What Is It About?

Napkin Version

Apathy is where we can’t be bothered tackling something in particular, or to a greater degree, where we feel the life force has drained out of us, and we can’t muster the energy or enthusiasm to do anything that requires much effort.

While passion drives us to take action, we also need to be able to believe the experience we are seeking is achievable, and that the outcome will be positive.

So Apathy can creep in if:

  • we can't see anything that excites or challenges us

  • we can't see a way to make what we want, happen

  • we feel that it will take more energy/resources than we have

  • we don’t want the negative consequences that come with it.

Any of the above can cause our commitment to falter, and if there’s too much stacked against a positive outcome, we can give up trying altogether.   It’s important to note that our perception of the situation is a key factor here, so if past experience has taught us that things don’t work out for us, we can start to slip into learned helplessness mode.  If this happens, getting creative and structuring things to teach our brain otherwise, and build positive momentum can  help to overcome it.

Having plenty of spark for life, and energy available to do the activities we want to, requires us to minimise anything that may deplete us, such as when:  

  • we have outgrown a situation and no longer find it engaging.

  • our system is depleted after prolonged or repeated periods of stress, and needs more recovery time.

  • we have become stagnant, after little opportunity for growth.

  • our body has too many toxins, and needs help to clear them out.

  • we’re effective at suppressing uncomfortable emotions, which is dampening down our positive ones too.

  • we have neglected the things that we enjoy most in life, for too long.

  • Seeing as we have little energy or appetite to ‘do’ anything, removing energy saps is usually the best starting point, as it helps to restore valuable energy.

  • Once we have a bit more energy to spare, using it to engage in activities that we find both easy and enjoyable, can help lift it up a bit more. 

  • Then taking a step back to look at the bigger picture to check which situations are a good fit for us, and look at how we can build some positive momentum.

Handling Apathy

In The Moment

Training our brain to use a relevant process helps us to focus more effectively and move on more easily. Using it often will also help our brain to catch Apathy sooner, making it easier to manage.

Self-Reflection

If the emotion feels quite troubling, it’s usually worth checking if something else is going on first.

By resolving things in ourselves and clearing any other residual emotions, we can reduce the intensity of the emotion - now and when we encounter it again in future. 

Doing so also makes us less likely to ‘attract’ other difficulties that leave us feeling the same way.

See the Processing and Clearing an Emotion page for a generic process to resolve and clear an emotion.

Working Through Apathy

The actions we choose to take in response to an emotion can make a significant difference to how well we adjust and move on from it.

The more we take genuine actions that are uplifting and ‘right’ i.e., are good for ourselves and everyone else (including the environment and other living beings) - for now, and over the long-term, the better our experience of life becomes.

Once we start to tip the scales back in our favour, we can explore other ways to build more positive momentum, including:

  • Prioritising things that revitalise our energy, e.g.,

    • solid sleep

    • nutritious food

    • regular exercise

    • plenty of clean water

    • fresh air and sunshine

    • engaging activities

    • laughter and enjoyment

    • having things to look forward to

  • Looking after our gut health which can make a surprising difference to our energy levels, mental clarity, and optimistic outlook.  Ensuring we have plenty of good bacteria in our gut, and getting our system working well, can be well worth the effort.

  • Doing more wholesome things we enjoy that boosts our energy e.g. socialising with positive people who make us laugh, uplifting music, inspirational movies/books, spending time in nature, getting creative, etc.

  • Giving ourselves a more balanced variety of activities, e.g. a mix of logical & creative, serious & fun, watching & doing, to use and rest different parts of our brain and body.

  • Looking at new opportunities that we are (or could get) passionate about.  This can give us something to look forward to and enjoy working on.  Even better if it is something purposeful.

  • Looking at ways to improve our skills and capabilities which can open up the range of opportunities available to us now, and down the track, and help us to bring about any change we want.

  • Exploring different options and getting creative for the pure heck of it, without needing to achieve an outcome.  Just curiously trying new things often leads to something more inspirational.

  • Following our intuition - which often results in benefits that our intellect could not have foreseen.

  • Setting ourselves up with a sequence of activities that start from slightly challenging, but still achievable and enjoyable, then gradually increasing the level of challenge with each activity (while keeping it achievable).  This gives us a succession of successes, builds positive momentum, and offsets any learned helplessness that may have crept in.

  • Setting realistic goals, developing an achievable plan, breaking it into logical steps, and focusing upon one step at a time.  All while leaving room to explore any unexpected positive opportunities.

  • Coming up with solutions that are doable now, but that also give us room to improve upon, and grow with.

  • Getting up to wholesome mischief, to let our creative, active, and humorous sides loose

Clearing Residual Apathy

Emotional energy can stick with us, even after we have worked through and resolved whatever caused it.

There are a number of ways we can clear the energy, including doing something physical in nature, imagining the emotion leaving our body, or for more intense emotions, there is a variety of different therapies and alternative forms of energy healing that can also help.

  • The short video below has been created to help imagine emotional energy leave the body, using the following visualisation process:

    • Imagine holding a ball of energy in your hands, and ‘charging’ it with the feeling of love, and anything else that would help to offset it (especially any feelings that were missing in the situation)

    • Imagine any residual Anger energy flowing out of your body, into the  ball, and being transformed into the positive equivalent.

    • Once all the residual energy has left, imagine the ball shooting far out into the atmosphere and dissolving into pure white light energy.