My Messy Journey with Low Drive
Okay, so this thing hit me hard last year. Woke up one Tuesday, felt normal, but when my wife initiated… nothing. Completely flat. Tried again later, same thing. Panicked, honestly. Felt broken.
First thing I did? Saw my doctor. Got poked and prodded, blood drawn. Doc mumbled something about hormones being “within range” but low-normal. Suggested antidepressants or maybe viagra, just to get things going. Felt like slapping a bandage on a leaky pipe. Didn’t sit right.
Started digging online, fell into a rabbit hole. Saw everyone screaming “Exercise!” Grabbed my dusty runners. Forced myself into the gym three times a week. Lifted weights, ran on the treadmill. Sweat buckets. After a month? Felt fitter, sure, could run longer, lifted heavier plates… but down there? Still on vacation. Zero improvement. Felt frustrated, almost betrayed.
Next stop: supplements. Saw ads everywhere for “libido boosters.” Went to the store, stared at rows of bottles promising miracles. Chose a popular one with tongkat ali and maca. Took those capsules religiously every morning, swallowed them with lukewarm coffee. Tasted awful. Stuck with it for six whole weeks. Spent good money too. Result? My pee turned super yellow, and… nada. Zip. No spark. Just expensive urine and disappointment. Threw the bottle away angrily.
Wife gently suggested stress might be the villain. She was probably right. Job was crazy, deadlines constantly breathing down my neck. Started trying meditation apps. Sat cross-legged on my bedroom floor every night, trying to clear my head. Mostly just felt silly and got distracted thinking about grocery lists or the weird noise the fridge makes. Helped me fall asleep faster sometimes, but the deep-down tension? Still knotted in my shoulders. Didn’t translate downstairs.
Got desperate enough to peek at forums. One thread kept popping up: ZINC. Simple zinc. Wasn’t even one of those fancy combo pills. Went back to the store again, grabbed a plain zinc citrate bottle. Cheap. Figured, why not? Took 30mg every evening, usually with dinner.
Didn’t expect anything, but after maybe two, three weeks… a flicker? Woke up one Saturday morning actually feeling something resembling interest. Didn’t leap into action, it was still faint, but it was THERE. A signal instead of total radio silence. Couldn’t believe it. Kept taking it.
Around this time, I also forced myself to put the damn phone down after work. No more work emails eating into dinner time. Actually looked at my wife when she talked instead of grunting at my phone screen. Started talking about nothing important – the neighbour’s weird lawn ornament, that awful new song on the radio. Dumb stuff. Laughed more, argued less. Things felt lighter.
Putting it together:
- Zinc helped: Actually noticed a slow, small physical difference after sticking with it.
- Connection mattered way more than expected: Less screen time, more real talk, less arguing – things just felt warmer. Didn’t magically fix things, but it took pressure off. Felt less like a chore.
- Some stuff flopped hard: Exercise just made me tired, fancy libido pills were garbage, meditation felt like mostly humming to myself. Stress is bad, obviously, but meditating didn’t magically flip a switch for me.
Six months in now. Drive isn’t roaring back like I’m 18 again, no way. Still hits bumps. Some weeks are better than others. But that awful flat emptiness? It eased. Zinc daily feels like basic maintenance now. Trying really hard to not slide back into workaholic zombie mode. Easier said than done. Small, consistent things matter more than grand gestures or magic pills that don’t work.
