4 min read

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1 day ago

“Days feel so empty.” Do you ever think like that?

Wake up every morning, eat breakfast, start a new day: have lunch, work, finish work, eat dinner, rest, and finally go to bed.

These repetitive habits play out again and again in daily life. Facing this endless cycle, I start to feel weary and keep asking myself: “Why am I doing this?”

People are busy running around just to survive, because from childhood we’re taught: “For a wonderful future, study hard, follow social norms, and become an excellent person.”

But I want to ask — how exactly do we define “excellent”? In the end, all I got was emptiness.

Why am I working so hard for the future? Life has too many variables. The uncertainty of the future often feels much heavier than hope. I can’t predict what job I’ll have, how much money I’ll earn, what quality of life I’ll live, or what lifestyle truly fits me. Countless worries bother me. Even the basic goal of “being happy” feels impossible.

For these upcoming days, I tell myself I need to set aside present happiness. But when I look back, I can’t recall even one day that felt truly happy.

A lot of people say “Ordinary is happiness.” But what I feel more often is burnout. Even if I want to seek new experiences, it doesn’t work — because I don’t have enough energy, and I don’t even know what I should be seeking.

Facing these negative thoughts, I find it hard to tell other people. Do you feel this way too?

The days of living pile up one by one, and the thoughts of weariness gradually grow into a big tree. I start to wonder: Why have I become this way?

The more I think about it, the more I feel this situation is a classic example of the inferiority complex.

Alfred Adler believed that humans are always pursuing superiority, and the original motive comes from feelings of inferiority. In fact, the “superiority” people most often pursue comes from common social values and expectations. When we set these as our purpose, it’s easy to fall into a cycle: can’t reach the goal → feel inferior → cover it with another sense of superiority.

Ideally, people say “Work hard for a wonderful life.” But reality isn’t like that. The gap between the ideal and reality itself becomes the driving force.

However, when the process falls apart, people often give themselves excuses to cover the inferiority they can’t face, such as:

This, too, is actually a kind of “self-centered superiority” to cover failure.

To me, this viewpoint is both inspiring and stressful. On the good side, I can check myself and ask if I am too fragile. On the bad side, I keep asking: “Is everything really my fault?”

There are countless ways to cause weariness, but one core element is monotony.

Working at the same place every day, eating convenience store food just to save money, seeing the same scenery… even games that once brought joy no longer feel fun.

Who doesn’t want some new experiences? But when those needs aren’t met, a cycle forms:

Repetitive lifestyle → feelings of weariness → disappointment about the future → back to the same lifestyle again.

This kind of dissatisfaction that leads to weariness is similar to Carl Jung’s shadow — it represents our darker side, and at the same time, it reminds us: “Your needs are not being seen.”

Even though life is tiring, these questions keep appearing:

Some people may think these questions are unnecessary. But others (like me) can’t stop thinking about them, again and again — even to the point of asking: “Why am I always asking myself these questions?”

Finally, my conclusion is this: because I crave social recognition.

Existential psychology explores the value of human existence. It belongs to the more “irrational” branch of psychology, focusing on how humans reach self-actualization through actions and gain a sense of value.

In theory, self-worth is determined by ourselves. But reality is cruel — there is only a fine line between blind confidence and self-awareness.

Can we really recognize ourselves without the validation of the outside world?

While writing this article, I thought about these feelings a lot. Even though the problems can’t be solved immediately, and will probably continue into the future, I believe these feelings are normal.

This article is for those who also feel frustrated and lost in thought about life. I hope that by breaking down these questions, it can help you ease some anxiety.

If you have troubles that are hard to share, feel free to leave a comment below.

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