the only way to preserve mental health in this, the worst timeline.
this post was submitted on 05 Oct 2025
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Brother, your purpose is just to be yourself and enjoy life best you can, that is it. Failure is a social construct.
OP, this is a legit answer. And I am only replying because I've given a similar answer to some and they brush it off as me being dismissive.
But I don't mean to be.
Purpose is generally how you define it, there is no "boss" dictating what your purpose is and then you have to find it. You need to make it...if that makes sense.
It does take work, but finding the people you enjoy being around, the hobbies you like to pursue, the games you like to play, the "work" you can pour yourself into and feel accomplished - that's what life is about.
It took me until 30, but I woke up one day and decided I was going to stop trying to please people every second of every day. Stop bottling my own wants up to save face. My friend group shifted drastically. My dating life became a discovery of who I am and what I want. My, now, wife can tell you stories of my stubborness early on because I was not going to change myself for anything or anyone.
I am much more laid back nowadays, I am more confident, more happy. But I had to go through all of that and more to get there and it was soooo freeing.
As soon as I accepted that I don't have a purpose and that I don't need to answer to others definition of purpose or success - I discovered and paved my purpose and success. It sounds weird maybe but it's...awesome.
Smoke weed every day.
This is terrible advice.
I let my license lapse. I’m really worried about getting a dui because it stays in the system so long, and I feel like as a trans person cops would look for any excuse. It did help a lot when I did get high every day.
I just wish my brain would say, “you worked a full shift at work. It is okay to eat a pizza and watch Star Trek. There isn’t anything else you need to be doing.”
Antidepressants, anxiety meds.
That's usually when I realise I need to sleep. My interoception is really bad, so I notice when I'm feeling tired. I will notice when I start getting general anxiety and depressive feelings, and those always* go away with sleep.
Learning how to relax, taking walks in nature, and spending time with friends have also worked for me. Deciding which one will help at any given time is an art I have yet to master.
*when no external factors are present.
I used to have that, for a long long time.
Then I realised:
All the other animals are doing things right, just by living their lives and doing what comes naturally. They don't need to consciously know the purpose and have a goal, they're fulfilling it already.
I don't see why humans would be any different. We don't know what our purpose/goal is but I'm confident that we're all fulfilling it, whatever it is.
The purpose of life is to live. Just by living, we fulfill our purpose. Life is inherently meaningful, whether you figure it out or not.
i realized "the meaning of life" is essentially a christian concept disguised as something universal and stopped worrying. "life is useless", as ailton krenak would say -- usefulness is a property of things, not people, after all
i have a different kind of dread: my own mortality. it comes every once in a while and i just wait for the dread to go away
It's fun because it's the contrary to me. It's Christianity that made me understand that my life has no meaning, no goal, and that it's okay: God is the master, he already redeemed the world in Jesus, the evil is already vanquished (even if obviously not dead yet, just like a dead wounded boar which is even more dangerous because it has nothing left to loose). I have nothing to do. It's fear of being unworthy that makes me want to “merit” my life; but the Bible teach that life is a gift freely given. There's no merit to search, and my worthiness is not losable. I just try to be the best person I can be, not to look for a reward of any kind, but just because it's the right thing to do. And my numerous failures will never make me a failure. Christian or not, it's hard for everyone: nobody's a failure.
But, to be honest, most Evangelicals wouldn't recognize me as a Christian anymore, especially the American one, from what I understood.
There’s already lots of good advice in here and I would like to throw mindfulness meditation into the mix.
Just half an hour of even badly done meditation can do you a lot of good.
An maybe take a look into what the Buddhists have to say about the purpose of life.
Figure out what you want to have done looking back from your deathbed, and work backwards from there. Literally just imagine you're old, at death's door, reflecting on your life. Really try to get into the role. Take some time with it, be thoughtful, don't just rush to an answer.
Whatever you think old-you would wish you'd've done at this age, do that. Spending more time in nature, exercising, reading more, connecting with other people, helping the less fortunate, whatever.
I know telling you not to worry is pointless, but try to realize & remember that everybody's a failure at doing their life "right" - I can all but guarantee you not a single person has ever managed that. We all have missteps that we beat ourselves up for far too harshly.
Work goals are fine, but you should try to have personal ones, too. Anything from learning new things that will broaden your employability, to figuring out how to get ahead financially so you'll be prepared for the unexpected and/or able to retire early if you find something else to do with your life that's of more interest than your job. Personal goals are known to be essential to healthy mental well-being, too.
ETA: The meds someone else mentioned are also helpful if used properly. This response I gave someone else a week ago should explain what I mean.