How To Find Your Passion When You Are Depressed (6 Steps)

Depression isn’t just a state of exhaustion and a lack of energy. In addition, it may have an impact on how you feel about yourself — your passion in life. The idea that we should pursue our interests is hammered home to us over and over.

There’s a famous saying that says: “if you turn your passion into a career, you’ll never work a day in your life”. So even though that’s an extremely paraphrased statement. Finding your true calling in life can be a life-altering experience.

Depression, which affects an increasing number of people, complicates the task of discovering your passion. Depressed people can find their passion even if it seems impossible at the time. So, in this article, we’ll show you how to find your passion when you are depressed

Being depressed shouldn’t be your endpoint in pursuing the things you’re passionate about. The first step is to accept yourself as you are, to know your feelings, and to take time away.

When it comes to finding your passion, you can start by finding a hobby and doing something that makes you happy.

Finding your true passion, on the other hand, isn’t an easy task. Everyone isn’t born with a clear idea of what they want to devote their lives to.

“Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.”

–Oprah Winfrey–

How To Find Your Passion When You Are Depressed

There is no one else on the planet with the same mission as you. Having an overarching purpose keeps you going through the drudgery of everyday tasks. Possibly, you’re compelled to help animals in need.

Coaching children may be a calling for you. You may be a professional athlete who wants to see how far you can go.

What keeps you going and gives you meaning in life is your sense of passion. Depression makes it even more difficult to maintain a connection with it. 

“Doing what you love” Is a well-known saying that promises a life free of labor. From personal experience, you know that doing the opposite is not only exhausting but can also lead to feelings of hopelessness and anxiety. Then, how do you discover what’s your passion in life?

Listening to your inner voice and ignoring the noise around you is sometimes all it takes to find your passion.

It’s also important to associate with people whose interests and goals align with your own. If you prefer to be alone, it can be beneficial to separate yourselves from others to hear your thoughts.

Steps to find your passion

Step 1: Accept who you are

You must make this clear before you move forward. You don’t have to go from a state of depression to a state of happiness to find your passion. You’ll probably end up making things worse by trying this. 

Depression makes it seem impossible to be happy. Let go of the notion of achieving contentment. Having a good time and discovering a calling are not mutually exclusive concepts.

Instead, focus on coming to terms with who you are and what you’ve got before anything else. Recognize that you’re depressed and then work to keep your emotions neutral.

In other words, don’t try to force yourself to feel anything, but rather, allow yourself to feel everything that happens to you without judging it or trying to make sense of it all. It’s dangerous to try to make someone who’s depressed happy.

Step 2: Be a neutral person

Understandably, this is a bit of a leap to make. Let go of the negative feelings that are suffocating you and smothering your dreams. When you’re depressed, it’s a lot more difficult to do this.

Begin with a small goal in mind. When you’re depressed, it’s common for things to make you feel worse.

The small things that weigh us down can be let go of. Take a step back and let them go. You’ll be in a better position to think about them in a different way when you’re more neutral.

During this more neutral state, you can begin to think about finding something that elicits positive feelings in you.

An example of a pleasurable emotion would be happiness, excitement, pleasure, or anything else you can think of.

Step 3: Get in touch with your emotions

The next step is to delve deep within yourself to discover what’s going on, in addition to looking into your lifelong passions and hobbies. In this moment of contemplation, how are you feeling? Regret? What’s the matter? Have you felt a surge of excitement? If so, what set it off?

To get the clearest picture possible, try doing this once a day for a week or two starting on this first day and writing everything that comes to you over several minutes. As a result, you will be able to make a decision that is more on your values rather than those of society.

Step 4: Take some time off

You must first get away from the situation. You are being drained of energy daily by your surroundings, so you must undergo a significant shift in your mindset if you hope to reverse this.

You’ll also need to get away from the comforts of your own home. This could imply either a short drive or a longer excursion.

Whether or not you go all the way with this is entirely your decision, but you must get away from your normal surroundings to get the mental shift and clarity you need for the following exercises to succeed.

Step 5: Find a hobby you enjoy

Allow yourself to feel all of your emotions without judgment, letting go of the things that bring you down. It is at this point that you can begin to introduce positive things into your life.

These are the first steps toward discovering what drives you. Consider what your life would have been like if you weren’t suffering from depression.

If you’ve been suffering for a long time, this may be difficult for you to accept. However, that you can recall at least one instance in your life during which you were not depressed. Consider the things that brought you joy at the time. 

Allow yourself to do whatever comes to mind and experience all of the emotions you used to have for as long as it takes. It’s not uncommon for adults to pursue life’s passions that began as childhood hobbies.

Think of the things you’ve always wanted to try but have been unable to because of your depression as an additional strategy for overcoming this condition.

Step 6: Do what makes you happy 

For someone who has prioritized pleasing others over their happiness, it can be difficult to figure out what is going to bring them true happiness.

Discovering your true passions takes you back to childhood and recalls the things that brought you joy.

To discover what brings you joy and fulfillment, write down what you would rather be doing than what you are currently doing.

It’s common for people to choose a career path that isn’t what they want because they don’t think their passion is viable. There are times when it makes sense, but not all the time.

Everyone is looking for happiness, which is often associated with pursuing one’s life’s purpose and doing what one was born to do. Your true passion is doing what you are naturally drawn to, not what others want you to do.

For you, passion fuels your desire to get out of bed each morning and move closer to achieving your goals.

Even if you can’t make a living from your passion, it can keep you going while you’re doing other things. It’s not necessary to make money from your passion.

Your Passion May Not Be Your Career

Even if you’re excellent at something and genuinely enthusiastic about it, it doesn’t mean you can turn it into a career.

That’s all right.

If you want to make money doing something you love, no rule says you have to do it. The meaning of life is found in the pursuit of one’s passions, not in the money one makes from those pursuits.

You should have a passion for something and here’s how to find your passion:

• Consider your happiest moments.
• Consider a favorite hobby.
• Consider or write your values.
• Consider your motivations.
• Assess your strengths.
• Consider topics you enjoy discussing.
• Consider what you’ve always wanted to do.

You may be surprised at how much more meaningful everything else in your life becomes when you finally figure out what it is that you’re looking for. It seems like passion can do this.

• Write your passion down

If you’d like, get a journal and jot down all the things you hope to do in the future. Consider the small steps you can take to accomplish each item on your list and then work your way through it one at a time.

It’s never too early or too late to start a project you’ve always wanted to do, so write it down in your journal. If your passion isn’t your job, it doesn’t mean you’re not doing something you love. You don’t have to give up your career to pursue your passions on the side.

By trying to make money from your newfound interest, you’ll be putting even more stress on yourself.

Remember that the point of pursuing a passion is to find fulfillment and joy in doing so; if doing so does not put you under any additional stress, go ahead and pursue it. When it stops being fun, it turns into a chore instead of a hobby.

What Depression Does To Your Passion

People are motivated by their passions. To achieve great heights of success, love, beauty, and fulfillment, one must have a strong sense of self-worth and self-confidence.

The ability to be enthralled by the beauty, complexity, and immensity of the universe, as well as the infinite possibilities it holds, is what it means to be passionate.

To be passionate is our mission; it is what drives us to create, change, fix wrongs, and cherish truth.

• What it’s like to be depressed and unsure of your passion

When a depressive disorder affects you as a child, it persists into adulthood. A large portion of your personality is missing.

In other words, you have no idea who you are or what you want to do with your life. If you suffer from depression, you become an entirely different person.

Realize how many wonderful experiences you would have had if you’d just taken the time to do them all. It was because of your years of isolation that some of your friendships were severed.

You could have gone to places that no longer exist if you had the energy.

Upon regaining your equilibrium after a period of depression. People describe life as strange and frightening.

You’re at a loss for how to proceed, and a part of your mind is urging you to revert to your old ways. Avoid paying attention to your inner critic. 

• Hold on to your passion for life, and don’t let go of it. 

Utilize your rage as a source of motivation to achieve your goals and dreams. Don’t look back, and don’t stop moving forward.

To put it another way, the past no longer serves you, and the future has yet to arrive. Make the most of the time you have in the here and now.

Consider yourself a survivor, not a victim! Believing that you are a survivor is the first step.

• Think positive.

Whenever an unfavorable thought enters your mind. Think three positive thoughts and you’ll beat it. Your life is your stage, and you are the magician.

Envisioning what your home would look like in your imagination. Transform yourself into someone of whom your five-year-old self would be proud. 

Begin by trying new hobbies you’ve always wanted to do. Look for school or work that can help you achieve your career goals. Make new friends and make sure you have people around you who can lift you when you’re having a bad day.

Conclusion

If you suffer from depression, you may find it even more challenging to discover your true calling. We hope you now have a better understanding of how doable it is to discover your true calling.

Being yourself is the key to success. Take a deep breath and let go of the things that you can’t change. Finding a passion will be easier once you’ve overcome your depression.