Imagine a dystopian life, one where nothing gives you a sense of pride or accomplishment, where anything and everything that you try to preoccupied your time with feels pointless; factually, not in a dramatic way.
In this life there are a handful of things that feel like a very mild interest, while the rest are as boring as your least favorite show your cousin always insisted you watched with them.
Imagine that amongst these few things-which you do seemingly obsessively, devoid of any other options to help pass the time-there's one game where you can get lost in pretty much anytime. The catch? If you lose that match, not only will that barely diverting pastime become pointless to you, every other mild interest slips into the mire leaving you with nothing but that same sense of mind numbing boredom, leaving you to prefer ANYTHING else. But there's nothing else... Everything makes you feel this way now. Any hoby you loved, any show you were stoked for the next season of or movie that was going to be released, even the feeling of welcoming a new family member feels colourless and empty...
Periodically, you lose interest in the few things that are left even if you're in the middle of one of your old favorite movies, getting ready to go shopping or doing chores, even sometimes in the middle of one of those matches.
If this sounds like a nightmare, it is. One that I live daily. If this sounds like you, you're not alone.
Anhedonia is a feature of multiple mental health conditions: ADHD, bipolar (1, 2, or other), borderline personality disorder, depression (general or otherwise), and anxiety disorders.
