Anhedonia

In the fall of 2024, I started sessions with a new therapist. I'd been talking to a counselor in the psychological services department of the University of Connecticut for the better part of the year with the goal of feeling more happy and less overwhelmed. Each new school year at UConn, all patients of the psych services department are assigned a new counselor and the new school year had just begun.

During one of my first sessions with my new therapist, S, I was attempting to describe how I felt most days. This prompted her to define the word 'anhedonia' for me:

an·​he·​do·​nia: a psychological condition characterized by inability to experience pleasure in normally pleasurable acts

 WebMD  says that anhedonia is a common symptom of depression as well as other mental health disorders. I'd been diagnosed as having depression and anxiety in the past so the connection didn't surprise me, but for some reason the new word stuck in my mind. Fighting the feelings, or lack thereof, associated with anhedonia have been a recurring theme during therapy sessions.

In our meeting this week, S presented an idea that could potentially rekindle some of the pleasure I used to get from my hobbies. I was given to two pieces of homework:

1) read for 30 minutes every day
2) take at least one photograph or video clip ever day

So, I've created this blog to focus on the latter (though I will likely occasionally talk a bit about what I'm reading). My plan is to use this as a digital journal for myself and perhaps share it with others who may find it interesting, useful or entertaining. At the very least, I hope it will keep me consistent in completing my homework for therapy. Beyond that, I would like to learn more about myself and develop some anti-anhedonia tools.