I'm in a rut.

 

I'm a full time student (about to be less then full time, read on), I work weekends (also about to change), and during the week I study and try to fit in time with friends.

 

My life is, by all normal counts, pretty nice. I have an amazing support system from my parents and my sister for my decision to go back to school, I have some pretty great friends, I got rid of all existing drama, and I'm, for the most part, a pretty well liked person. I have every material thing I could want within reason, I have my 360, a PS3, a Wii, and a top end laptop, games for all of them, I have countless guitars, every gun that I ever get a whim to buy, and I have very few financial obligations. I have a huge array of hobbies ranging from photography to building my truck, which is coming along nicely.

 

So to most people, I have a great life. But I have a MAJOR issue-I'm both constantly bored and dissatisfied. The dissatisfied part first-I'm 24. To most of you, that's no big deal. But I was raised in a house where, by 19, most people have full time jobs and lived on their own. I'm now back to family reliance (I live with my sister) due to college, and I'm at a constant self esteem battle because of this. I realize that I'm doing the smart thing and furthering my options for the future, but I feel like I'm on a train that doesn't stop until 30, and I have a death fear that I won't have changed lifestyle habits at that point. That's like death to me, it can't happen. I feel like I'm just getting old and my life isn't keeping up with my age number. So I'm constantly at odds between simply dropping college and getting a full time job, or keeping a full time student but dealing with my self esteem issues. This has caused me to act a little rationally as of late, so yesterday I decided to drop my job to PRN (as needed status) to free up my schedule and to motivate me to find a better paying job, and I dropped my Geology class because I just realized I freaking hate Geology. So now I'm not full time, my VA benefits are going to decrease, and I probably just created an unemployment situation for my dumb ass (though there are alot more factors into that than just boredom, but I won't go into them here)

 

And to the boredom part-this is a lifelong battle for me. Surrounded by a plethora of material possessions, I find that I have no interest in any of them. I mean, I could count at least 10 grand worth of possessions in this room alone, without even having to look up from this PC. But these things just add to me sense of pointlessness, and I think it all comes back to what I said earlier-I'm not where I was raised to be at this point in life. It's a notion that you sudy alot in Philosophy, I think Aristotle coined the term Eudaimonia, which  is to say fulfilling your life's purpose. Even though you may be in the process of doing the best you can, you're not there yet, and I think as Americans we're impatient and so we substitute hobbies and material pursuits in place of this sense of fulfillment.

 

My solution has been, as Pntbl pointed out, working out and getting alot more physical. Exercise is a great way of forcing your body to produce natural solutions to your problems, and you'll feel alot more like sleeping at night. On top of that, you'll sleep more soundly.

 

I recommend dropping the drinking habit. Alcohol is a depressant, and whether you realize it or not, you're probably dealing with a small amount of depression right now. I find that boredom and dissatisfaction are the precursor to experiencing rough bouts of depression, and I usually take that point to adjust my physical routine appropriately.

 

I'd cut out caffeine, eat healthier, exercise, and as your body improves your self image and overall sense of satisfaction will as well. Hope that helps.

I don't drink very much - just more than I used to. I probably have either 5-7 shots of whiskey or 5-6 beers during one weekend night; just having fun with my friends. The only caffeine I get is from a Monster every couple of weeks or so when insomnia has been bad and I need to function that day.