When does idleness become a sin?

blase6 · #1 Aug 3, '12, 2:58 pm

...Especially if you're depressed and rest a lot all day, and have to make a noticeable effort to do things like schoolwork(homeschooling) because you have very little desire or motivation to do such things?

**Trishie** · #2 Aug 3, '12, 3:08 pm

Blase it's not a sin to lack the desire, but it is a virtue to make the effort to do those things, as you mention you do, regardless of your reluctance.
Homeschooling is great on some levels, on another, it's a fairly lonely thing not to have peers to study alongside. I can imagine that self-motivation might be difficult at times.

Do you need to structure your day so that you give an hour to work, and then reward yourself with a half-hour break, then definitely go back to work again for another period? If you allow yourself little rewards after you've done some serious work, you might feel more in control and better about things?

I wish you the best, and will ofer a prayer for you

Seira · #3 Aug 3, '12, 5:30 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by blase6

...Especially if you're depressed and rest a lot all day, and have to make a noticeable effort to do things like schoolwork(homeschooling) because you have very little desire or motivation to do such things?

If you're really truely depressed & sleep most of the day away... you should have a talk w/ your doctor or priest.

TheCartoonist · #4 Aug 3, '12, 7:09 pm

Agreed. I've gone through depression before, and I spent most of my time sleeping, laying around the house not doing much. It took a lot of effort to do things, and I usually came up with excuses to not hang with friends. You should definitely try and talk to someone about this, whether it's a doctor, a priest or a family member. Going through depression alone is not fun, I did it for years.

SilverCamellia · #5 Aug 5, '12, 3:15 pm

I have wondered about this too, and I've been diagnosed with depression for years

I have never been able to decide if I am simply lazy or if the reluctance is from depression, even though my reluctance to do things has involved me being sacked from my job and being expelled from university courses

Blase, if your 'idleness' is affecting you so much then I definitely think it is worth you talking to somebody about it. I have lost 10 years of my life to depression, which started in my late teens.