VLog #76 – What is the Meaning of Apathy?
Video – VLog #76
What is an example of apathy?
What is the full meaning of apathy?
What causes apathy?
Script – VLog #76
David Logan: Hi everybody. Welcome to a series of The Techno Dinosaur Meets The I.T. Geek, vlog 76. My name is David Logan, the I.T. Geek, the guy who takes the jargon out of technology for you. Based here in Annan, southwest of Scotland, United Kingdom. With me today is my normal partner, Willie Nicol. So, Willie, how are you and where are you?
Willie Nicol: Thank you David, I’m very well thank you for asking. My name is Willie Nicol. I am the Techno Dinosaur, so called because I’ve very limited I.T. skills. However, I’m also a personal development coach who helps people with the “stuff” in their lives, stuff they might be struggling to deal with by themselves. I’m based in Troon, South Ayrshire, Scotland, U.K.
David Logan: I help people with their technical stuff like how to use it efficiently. So, today’s question Willie. Each week, to you the viewer, if you’ve not been watching our videos, we ask each other a question pertinent to our own knowledge base. Today’s question Willie. What is, and how does it affect us, apathy?
Willie Nicol: Apathy. Very good question David, and you and the viewers won’t be surprised to know I’ve already researched this and made some notes. So, the word apathy is actually based originally on a Greek word Apatheia, I don’t know if that’s the Greek pronunciation. But it means essentially, lack of feeling or an absence of emotion.
Willie Nicol: So, it’s almost like an emotion or a feeling of having no emotion or feeling. And we all kind of know what apathy is. Some people might describe it as feeling a bit “meh”, right. Or a bit down in the dumps or whatever. I had a client who was like that and, being from Glasgow, I asked him if he’d lost his “mojo”. And he replied that he had. So we had to go and find his mojo again …. and we did.
Willie Nicol: However, apathy is probably a bit more serious than that. So, the concerning thing is, it’s also a well-known symptom of anxiety, stress, depression, and various other things. It’s not a thing to be dismissed lightly. But, before I get all doom and gloom, let me refer to my notes.
Willie Nicol: We’ve discussed this many times before that the current restrictions and lockdowns and whatever associated with COVID, it’s a trying time for everybody. And sometimes we can get to a point of apathy where we couldn’t care less basically. We discussed before in a previous vlog about self-motivation. So apathy could be the opposite of self-motivation where, excuse my French, we just can’t be arsed.
Willie Nicol: So, if we can’t be bothered to do things, we can descend into a kind of vicious circle where we can’t work up the enthusiasm to do anything and then because we haven’t worked up that enthusiasm, we don’t do anything and so on and so on. So, you might have a to-do list, but you can’t find the energy to do your to-do list and then you get a wee bit down because you’re not doing anything.
Willie Nicol: So, does apathy really matter? And the loud answer is yes, it does. Here’s a bold statement, life only has meaning dependent on our engagement with it. What does that mean? If we don’t engage with life, if we don’t go out and meet our friends, if we don’t socialise, if we don’t …. whatever …. life becomes very tedious and boring, and we can get a bit down in the dumps.
Willie Nicol: So, the best way to avoid apathy is to re-engage with life, with our social circle, with our hobbies, family and friends and so on. However, the difficulty could be if we don’t have the energy or the motivation or the enthusiasm to make that re-engagement, it becomes a kind of vicious circle. We don’t re-engage because we’ve got no enthusiasm and if we wanted to re-engage, we don’t have the enthusiasm to do it. Is that making sense?
David Logan: Yes
Willie Nicol: Good. So, you’ll be pleased to know from my researches online there are ways to combat apathy when we can’t be bothered doing things. And, as I said before on a serious level, it can have harmful side effects or harmful consequences.
Willie Nicol: So, one of the first things that they advise is to get a good night’s sleep. Now, that might seem self-evident, getting a good night’s sleep. But if you don’t get a good night’s sleep you wake up in the morning tired. You’re through the day tired. You go to your bed and suffer from more insomnia and so on and so on and repeat.
Willie Nicol: Couple of tips, and we’ve discussed this before. Don’t drink too much coffee because it can remain in your system and keep you awake for many hours after you’ve had it. Switch off your mobile devices an hour or two before you go to bed. Don’t watch the news because it’s inevitably full of doom and gloom and that will just depress you before you try and go to sleep, okay.
Willie Nicol: Another thing we’ve talked about before is exercise. When we’re feeling a bit apathetic, we might not have the enthusiasm or the motivation to go to the gym for a workout or, in your case, go for your walks. Or go out for a jog or whatever it is. But we don’t have to focus too heavily on that. You can move your body in other ways. You can stand up and walk up and down the stairs. Parents can play with their kids, right. You can do some gardening. We’ve talked about that before. The more you move, the more energy and motivation you’ll have. So that becomes a beneficial circle. The more you do it, the more beneficial it’ll be, and the less apathy will have a hold of you, okay.
Willie Nicol: Then, I may have mentioned this before, socialisation, connecting with other people. Sitting and watching a movie with your family and friends. Going out for a beer or a coffee. Being in a community group. That association with other people has a beneficial effect and can help lift apathy. Or you can volunteer for something locally where you’ll connect with other people, and you’ll be doing a good thing. And all of that will help combat apathy.
Willie Nicol: Fourthly, and I mentioned this in relation to watching the news before you go to your bed, avoid people and situations which are all doom and gloom. There are few things worse than being in the house where your partner, husband, wife, family, kids, are all doom and gloom. Because they will just bring you down, even though they don’t mean to. So, from a self-care point of view, it’s a good idea to distance yourself a wee bit. Get out in the car or go for a walk and have some “me time”.
Willie Nicol: Finally, try something new! Get a new habit, get a new hobby, find something on the internet. There’s all sorts of things, studying, learning new things, whatever, right, that’ll simulate your imagination, simulate enthusiasm and kind of kick you in the arse to get you out your apathetic state. So, whatever you do, do something, just do something. So, here’s to losing the apathy and being happy and contented and engaged again. I hope that’s been useful.
David Logan: Fantastic. Thank you for answering that, Willie, that’s great. So, to you the viewer, if you feel empathetic or you want to know what empathy is, Willie is your guy. He will ensure you can, not physically but emotionally, kick you up the backside!
David Logan: So, for now, have a great week everybody. Keep searching for our videos, keep sharing the videos, engage in them. Have a great week. Thank you.
Willie Nicol: Yes David. Empathy’s another good topic to talk about but apathy was today’s topic. However, thank you very much for that David. To the viewer, if you’re struggling with anything, apathy, empathy, anything at all, get in touch with me and I’m more than happy to have a chat to see if I can help.
Willie Nicol: In the meantime, as David said, stay safe, stay well and always remember …. have some fun! Goodbye for now.
David Logan: Bye!
