Everyone has to go through a time, a sensation in particular to that time period, where one could care no less about their life, unenthused, lethargic, lack of will to conduct whatever goes on. This careless and indifferent behavior is common, but in severe cases it becomes a disease, specifically towards your brain health.
ALS is a fatal motor neuron disease, where there is progressive degeneration of nerve cells in the spinal cord and brain. It will affect your movements in arms and legs, and sometimes trouble breathing. But one of the most common behavioral symptoms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is apathy. In a case study, 60 ALS patients were evaluated with scales that measured their cognitive, behavioral, emotional, and non-specific symptoms of apathy. The Evaluation Scale was analyzed with regards to its relationship with the patients’ quality of life (QOL). The results identified apathy with 30% of the patients. These patients reported higher depression levels, lower overall QOL, specially in their achievements in life and social connectivity. Moreover, the study associated emotional symptoms most potently with such ALS patients, and its manifestation to underpin worse QOL in ALS patients with behavioral debilitation. Overall, apathy proved a significant factor and symptom in those with such disease.
Nonetheless, this symptom is not merely a symptom but rather a commonality that everyone possesses at a certain degree within their cognitive and behavioral ability. Have you not ever felt empty, feeling nothing in touch with whatever you are doing in life? These seemingly insignificant thoughts and feelings are also a state of apathy. It does not necessarily mean a perilous symptom from a disease, it can be you right now.
Noticeable consequences of apathy are having no reaction to emotions, even for activities that you would normally feel emotionally attached to or enjoy doing. For instance, when there is an opportunity to meet someone you would usually want to meet, but feeling reluctant, hesitant, and apathetic about whoever you are meeting because you could no longer care. Furthermore, you may not aspire to take responsibility, whether it is for work, for school, or a simple duty to take for human integrity. In spite of being under the notion of the adverse impacts and circumstances of taking such reckless actions, one may feel judicious and rational with pursuing them in their own sense of justification. These neglections of responsibility, needs, and lack of engagement and motivation are all one’s emotional and psychological manifestation of their state of mind, similar to those ALS patients.
The causes for one to have such a mindset is fundamentally due to a basic flaw within their life that they can patently fix. People with apathy frequently have low self-esteem, lowering their value as a human being. One may also have been in a traumatic incident that still resonates and influences his or her thoughts and actions. One may also be overwhelmed by new circumstances that he or she is dealt with, or is simply burnt out.
However, these causes do not signify an irreparable point of no return, but rather symbolize the need for one to find meaning. To start off, one can ask several questions that pokes directly into the solar plexus of the issue: do I remember an event that happened before I became so apathetic? Is this apathy only present in specific situations and are no longer in me when there are times of joy and meaning that I occasionally have but am not aware of? If so, what are the situations that I do not feel apathetic, yet feel fulfilled and find meaning in? These questions are fantastic starters to ponder deeply. Nevertheless, the answers must be genuine. Thus, speaking of being genuine, why not start a life of meaning by loving yourself. In other words, why not start being more sincere about your life, buckle up and get serious, as it is your only route departing from apathy.
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