13 Things To Do When You Don’t Want To Do Anything At All

things to do when don't feel like doing anything today, don't feel like adulting today, adulting tips, quarter life crisis, find motivation, #motivation #motivated #unmotivated #depression #depressed #mentalhealth

I don't want to do anything at all today. In fact, I feel like can't do anything and I certainly can't get myself to do anything. I don't want to adult. I don't want to leave my house. I have no desire to do anything.

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I've literally spent all day eating salty and sweet snacks while watching Awkward and wondering thinking, “I can't adult today… WTF am I doing with my life and wondering why can't I do anything?!?”

I have started and stopped writing like six different posts today. Finally, I just decided to say, “f@#* this sh*t” and decided to throw up an archive post. Only, when I started scrolling through the archives to this time last year, it turns out I was going through that exact same feelings.

 

fuck that

Why do I never want to do anything this time of year?

Honestly, I'm not positive. I was diagnosed with depression as a teenager. Spent nearly a decade in individual and group therapy and even studied psychology during undergrad and went on to earn my Master's Degree in Counseling. But this doesn't feel quite like when I was depressed.

When I was depressed, I didn't want to do anything or leave my house. I hated seeing people and even struggled to keep up with basic hygiene. I'm happy I went to therapy and got help during that time.

No, this feels more like burnout. Like I'm bored, but I don't want to do anything because I feel uninspired by life.

How to make yourself do something, even when you don't want to? (updated)

I know sometimes we have responsibilities we just can't avoid. I've found a few things that work for me: put some pressure on myself to get them done first. I'd suggest getting an accountability buddy, setting up a rewards system (when you do this, you'll get the reward).

The next part of how I force myself to do something is to do a deep dive into “why?” As in, why don't I want to do it? Is it something I really need to do or I'm being told I need to do? I learned about Human Design and it completely changed my life. I realized that so many of the things I didn't want to do, or the times I felt like this, were due to the fact that I was living outside of my design. You can listen to my podcast episode on this here.

Here are 13 things to do when you don't want to do anything at all:

These things are part sarcastic to make you laugh, part my internal dialogue, and partly to help you realize just how much you're doing and learning to celebrate that season. 

1. Question your entire existence on the planet.

… because I'm in my twenties and WTF else am I going to do in the middle of the day on a Tuesday?

2. Pace the room like a maniac during said questioning.

…maybe this counts as exercise?

3. Eat.

…Do the calories not count if I eat them while pacing?

eat

4. Stare at the ceiling

…this was way more entertaining when I was high in high school and had a popcorn ceiling.

5. Nap

nap

6. Binge watch TV or movies

… now that my eyes are rested from that nap, watch these movies for your quarter life crisis

[RELATED] 13 Memoirs To Read In Your Twenties

7. Ask yourself what would bring you joy in this moment

Okay, this one isn't sarcastic and it's actually super serious. Is there anything that seems enticing? If you can't think of anything, what is something that you used to enjoy? If you feel stuck, ask family or friends.

8. Look at chores and your to-do list

Maybe you'll get some motivation to get one of them done!

haha

HAHAHA “Quit playin' yo' self!” – DJ Khaled

Yeah, I'm just going to appreciate this mess and let it beeeee, because I can't adult today and IDGAF

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9. Contemplate what it feels like to be an actual adult.

… because honestly, I don't believe anyone ever feels like an adult. Like we are all just winging it right? RIGHT?!?! And I say this even after I've had a baby!

10. Think about working out

…Then decide not to, obvi.

[RELATED] Blog Posts For Twenty Somethings Feeling Lost

11. Think about going to the beach/pool

…but then think about skin cancer and wrinkles and all that fun stuff that comes with being outside midday for too long and decide doing nothing is still your best option.

12. Give yourself permission to do nothing.

I could tell you to “take a shower” or “choose one small thing to get done” or “brush your teeth” – but when I can't get myself to do anything, sometimes I just need to honor that. When you have no desire to do anything and you have the freedom to actually not do anything, why not just enjoy it? 

Jokes aside, I've found that when I give myself permission to do nothing for a few days, I end up bouncing back that much quicker and stronger.

13. Talk to a therapist, counselor, contact a helpline

I started going to therapy at 17 years old and spent nearly a decade in individual and/or group therapy. During undergrad I earned my Bachelor of Science in Psychology and I went on to earn my Master's Degree in Counseling. I even worked as a mental health and substance abuse counselor for a couple of years!

So I need to stress: if you are asking yourself, “why don't I care about anything anymore?” are struggling with not wanting to leave the house ever, and truly feel like you dont ever want to do anything anymore, it may time to seek help.

Here are some resources for help:

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Hotline (SAMHSA) – 1-877-SAMHSA7 (1-877-726-4727)

National Alliance On Mental Illness (NAMI) – 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or info@nami.org

And then there is always 911.

[RELATED] How To Deal With Major Life Transitions


Related Reads:

5 Things To Do When Feeling Defeated & Depleted 

7 Ways To Stop Letting Personal Issues Affect Your Work

6 Ways To Practice Self Care During Chaotic Times Of The Year

The Truth About Fear & Perfection [+ How To Beat Them]

Advice To My 18 Year Old Self

102 thoughts on “13 Things To Do When You Don’t Want To Do Anything At All”

  1. Oh my gosh Rachel, this post describes my entire day yesterday! Pretty much had a full melt-down, started 3x different blog post, never finished them, and then decided to do absolutely nothing because i felt like such a failure, haha? How crazy is that?!
    Anyway, next time i have one of these meltdowns I’ll try remember your tips??

  2. This list cracks me up but that last one is important! Sometimes, we need to veg out and that’s ok. Also, glad to know I’m not the only one who questions life and all the big things. 😀

  3. I agree with giving yourself permission to do nothing. TBH I’ve been adulting so darn much and I really really need a break from it all. Be right back while I eat and pace the room while contemplating my entire existence ??

  4. Haha, this!! THIS IS ME today for sure!! I’m with ya sister!! I am currently still trying to be somewhat productive, but considering I moved my productivity space to the couch and am now under a blanket I am thinking that will be ending here reaaalllll soon. Thanks for sharing and making me feel like I am not alone!

  5. This post was absolutely hilarious & your personality really shined through, which I love! Your last point is simple, but something a lot of people need to hear. Especially those go-getters, never stop for anything because you might miss out, FOMO type of people. Sometimes, it is OK to just freakin DO NOTHING!!!!

  6. Stephanie Parrell

    I spend alot of time doing those things. Thinking about working out is one of my favorites. Ugh…

  7. This entire post is ME hahahaa I just turned 21 last week and I feel like I’ve been waiting for so long to turn 21 and now that I actually did I’m like what the actual EFF do I do now?! Great post <3

  8. Yupppp…sometimes you just need to have one of those days! (or weeks, tbh) And for what it’s worth, thinking about working out is basically working out so there’s one thing off the to do list.

  9. I am notorious for number 5 and 6. It’s what I do when I’m like “screw it”. Lol! That cat gif at the beginning of your post had me dying, btw!

  10. Okay, this had my cracking up. I totally feel like this today so I was laughing my butt off reading through this.

  11. bahahaha I can so relate to this. There have been so many days recently when I literally don’t wanna do anything. I’ve been working more on not overthinking when I get overwhelmed, so I’m totally down for giving myself permission to not do anything!

  12. My favorite thing is taking naps with reruns of Friends or Golden Girls on in the background. It’s also necessary to pretend to be asleep when I’m awake so that I can walk the dogs on my own schedule and not theirs. 🙂 I could use some time away from work. Is it strange that I wish I had pink eye so that I could stay home?

  13. I’ve been having those days a lot lately — and I’m trying to give myself permission to do nothing. But it’s hard!!

  14. I think we all go through periods like this, no matter how old we are. Keeping that in mind, and knowing that “This too shall pass” really helps me pull myself out of it. Plus, binge watching my favorite shows, and eating lots of snacks, usually perks me up in no time!

  15. It’s so true! Sometimes you wake up (usually on a hectic work day) and just literally don’t want to be an adult and function. Pretty sure that has been my last week hahah This always happens after a vacation too!

  16. haha good to know I am not the only person who has these thoughts!! Number 9 also sums up most days for me! haha

  17. Yes. These are so on point. When I had my no good very bad day this week I didn’t want to do any the next day because I was so grumpy. I will need to print these. LOL

  18. You are hilarious and omg girl you have soooo much on your plate!! When i’m so stressed out, I tend to just have a huge ugly girl cry. Totally gross haha. When I need to be productive, I make coffee and it sort of snaps me into it.

  19. I am so guilty of thinking about working out each day then finding an excuse not to. Having days when I just cant adult are coming more often it seems, so I’ve really mastered my lay in bed with a bowl of popcorn routine

  20. Marissa Pedersen

    Something this is heathy though! I always feel like I need to be doing something, so it’s good to unwind and “do nothing.”

  21. I could relate to this post and also laughed. I admit that I sometimes watch the Bachelor because it makes me feel like I have my crap together haha. I think the biggest thing for me is giving myself permission to take a break- I extend this to my husband a lot on the weekends. Sometimes doing nothing is exactly what I need!

  22. Thank goodness for the ability to repost! I’ve felt like doing that more than once over the last few weeks! Great ideas to just chill!

  23. Awesome post. I’m good at doing nothing, but I need to work on releasing the guilt that comes along for the ride.

    Also, every time I have a bad week I google “is Mercury in retrograde?”

  24. This was me for an afternoon a few days ago! I bounced back and forth between binge-watching YouTube videos (I was on vacation not watching YouTube videos during lots of readathons so I had a lot of BookTube vids to get caught up on… so productive, right? ? ) and just hanging out. I did get some work done, but I think my dog started to get a little concerned because she started to “take care of me” that evening. But after an extremely productive, but also semi-stressful two weeks away from home and hustling ever since I got back, I think my brain just needed a break.

    Anyway, loved this and could totally relate!

  25. Sheila Jo Spencer

    I have managed to convince myself that going to the local coffee shop to read my book club assignment counts as productive time. 🙂
    They have tasty mochas and cookies, so I almost always feel like doing that…

  26. Oh my goodness I love this post! It was so entertaining and yet I could relate to everything! I swear I have these days way too often, and then the next day I’m running around like a crazy person doing everything! Thanks for sharing! xoxo Karli

  27. Hahaha I love this post, Rachel! I started watching BIP this week and it’s pretty interesting tbh!

  28. Kristine Circenis

    My routine for these days: eat, binge watch, nap. On repeat. Sometimes its worth taking these lazy days when there’s just no way you can get anything done. Mentality is a huge deal.

  29. Lol this post is so relatable! I totally agree with PTSD from this whole going back to school season!

  30. That was too Funny! Love how you called The Bachelor “ratchet!” I tend to binge watch movies and tv but then I have major phone ADD too.

  31. thesophiadiaries

    totally agree! you should absolutely just enjoy not doing anything hahaha it’s a very gratifying feeling for sure xD

  32. hahaha! I’ve been in a similar slump through the Summer. I have been so tired from this Summer nanny job that when it’s time to “adult” at home, all I wanna do is watch Netflix. There’s cleaning, VAing (it’s a word :p ), and blogging to be done but all I care about is lighting a candle and curling up on the couch. Thankfully though, I can get back to normal in 4 business days! Woot woot!

  33. lol, this made me laugh! Contemplating on what it means to be an actual adult haha! That I could see myself actually doing trying to get myself to do the laundry or something… doing adult things LOL

  34. I think we all go through days like this and we just gives ourselves a hard time but I think maybe they are a great opportunity to show ourselves love and just take it easy.

  35. Oh how I loved this post! This feeling must be going around at this time of year. Thanks for helping me feel as though – I am OK.

  36. Hahaha I sleep things off when I don’t want to do anything at all. I’m a sleeper, so I’d catch as much forty winks as I can when I can! To me, sleep trumps everything else. Hahaha!

  37. Okay, I love this post because at first I thought it was going to be a list of things that I WOULD NOT WANT TO DO AT ALL. Haha but I’m down with this. I’ve been feeling it the past couple of weeks due to some personal stress, but I normally get this yearly right around October/November.

    1. Haha yasss girl!! I’ve actually had some rude comments on pinterest because people thought it was going to be super serious – buttt helloooo when you don’t want to do anything, ya just don’t want to do anything! haha

  38. Elizabeth Johnson

    Hahaha! I love everything about this! To answer the food question – No the calories do not count 😉 These are really great ideas. I like to binge watch something when I need my brain to turn off. It is nice!

  39. I am literally laughing at every single one of these! I’m def there with you about fall – it is seriously like 100 flipping degrees and raining here in Louisiana until January (then it’s 90), so fall is def not a thing. And I do every single one of these when I’m feeling like a lazy bum too. Dying over your cat gif.

  40. Kelsie Kleinmeyer

    Haha, this is so funny! I’ve totally had days like that. Most of the time I am forced to do something anyways though, since I’m teaching children or taking care of my own baby. Oh the sacrifices. Ha!

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