I’m 36, have a stable job, pay my bills, no major disasters happening in my life, and yet I’ve been feeling this low-level unease for a while now that I can’t really explain. Nothing dramatic, just this sense that something isn’t quite clicking.
I’ve been in my career long enough to be competent at it. I don’t dread work every day, but I don’t feel particularly engaged either. Most days I do what’s required, log off, and feel mentally tired without feeling like I actually did anything meaningful. I work remotely, which has its perks, but it also means days can blur together in a way that’s hard to describe unless you’re living it.
What’s confusing is that I don’t have a clear complaint. I’m not underpaid. I’m not being mistreated. I don’t hate my coworkers. So it feels wrong to even say I’m unhappy. But there’s this background boredom mixed with stress, like I’m always waiting for the next thing without knowing what that thing is.
I’ve tried filling the gap with hobbies, workouts, projects around the house. Some of it helps temporarily, but the feeling comes back. I catch myself wondering if this is just what this stage of life feels like, or if I’ve slowly optimized my life into something very efficient but not very satisfying.
I’m not looking to blow everything up or make some dramatic change. I just want to understand if this feeling is normal. For guys a bit further along, did this pass on its own? Did you have to actively change something, or was it more about adjusting expectations of what “content” actually looks like?