Do you feel unable to feel any emotion of joy or happiness? Don’t you enjoy your time? Maybe you suffer from anhedonia. Discover what it is and how to overcome it through psychology.
We have all felt at some point lack of feelings towards our own life. Sometimes it is normal for a person to be unable to feel certain sensations, but when this becomes common in everyday life it is a psychological problem that we must address. What is known as anhedonia is a symptom that is difficult to detect by family members and friends who suffer from it. Despite this, it is vital to try to recognize an anhedonic person before this lack of emotions worsens.
Briefly defined, the anhedonia It is the inability to feel pleasure and enjoy pleasant things. Those who suffer from it are not able to enjoy any circumstance, such as sexual relations, food or leisure activities, whatever they may be. Normally it is not possible to feel pleasure with those things that were felt before.
It is not a total disability since there are several degrees of anhedonia There are those who are not able to experience pleasure or enjoyment, while others notice a decrease but are able to continue feeling those things. In this way, normally not being able to enjoy the moment or having a lack of feeling is usually related to disorders such as depression and anxiety.
‘I don’t enjoy anything’
The anhedonia It makes relationships, including those with very close friends and family, a constant struggle. Without the reward of enjoyment, it is difficult for people to be motivated to spend time with others. In fact, it is normal that when someone feels this loss of interest they reject invitations and skip important events such as certain festivities.
In some cases, people who suffer from this do not suffer from anhedonia, but of social anxiety. Typically, the distinction between these two conditions can be made because social phobia often causes the feeling that you don’t fit in with others, especially when people meet new people.
Types of anhedonia
There are different degrees of anhedonia. On many occasions someone anhedonic suffers from this symptom in a completely different way than others. In this way, we can find the following types of anhedonia.
Social anhedonia: Some people no longer they enjoy spending time with the rest. So much so that sometimes the individual who suffers from it is unable to feel joy with others and may even go so far as to fake these emotions.
Physical anhedonia: This type of anedonia It usually occurs when the person who suffers from it cannot feel physical sensations or pleasures. For example, hugs may not give pleasure, or meals may taste bland, and even sex may lose all appeal.
The anhedonia It makes relationships a constant struggle. The moment the reward or enjoyment no longer gives pleasure and meaning, it is difficult for someone to be motivated to spend time with others.
Symptoms of anhedonia
A person incapable of feeling Due to anhedonia you have different symptoms that affect your daily life. According to psychologists, we can identify the following traits that someone suffers from anhedonia and their emotional meaning.
Social isolation: One of the main symptoms that make identify anhedonia It is social isolation. As we have already mentioned, enjoying the company of others no longer becomes pleasant and that is why people come to avoid all relationships, whether friendship or family.
Constant negative thoughts: The majority of people who suffer from anhedonia They often experience many negative feelings towards themselves and others. In this way, they usually have a lack of self-esteem related to it as well as a certain distrust towards their partners and loved ones.
Poor emotional skills: Not feeling anything can also be because people cannot control their emotions well. Therefore they experience many sensations that make them retreat further into their isolation or social anhedonia
Difficulty adapting to social situations: Due to their poor emotional stability and inability to enjoy relationships or block bad people, most people who suffer from partial ahedonia or complete they often have difficulty adapting to certain social situations.
They show false emotions: Someone who is anhedonic usually shows false emotions for trying to fit into certain social groups. On some occasions they can fake happiness or joy so as not to feel that they are sad or that they do not feel emotions.
Loss of libido: Another of the most common features of not feeling anything is precisely the loss of libido. In this way, people usually end up not having sexual relations because they no longer feel pleasure in them.
Persistent physical problems: The anhedonia It is usually a problem that results in certain health problems such as colds, headaches or muscle aches, among others. This is because sadness usually causes our defenses to be persistently low.
These are some of the main symptoms of someone anhedonic In many cases, being able to detect anhedonia is difficult because the person sees it as a completely normalized attitude. That is why if you think that someone suffers from it, you should turn to a professional psychologist so that whoever suffers from anhedonia has the appropriate treatment to overcome it.
People who are consumers of alcohol can suffer from anhedonia. drugs, especially cocaine and especially during the withdrawal phase. Also those who suffer schizophrenia But the most common thing is that it appears in people who suffer from depression, which is why there are many people who have this problem at some point in their lives.
A person with depression She is usually emotionally frozen, she does not feel joy about anything nor is there anything that gives her the necessary motivation to feel it. Even in the event that something fantastic happens to her loved ones, they are not really able to rejoice and enjoy what is happening.
Furthermore, scientists also believe that anhedonia It may be closely related to changes in brain activity. So much so that it has been shown that the lack of feelings due to anhedonia is usually linked to the way our brain produces dopamine, one of the substances we release to feel good. Research suggests that the prefrontal cortex is often overactive in people with anhedonia. This means that the pathways that control the way we seek our rewards are interfered with.
How to overcome anhedonia?
It is very important that a correct diagnosis is made before starting to treat it, in order to know its causes and begin to look for the solution. As it has its origin in dependencies and some diseases, as these improve, so will the anhedonia It is clear then that they do not have a special treatment but rather it depends on properly treating their cause. In addition, we can also apply the following tips to deal with anhedonia.
Changes in lifestyle: Healthy eating, moving more, trying to have more time to enjoy ourselves is one of the first steps we should take when we suffer from anhedonia On many occasions, people who suffer from it usually have a large dose of stress that makes it difficult for them to escape these sensations.
Face our negative thoughts: People who suffer from anhedonia They tend to have quite distorted thought patterns. Therefore, it is likely that your mind is full of self-hating and negative thoughts. In order to stop them, we must face them and try to rationalize why they arise and if they are really useful for us. Although it is an almost titanic task, the reality is that this is how we will be able to feel pleasure again in all aspects of our lives.
Search for meaning: The anhedonia It usually eliminates inspiration, happiness and motivation in a person, which is why it is vital that we fight to get to what we want in our lives. In this way, it is vital to try to get out of the comfort zone and try those activities that we have always wanted to do.
Avoid isolation: Even though the social anhedonia It is very difficult to combat, the reality is that it is what people who have these psychological problems need most. On many occasions, living new experiences with friends and family will be a great weapon to combat this lack of feelings towards joy and happiness.
Go to a psychologist: Finally, it is important for a specialist to evaluate the person who believes they have anhedonia to find out its origin. Medical support and a family environment that follows medical or therapist guidelines is essential for the patient to move forward as soon as possible.
An inability to experience pleasure and/or a reduced interest in the things that used to make you happy affects your quality of life. In fact, people who suffer from anhedonia I shouldn’t live with it. If you think that you are increasingly losing interest in those things that once gave you joy, you should seek the help of a mental health professional as soon as possible.
The good news is that, once you start treatment, people who suffer from anhedonia can begin to feel pleasure and happiness again. Anhedonia usually dissipates once the condition causing it is managed.
Anhedonia and its treatment
The anhedonia It can be very difficult to treat. In many cases, treatment often uses certain tools to help people manage a mental health problem that is likely causing this symptom, such as depression. Typically, anhedonia and its treatment can involve both the use of drugs and psychotherapy, as well as a combination of the two.
The anhedonia It can cause us to miss out on many positive aspects of our lives. In many cases, someone who is anhedonic will stop seeing life as it is. Therefore, it is vital to face these symptoms and take control of our lives. By leaving anhedonia behind, the person will be able to see all the colors that make up life again.
