There’s no meaning to life. It’s a scam of an idea that we all fall prey to. Instead, think of it as just creating new meaning to it every single day depending on what you think and do. It’s a liberating feeling, to be honest. Because now you don’t have to stress yourself out to figure out some grand meaning [that doesn’t exist] and inevitably failing and being depressed over that.

Life is what you make of it. There’s no meaning, no purpose. You have to make your own. That takes effort, but it can be rewarding.

It sounds like you’re experiencing anhedonia, which is strongly associated with depression. Ultimately life is cyclical, day to day, week to week, etc, but there should be frequent periods of happiness sprinkled in there, where you spend time doing things you like with people you like. If you can’t find anything like that, maybe talk to a therapist.

I am 26 and have been in the workforce for a few years.

In short, is there something I’m missing here, or is work-eat-sleep-repeat all there is until I retire?

Yes, except for the fact that you and I will not be able to retire.

Yes, there is more.

You sound like you are experiencing burnout and as a result anhedonia and depression.

Burnout is a very real clinical condition caused by the demands you are operating under being dysfunctional in some way. It is very real and can lead to a dangerous depression.

Anhedonia is the loss of enjoyment in things you previously enjoyed. For example, when I had anhedonia video games because uninteresting, boring even, and the effort required to play was too much and there was no reward to playing.

You need to deal with this before it escalates into full blown depression and burnout. It can take much longer to fix than it will take to stop now, so get started ASAP. Starting an antidepressant may be helpful, it may not, but it is just one tool and I personally would avoid it having done it before.

The other steps for managing burnout are largely about changing the demands on you, the level of connection to other people, and what you do to relax. Exercise is a really helpful tool and honestly is what makes me resilient against another bout of burnout now.

Good luck

Also I am just thrilled that so many here have encouraged you to view your awareness of just how shitty the system is as a mental illness, as a failure on your part to be correctly integrated into society. There is nothing wrong with you. What is wrong is the system itself.

You’re experiencing burnout. Rest up enough to improve your mental state, not finding joy in previous hobbies is a telltale sign. Try something that requires less critical focal or lets you take reprieve from your day to day schedule; vegging out, going for a walk, casual talk with friends, get counseling if you feel you need it, etc. The system will bleed everyone dry and leave them to rot if you let it. Take that time back and invest it in yourself.

We live in a sick society, so don’t let anyone tell you you’re the one who’s ill because the full time cycle of work-eat-sleep wears you down. You’d have to be sick to enjoy this system.

The system that requires you and I toil away day by day is temporary. One day (maybe not soon) we won’t have to work our lives away, either because we’ll need to survive or because the collective consciousness will finally realize that we’re living post-scarcity.

Either way, that’s what I look forward to and in the mean time I just do what I can to make sure I’m not completely miserable.

As others have said. If you feel like shit all day no matter how much you sleep then its most likely a diet issue. It’s crazy how normalized completely shit diets are. Its not going to be easy to fix. You’re going to have to do a lot of experimentation and research to see what works for you. I never really had a terrible diet and I felt okay most days. Never thought much of it but once I started to exercise more and looked into sports science on diets I realized how bad my diet actually was. After changing it and getting proper nutrition I was pretty shocked at how much better I felt. I was awake and alert all day and got great sleep. Definitely get a blood test or something. I also recommend doing some research on getting quality sleep. If you’re getting a lot of sleep but its shit quality then it doesnt mean a whole lot. Consistent sleep schedule, eating at the right times, and managing the light you take in during the day can make a huge difference.

Sounds like you are burnout.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotional_exhaustion

It sounds like you are describing depression. Here are some things that help me when I get to feeling like this. It’s not easy to do when battling with low energy and a lack of motivation, but they help.

• Do more outdoor activities. Normally in the form of walks, or biking to nearby locations instead of driving.

• Drink more water. Basically, I just have a glass of water before drinking anything else.

• Eat better. Nothing too extreme, I make an effort to prepare more foods at home and include more vegetables.

• Change things. I’m not talking about a life change. Rearrange furniture, put up some different wall art, change your lighting, swap out the background images on your computers and / or mobile devices, etc.

• Spend time with your thoughts. I would try to spend about 15 minutes to an hour each day sitting in silence, with no distractions. I don’t force any thoughts. I just wait to see what bubbles to the surface. It usually helps me identify problem areas that I need to focus on.

It is also possible that you have started down a life path that you feel you are “supposed” to pursue and not necessarily a path that you want to pursue.

It could also be that you are burned out between school, work, and social obligations. Making more time for yourself or taking some time off, if that is an option, might help.

We were tricked into thinking being meat bots for the rich while they prance around the Disney land we create for them, is our purpose. And every miserable bastard will tell all the other miserable bastards to do the same shit because they are miserable bastards.

Well, capitalism has been hinted at here, but as far as I can see, nobody has suggested that we try to change society so that it’s less oppressive. I realized a while ago that profit doesn’t motivate me, and it sounds like you might have as well. I suggest (in addition to following the excellent medical advice) that you seek out your local socialist organization. Life doesn’t have to be this depressing.

I attribute my loss of interest in things to social media. My attention span is just cooked.

I’m not depressed. I still deeply want to do the things I love - guitar and gaming are two interests of mine too. I just can’t stay with either for more than 5 minutes without being bored.

And yes, being perpetually tired is your new adult reality. I negate tiredness by hitting the gym for an hour each day. One hour of working out = 5 to 6 hours of unbridled energy for the day regardless of commitment. As I get older though, I get diminishing returns on this as the week goes on.

I also think it’s semi-natural to get more bored and tired as you get older. Technically, we’re supposed to grow up, breed, take care of kids, and die. That’s our deal. No where in there are we supposed to have room for a career, a degree or trade, two hobbies, 10 close friendships, annual overseas trips, and weekends partying. Just my two cents in this area. Not a scientist.

I was a chef for over a decade and worked in Michelin kitchens where I gave myself up for next to nothing. When I made it to two stars, I began vomiting repeatedly every shift, working at a loss of $100 dollars a day. Eventually, I broke down and tried to kill myself by the city river, but regrettably I failed.

If you live in America, all I can say is that if you are a man and you don’t work, and you are alone and have no one to support you, you will eventually be killed. If you aren’t killed on the street, you’re killed in lock up because it’s illegal to exist here without employment. Mental facilities funnel into jails where the bodies pass daily. At my city’s coroner’s, there are 400+ deaths unaccounted for, 100+ murders per year. I was sent there as a warning in California’s HAM program. I was forced to watch people die and watch their autopsies as well as tour the whole facility, examining all the corpses. All the corpses whose genitals have catheters in them are people who died with no one to claim them, their organs are placed in hefty bags which are then sewed haphazardly back into their torso. The working class bodies are all Mexican, all under 60.

When I was homeless, on two occasions people tried to murder me and they only stopped because they thought I was dead. My medical debt in my twenties reached over ten million from all the hospital stays. I’ve learned that there are fates WAY worse than death, and you should always have the materials for an exit bag or an LD of insulin. In our society, if you are an extremely poor man, your agency amounts to, “will I continue to suffer another day? Or will I do what everyone wants and liquidate myself.”

The reason I say all this is, when you don’t want to work, remember it’s not just money you lose but also the good will of others, including family members. The people you respect most put clown makeup on every day and freak out when you don’t. I know this because I made a small fortune on the gamespot/and squeezes and my fortunes literally changed overnight. The money literally solved all my problems and I’m left disgusted. It also showed me how hard I was working for so little. I know now I’d rather die fighting breathlessly, as I always have, fighting for myself and my life. My life in the street was FAR more meaningful than the ones I’ve lived according to cowardice, constantly learning to cope with cowardice. The bottom line: make sure you know you’re ready to leave the beaten path before you do because I promise you, life outside the social contract is indeed nasty, brutal and short.