10 Signs You Feel Empty Inside

Feeling empty inside can be difficult to describe. Like any other emotion, many people experience it differently. Depending on what’s causing you to feel this way, you may have different signs and symptoms each time.

Sign 1: You feel completely devoid of all emotions, whether they’re good or bad.

Emptiness is the absence of anything. If you reach a state of feeling totally empty, you may describe it as feeling totally emotionless. Your emotions are neither pleasant nor unpleasant — it’s as if they aren’t there.

Feeling this absence of emotions can be unnerving — most of us are used to feeling something on a routine basis, even if it’s merely contentment. Realizing that you don’t feel anything, whether it’s anger, frustration, resentment, satisfaction, happiness, or jealousy, can be eye-opening to the fact that you may be struggling with emptiness.

Sign 2: You lose interest in activities and hobbies that would normally interest you greatly.

Emptiness can manifest in an abandonment of hobbies and activities you normally really love. For example, if you suddenly lose interest in going for your daily run, and that daily run is something you typically look forward to and never miss, it may be a sign that emptiness is encroaching upon your life.

Sometimes life gets in the way of being able to engage in the activities you love. For example, on a particularly busy week, you may not have time to squeeze in your usual afternoon run — but this doesn’t necessarily mean you’re experiencing emptiness.

You may feel weird that your run didn’t fit into your schedule like it normally would, but the desire to go do it is still there. That is the key to determining whether your interest has waned or not — whether or not your desire to participate in the hobby or activity is there or not.

Sign 3: You are starving for emotional attention, so you find yourself agreeing to do things for others you wouldn’t normally do.

Emptiness can cause some people to reach out to others for emotional support — and those methods of reaching out aren’t always very healthy.

For example, someone experiencing emptiness may respond to people’s requests for them to go “above and beyond” in their mission to help them, even though the people’s requests may be asking far too much. A person experiencing emptiness might allow themselves to be taken advantage of and emotionally abused for the sake of feeling something again.

Sign 4: You notice some major shifts in your important relationships.

Feeling empty inside usually has some direct effects on your important relationships, such as the ones you have with your romantic partner or best friend.

When you’re feeling empty inside, you likely struggle to interact with these folks the ways you normally would. Because relationships require effort to maintain, foster, and grow, you may not be able to put in this kind of work to care for your relationships. The other person in the relationship may notice and draw back, changing the overall mood of your relationship.

Sign 5: You’re experiencing burnout at your current workplace.

Whether you’ve been at your current workplace or in your current career field for a few months or decades, you can experience burnout. Burnout is a form of extreme fatigue and exhaustion caused by extreme, excessive demands from a workplace.

If your job is beginning to infringe on your personal life, demand too much from you, and make you feel unappreciated, you may find yourself feeling burned out. The job literally causes you to feel “too tired to care.” This can lead to feelings of emptiness. If you notice yourself losing interest in a career or job that once excited you, your burnout may be a sign that you’re feeling empty inside.

Sign 6: You feel a general sense of boredom about everything.

Whether it’s about your workplace, activities you normally love, friends you love to see, or any other aspect of your life you usually enjoy, a sense of emptiness can cause you to lose all interest in anything.

You may find your interest waning in different activities gradually, and eventually, you may notice that you aren’t doing much more than sitting around or lying in bed unless you absolutely have to get up and participate in life.

Sign 7: Things you used to care about quite a bit don’t seem to have as much meaning anymore.

Were you an avid artist who loved to paint? Did you enjoy going to the park with your dog to chat with other pet parents? Were you heavily involved in your local religious organization? If activities and groups that used to hold a lot of meaning for you seem to have lost their appeal, you may be experiencing emptiness.

Sign 8: You don’t feel motivated to spend time around other people — you may even find socializing to be too exhausting to handle.

If the idea of participating in socialization like going out for after-work drinks with friends or seeing a movie with your family sounds impossibly exhausting, you may be experiencing emptiness. When you experience that profound sense of emptiness, it’s tough to feel interested in socializing, which often requires quite a bit of energy to do.

Sign 9: You have a hard time caring about efforts or causes that once mattered deeply to you.

When you notice yourself losing your urge to “fight” in any cause that once mattered deeply to you, you could be experiencing significant emptiness. For example, if you once enjoyed volunteering at the animal shelter or tutoring local youth each week, and you no longer feel motivated or see the point in what originally attracted you to those activities, you may be experiencing emptiness.

Sign 10: You notice things that you used to take care of don’t seem as urgent or important anymore.

Many people keep a close watch on their car maintenance, loved ones’ birthdays, dental appointments, and other routine events that pop up on their schedules. However, when you start noticing that you’re letting these routine events slip by without bothering or concerning you, you could be experiencing serious emptiness.

If any of these signs are showing up in your life, it’s time to speak with a therapist, your coach, or your religious advisor. Make an appointment now!