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Why am I unhappy?

Migrated topic.
My whole perspective on the main existential crisis, that life is meaningless, it's all chaos and random, has been transformed in recent years. I used to be unhappy over such ideas until I really strove to look hard at the human condition. Personally I believe in evolution, from primitive organisms evolving to complex intelligent beings that can contemplate multidimensionality, create space ships and set up global spanning communications networks like the Internet. Once I connected to this my existential agnostism disappeared and I became happier.

The reason I was happier, was that I found purpose, a meaning to life. If we are all evolving in a timeline to create this world from the chaos then our goal is to use our intelligence to make the world a better place. We are not dinosaurs fucking and fighting and eating anymore, we are beings imbued with the intelligence to shape the world. To take metal from the earth and materials from the trees to create computers, irrigation, medicine. So since this place isn't quite a Utopia yet, the meaning of life became clear. Attempt to make the world a better place, work on one of its many problems, ecological disruption, economic instability, social disorder, and try to make things better, then at the end of life die in peace, waiting for the next mystery to unfold.
 
RAM said:
I vaporized a little DMT last night for the first time in a while, and as usual I had a rather unpleasant experience. I received visions of horrible people and entities in the world. The focus of the trip was how to exist in a state of unconditional love for other human beings but deal with hardcore criminals and evil human beings at the same time without being a hypocrite.

After this part of the experience was over, I entered a contemplative state that usually follows my journeys. The reason I chose to do DMT last night was because I had some free time but I was also feeling a little nihilistic, and drugs help me overcome my nihilism when nothing else in my life really excites me or gives me purpose. I wrote the following during this time:

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Why am I so unhappy?
Everything is great for me.
I have money, nice things, friends who support me, a girlfriend I love, a great education, a good family, and I have never had a major tragedy.

So what is it?

Under critical analysis all of the above are great; there are no "holes" anywhere. No repressed memories, fantasies, feelings, no hidden abuse, and hardly even any inauthenticity! I've worked hard and been lucky with everything.

Meaninglessness and nihilism can only explain so much. There is just something missing, something unobtainable, and I don't know what it is! Are my expectations just faulty? Is there some kind of chemical imbalance in my brain? Some toxin or food that causes this feeling? Or is it just an inextricable part of my life and personality?
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Have you or do you experience something similar? I just run into these periods kind of often where nothing in my life seems special and the lack of an ultimate purpose just gets to me. Even though I rationally realize I can only do the best that I can for myself and fellow humans, I can never escape the void of any ultimate meaning to any of our actions and the inconsequentiality of our lives.

What should I do?
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I don't have much money, not sure what nice things is supposed to mean, I don't have any friends, no girlfriend, no education, I rather don't speak to most of my family, and I have experienced a major tragedy. Now tell me, why am I happy?

That is rhetorical; I will tell you why. I am a nihilist. And nihilism is not the belief in nothing. It is the incapability of believing anything.

Might as well stop looking for meaning now while you are ahead. Whatever this place is, it is not significant, intelligent, or terribly enjoyable.

So eat an apple. I had the best I'd ever tasted in all my life just a few days ago, and I've had many apples. The world is still full of surprises. Small ones yes, but I've given up on the large and grandiose. Be here now, no one can do any better.
 
Forget the being happy thing...

I shoot for contentedness...

Being content beats being happy (in my book anyways) any day of the week.

Just my two cents.
 
Wake up and take a HUUUUUGE belly breath make sure it's before the morning onslaught of thoughts overtakes you. Take a few more huge ones and let them out with a HUUUUUGE sighing AAAAHHHH. Now do the big belly breath again but on the exhale BELLY LAUGH as hard as you can with contractions and wheezing laughs giving way to guffaws, and later, giggles. Do this 3-5 more times. During the exercise I guarantee life will feel a little lighter and you might appreciate the magnificent body you have more. Do it before bed or whenever you feel depressed/apathetic. Do it with your girlfriend, family, and friends.

Yelling WOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOO or YEEEEEEHAAAAAAAAW 2-3 times while riding your bike or driving on an open road always makes me feel awesome too. Anyone who judges you for this is miserable anyway! So go ahead maybe they'll laugh at it and feel better themselves.

The body can really provide some deep joys and help overtake chronic overthinking disease. From your post you do seem a bit stuck on mental methods. Get into your body or atleast realize your mind doesn't hold all the answers! You gotta go through it, or around it, or inside out of it!

This quote seemed pertinent to your situation.
"To be enlightened you don't have to stop thinking, you just need to drop your opinions."
-Ramana Maharshi
 
No Knowing said:
Yelling WOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOO or YEEEEEEHAAAAAAAAW 2-3 times while riding your bike or driving on an open road always makes me feel awesome too. Anyone who judges you for this is miserable anyway! So go ahead maybe they'll laugh at it and feel better themselves.
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Thanks for the recommendations! I already yell YEEHAW! quite a lot; it's good to know other people do this too. 😁 Squawking, peeping, and tweeting like a tiny, wild bird is also a great form of relief. Imagining yourself as a cowboy or cowgirl is also helpful. I think as we age it is easy to lose our imaginations, which when used productively can greatly help to reduce stress.

I've actually moved past my own unhappiness through various means, including "destressing" myself and continually working even more on living in the now. However I think it's good to keep this thread going to record all sorts of tips and tricks to help people recover from mysterious and unexplained bouts of unhappiness. It's a problem that I know a lot of people have, and I'm glad to see so many interesting methods and ideas for relieving it!
 
RAM said:
...I think it's good to keep this thread going to record all sorts of tips and tricks to help people recover from mysterious and unexplained bouts of unhappiness. It's a problem that I know a lot of people have, and I'm glad to see so many interesting methods and ideas for relieving it!
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I concur RAM.

I'd like to thank you for starting this thread just because it gave everyone here a chance to chime in on different ways to approach/deal with unhappiness.

I've actually meditated on the OP for weeks now; more so than most threads & I thank you for that.

Peace
 
I think a lot of why one becomes unhappy and it happens to everyone including myself recently is simply a lack of appreciation for what they have and focusing on the negative rather than positive things in life. As long as one truly appreciates what they have and live in the moment they will be happy, just being alive and healthy here and now on this beautiful planet is such a gift to celebrate not to be taken for granted. One of the things psychedelics are helpful for is they help refocus our minds on the things that matter, the things worth being happy for and we regain appreciation for them. Also very helpful and powerful reminder is by losing something important(which the OP looks like might not experienced recently), than when you regain it or something else important you lost you have a much deeper sense of appreciation for things and happiness restored. So many experiences initially perceived as "bad" are helpful and necessary at that time. It is simply reMINDers that are sometimes needed,and always good to remember that nothing lasts including unhappiness..
 
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