Ask Julie: I Don't Feel Anything

The problem that I have is that I'm not sure what's wrong with me. Last summer, I tended to wake up without any emotion at all, then I would be all depressed and thinking I'm fat. Around 1-4 in the evening, I would become apathetic and it would feel like I didn’t have any more feelings. Then, around 6 or so, I would have emotions again. I don't know if there is anything wrong with me. Sometimes I feel like I have no emotion at all and then out of the blue I start to have emotion. It feels like I overreached my limit to how much I can feel at one point and then I have to wait for my emotions to heal or something. Is there a limit to how much I can feel? Is there a limit to how much I can feel one thing? I feel really bored a lot of times but I still have a lot to do. Sometimes, though, it feels like I have to force myself to feel feelings and emotions. I don't know if there is a problem or something.

A: It does sound like there is a problem, but I need more information before I can provide an answer for you. I suggest that you get in to see a therapist for a mental health evaluation for depression. Feelings of emptiness, lack of enjoyment in life, and focusing on negative thoughts may be symptoms of depression.I'm curious what was happening around you or inside of you when you'd start to feel again. What activities were you engaged in? How would you describe the transition from not feeling to feeling? I also have questions about what it felt like to have no emotions at all.  Also, I'm curious about your relationships with family and friends and how you're functioning in other parts of your life, like school or work.  Please write back with more information if you'd like additional advice. Until then, I urge you to seek therapy to help you get to the bottom of your confusing emotional patterns and start working toward enjoying your life.Take good care of yourself.Julie Hanks, LCSWOriginally appeared in my PsychCentral.com column