Hi all! I am an undergraduate needing to take a leave from college.
I find myself stuck when I am presented with a fact, as in every fact presented to me feels as if it were obvious. I no longer feel curious or inspired to do anything substantial. Even writing this out, I can only write one short paragraph about this issue. I pretty much can only write very little, can barely converse with someone about math (or anything intellectual), and I have few things that drive me. It’s very difficult to have back and forth conversations in great depth or detail.
How can I regain my curiosity and drive that once fueled me?
I can say some things from personal experience. I’ll preface this by saying I don’t presume any of these things are your problems this is just personal experience.
When I’ve lost my intellectual drive it’s usually due to the fact that I’m not meeting some other basic need. I’m either not eating well, sleeping, exercising or I don’t feel secure in my relationships. I get my best production when I’ve had good habits, no sleep issues and I feel loved. It’s tricky because for me all of these things need to be met otherwise it can become a grind to do something productive after like a 30 minute rush. It’s also easy because these needs are mostly under my control. Good sleep and strong relationships are for me the hardest to come by but they come with good habits and learning from experience.
This sounds like a mental health problem rather than a purely intellectual one. Could be anything from short term burnout to depression. I think what @bodry said is a great idea, but if that still doesn’t help, asking a therapist would probably be more fruitful than trying to somehow force yourself to be curious and productive.
Hi all! I am an undergraduate needing to take a leave from college.
I find myself stuck when I am presented with a fact, as in every fact presented to me feels as if it were obvious. I no longer feel curious or inspired to do anything substantial. Even writing this out, I can only write one short paragraph about this issue. I pretty much can only write very little, can barely converse with someone about math (or anything intellectual), and I have few things that drive me. It’s very difficult to have back and forth conversations in great depth or detail.
How can I regain my curiosity and drive that once fueled me?
I can say some things from personal experience. I’ll preface this by saying I don’t presume any of these things are your problems this is just personal experience.
When I’ve lost my intellectual drive it’s usually due to the fact that I’m not meeting some other basic need. I’m either not eating well, sleeping, exercising or I don’t feel secure in my relationships. I get my best production when I’ve had good habits, no sleep issues and I feel loved. It’s tricky because for me all of these things need to be met otherwise it can become a grind to do something productive after like a 30 minute rush. It’s also easy because these needs are mostly under my control. Good sleep and strong relationships are for me the hardest to come by but they come with good habits and learning from experience.
This sounds like a mental health problem rather than a purely intellectual one. Could be anything from short term burnout to depression. I think what @bodry said is a great idea, but if that still doesn’t help, asking a therapist would probably be more fruitful than trying to somehow force yourself to be curious and productive.