Need advice, I have Lost my passion for everything

[pkelaiditis]

Dear Bodybuilders and Fitness lovers,

My name is Peter and I am 33 years old.

The reason why I am posting this thread is cause I am seeking an advice on a very important issue I am facing over the last few months of my life.

I am a European living in China, Shanghai City, for the last 8 years. I started working out just few years ago, more specifically two years ago, and fitness really changed my life. I was a simple skinny guy and within two years I transformed myself into an 87 kg muscular guy with six packs. I never thought I could actually reach that level but hard work and determination as well balanced diet managed to change the way I looked tremendously. I was pretty much a totally different person and for the first time of my life I was actually doing something great for myself. For the first time in my life I found something I was crazy and passionate about it. I started changing my friends and my life style became far more simple. I was cooking a lot and on a Saturday night I would rather hit the gym for legs than go out for drinks and parties.

During the above mentioned time I was doing a job with very fixed working hours which paid ****. Sometimes I could hardly buy my protein or food supplements or even my weekly food needs. The only good think of that job was that I had pretty fixed working hours thus I could hit the gym 5 times a week. After two years in that job I went through a very tough financial issue and as a result I started applying for jobs anywhere possible. I was so desperate to improve my financial situation that I was ready to accept every offer that could probably offer me development and salary increase. It was just few months later that I received an offer from an international company to relocated in a small Chinese city ( Industrial Park) to work as a department manager in their retail store.

The opportunity was great and I was so desperate for a change that I didn't think clearly what I was about to do. I was offered a managerial position in a big EU retail company with better salary. I moved to that city just few months later just to find my self being stuck in a really isolated area with no life, friends, social life. Thanks god there was a gym near my work but I never visited cause during my days off I had to go to work for trainings, meetings and during my normal working days I had to work from early in the morning until late at night. I felt that work was "penetrating"" every part of life. I am highly responsible person and I knew I didn't have the right competence thus I was trying hard to improve my competence and perform, I sacrificed everything including myself to make my decision work. Four months later I found myself physically and psychologically exhausted. I found my self working in a messy environment with no experience of how to do things and I was pretty much left alone to deal with everything. I was deeply depressed and I was watching myself loosing weight and muscles feeling demotivated and disengaged from everything. I wasn't acting myself and I couldn't believe why I put myself through this.

8 months later I have been to gym just 5 times and I have lost significant weight. When I sleep I see in my dreams that my gym buddies are waiting for me in the gym and I still have the same body I used to have before all these happen.

Tomorrow I am about to submit my resignation letter to my boss and go back to Shanghai. The first thing In want to do is to put myself in the gym and maybe get a simple job until I restore the relationship with myself. Staying in this current job and living in this city I feel like I have lost my passion for everything. I can not imagine myself being in the gym again cause I feel weak and with no sparkle in my heart anymore.

Will I ever get my passion back for fitness ? HAs anyone went through something similar in the past? Any good advices ?

I feel totally lost and I am scared about my decision to resign from my current employer for the reasons you may think but I really cant comprise with anything else but have my body the way it was before all these happen.

Will I get my passion for fitness back again ?

Thank you all for reading this post

[PSMFDiet]

You mentioned about how happy you were when started working out a few years ago and the effects it had on your life. It sounds like your job situation has robbed you of this happiness. I would suggest getting your career straightned out first and then I think you will find your passion for fitness again. I would focus on finding a career that is going to give you a good work/life balance. That is what is going to make you happy. When you have a good balance the rest of your happiness will fall into place.

[ChicoPunk13]

You were stuck in a crappy place, doing a job you hated, isolated, busy and over-stressed. You made the right decision getting out of there. You're gonna be just fine dude, not to worry. Money does not equate to happiness. You know what ACTUALLY makes you happy, now go and do it!