like changing jobs than starting to incorporate a new ingredient into one’s diet.

Leaving the comfort zone is uncomfortable, because breaking with old behavioural dynamics that provide stability is always a problem, but on many occasions it is necessary to feel much better, to start feeling interested in the possibility of starting projects, etc.

3. Think about what you like to do

The vast majority of people who are apathetic retain the ability to enjoy certain types of activities on time. To start getting excited about what you do , it is good to think about projects to be developed over weeks or months and that involve carrying out one or more of these activities, to the point of making it their central pillar.

For example, creative people may go from spending all their free time watching TV or visiting the Internet to setting out to write a short novel, make a low-budget short film, etc. Those who, on the other hand, are interested in a very specific hobby, can start a blog on that subject that will serve to generate community, or propose to learn more about it, etc.

4. Retrieve your contacts

Having a good social life is important for getting out of apathy, since isolation favours entering behavioural dynamics where habit and passivity reign.
Thus, getting back in touch with old friends is good, because on the one hand these people have greater possibilities of getting involved in activities or projects that we like (there is a reason why this friendship came about).

5. Find new friends too

On the other hand, it never hurts to make new friends, as usually socializing situations where you come into contact with new people are exciting and can lead to common stories that mean something to us.

However, this step need not be necessary, as deliberately seeking out new friendships is not something that everyone likes and does not necessarily guarantee that someone will be found who interests us. It is simply a matter of evaluating the possibility.

6. Review your expectations

Sometimes apathy appears mainly because a too pessimistic way of thinking has been internalized. But that life is not easy does not mean that good things cannot happen if we adopt constructive attitudes.

Therefore, whoever is thinking of stopping being apathetic should review his or her expectations and stop to think whether they are realistic or not. It is frequent that those who feel bad or apathetic eliminate from their forecasts the possibility of feeling excited about something, but this is because of the emotional dynamic in which they enter, not because there is actually a law of the universe by which good things do not happen.

7. If necessary, seek help

Not every case is easy to solve without help. Therefore, it is necessary to assess whether it is necessary to seek professional help from psychologists . Apathy does not cease to be harmful simply because it is not depression or sadness, and it is good to be aware of this in order to do everything possible to feel motivated and interested.