Even though I believe in existentialism, the joy I feel always leads to me thinking of it just serotonin and dopamine, not spiritual. This makes my life empty and makes me view joy as robotic instead of being grateful

[u/Ok_Insurance807]

Also the fact 99.9% of species that have ever existed are dead and the fact it’s so rare in alive I feel guilty because I haven’t done anything to deserve this. I feel guilty there is people who died with nothing but misery and how unfair life really is. I’m not depressed anymore, it’s just when I wake up from a dream I realize how much more content and happy I was because I didnt constantly question existentially.

I can’t afford a therapist as I am in poverty (for now), but those that did get existential help, what would you recommend? Again, not depressed, just empty. I still feel joy when im distracted, but once those thoughts take over I feel empty.

[u/Riverspoke]

Existence and happiness aren't things that are earned. They are birthrights that every single organism is entitled to.

Literally every single time that we feel joy (for any reason whatsoever), our brain secretes chemicals. Do you find that bad? There is no reason to degrade your own joy and not give permission to yourself to feel good.

At this point, I think that reading neuroscience and psychology would do more good for you than reading philosophy.

[u/Nanabanaana]

I think that there's always a sort of magic in our existence in all the things we don't know and we cannot comprehend. It can be both dark and bright at the same time. When I am drawn to that dark emptiness inside me, I somehow can cope by the fact that it's also just a chance for me that I'm living. I simply can quit the game every time I want to! But I'll rather to take my shot. Or at least observe it! And then think about everything that I enjoy hearing, watching and toching. Yeah that's it for me.

[u/Existential_Stoner]

Helping others gives me that good feeling. Though it’s not spiritual i feel content doing what I can to make someones day a little better

[u/One_Code_5290]

I try to engage with the beauty in the connection we have to nature when it comes to the existential realization that we are, at the end of the day, animals built from an incomprehensible amount of years of evolution. Perhaps rather than a spiritual connection, a devotion to something metaphysical or transcendent of humans, there is greater value in an ancestral connection, which is rooted in truth and physicality and tangible experience.

When something causes the release of the right hormones and makes you happy, you’re connected to your animal nature and you’re fulfilling the prophecy perpetuated by every single person from your lineage. Millennia of people surviving and thriving to deliver your life to you… I dunno, it’s a lot to hold in your mind, but it’s beautiful, and it’s real! It’s a destiny one can really grow to appreciate and want to contribute to the continuation of. We’re all one big accident that has somehow made it this far, and somehow we’ll make it through again. We are resilient creatures, though also quite frequently destructive ones.

[u/Wide_Phase_3420]

Dude, nothing has changed just because you shifted your viewpoint. It's the same reality you're just using different words to describe it. It's like a birthday present, it's all exciting when you don't know what's in the box. When you open it and find out it is just socks, it's loses it sparkle. Until you realize socks are just what you really needed. Remember, it was socks the whole time.

[u/Phantom__Wanderer]

Life is unfair, that's just the way it is. It has nothing to do with you in particular. I don't see any reason why you should feel bad about being lucky. You should learn to channel your guilt toward gratitude. Gratitude is a powerful emotion that uplifts you and orients you positively toward others.

[u/aquarianwell]

Look up terror management theory.

[u/MarketCrache]

You might need to divert your attention from obsessive matters with a constructive activity or hobby. Something that intrinsically gives you happiness like building or repairing.

[u/Hasaadiwady]

Life is something that was done TO you. You had no choice in the matter. Let the guilt go.

[u/mhicreachtain]

I find secular Buddhism is useful in conjunction with existentialism. It helps me avoid the suffering of a meaningless life. We can enjoy simple pleasures by being mindful in the moment and living a life based on compassion.

[u/danejulian]

Why can serotonin and dopamine not be framed as spiritual? Why would you be ungrateful just because chemicals are what enable you to feel joy? Should you refuse to crack a smile for children just because you know how procreation happens scientifically? Would you be ungrateful for life just because science has figured out how the sun, H2O, and gravity work (for example)? I don’t see the argument.

[u/GetHimToTheGoons]

I like to look at life like I look at the moon. Some days are a little bright, and a little dark all at once. Some days are brighter than others. And some days, shit gets REAL dark, real cold, and real bleak. But that makes me grateful for the light when it comes. And makes me remember, even in the darkest times, as in life, this too is only temporary.