Recently, my best friend has asked me to journal his obsessions, that he does to cope with feelings of emptiness. This is so he can see whether the amount of obsessions or impulsive behaviors decrease. Usually, the way he copes with feelings of emptiness is to buy products that he never uses in order to fill his void of emptiness. He does not want to be reactive in stopping impulsively buying or stopping an obsession. He wants to be proactive. He wants a healthy decline in that is sustainable. I want other suggestions for my friend or for me to support my friend, to help him into becoming proactive at addressing temporary obsessions (to try to fill an empty void).

I also want to support him in feeling less empty. He tells me he does not feel like he is a special somebody. He doesn't want to just be someone who is loved, but someone who is acknowledged for his talents or interests. He wants to have skills, talents or long-lasting interests. He feels like he is average in everything, and it deeply bothers him. When he meets someone, he associates them with something they're good at. If anyone has previously struggled with feelings of emptiness, and have been able to overcome them, I would like to know how you overcame it. I want to know your suggestions. I am open to any suggestions though. 

He is a very sweet, kind and thoughtful person. He has supported me, and I want to be able to support him. I want him to be able to love himself more. He's made a lot of progress in addressing his weaknesses, and I want to help him improve and become happy.