{"id":51153,"date":"2017-08-07T19:43:29","date_gmt":"2017-08-08T03:43:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=51153"},"modified":"2017-09-12T14:10:31","modified_gmt":"2017-09-12T22:10:31","slug":"how-to-overcome-the-feeling-of-hopelessness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/how-to-overcome-the-feeling-of-hopelessness\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Overcome the Feeling of Hopelessness"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

<\/p>\n

Hope is a powerful thing; without it, we are lost.<\/p>\n

Have you ever felt yourself wanting to give up? Maybe you\u2019re feeling like you can\u2019t get ahead or improve your relationships. Maybe you\u2019ve been trying to lose weight for years and are ready to throw in the towel.<\/p>\n

This is the perfect time to remind yourself that your fight isn\u2019t over.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the thing about hope: It\u2019s always available. Regardless of where you\u2019ve been or where you want to go, it\u2019s possible to regain a feeling of hope.<\/p>\n

Here are some things to keep in mind when you\u2019re trying to shake the feeling of hopelessness.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \n

    You haven\u2019t tried everything.<\/h1>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    This is a hard pill to swallow for some who have spent a lot of time and energy on their goals. You may have tried a lot, but you haven\u2019t tried everything. Admitting this is the first step to shedding hopelessness. Where there are options, there is hope.<\/p>\n

    Try spending some quiet time thinking about your problem. Think of it from an outsider\u2019s perspective to try to come up with creative solutions. If your problem is weight loss, maybe you try a drastically different diet plan that you ever have before. Do some research to support your new plan. Find studies or success stories that prove that it works for some people, and you\u2019ll be more likely to believe it can work for you.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. \n

      Plant a seed of doubt.<\/h1>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      You may have landed in this hopeless place because of doubt. Maybe someone else doubted your abilities or maybe you doubt your own. Doubt can be nearly as powerful as hope, so you can use one to cancel out the other.<\/p>\n

      Plant the seed of doubt about whether you\u2019re truly in a hopeless situation. Is there really nothing you can do?<\/p>\n

      The more you doubt your hopelessness, the easier it will be to find a way out.<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. \n

        Focus on what you have.<\/h1>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        If you\u2019re feeling hopeless about one area of your life, focus on another.<\/p>\n

        Hope breeds more hope in the way that despair breeds more despair. Focus on things that make you feel hopeful about the future, and you may be able to squeeze out those feelings of hopelessness before they seep into other areas of your life.<\/p>\n

          \n
        1. \n

          Take a leap.<\/h1>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          If you can\u2019t find hope no matter how hard you try, just jump in anyway.<\/p>\n

          Do something different, whether you believe it will help or not. Ask friends for suggestions or do something that has worked for someone else. It\u2019s better if you believe, but doing something is still more productive than doing nothing. Whatever you try may work or it may not. Just keep trying until you find something that works.<\/p>\n

            \n
          1. \n

            Shift your focus.<\/h1>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            Sometimes, we trick ourselves into thinking things are more important than they are. For example, when a relationship ends, you may have trouble learning to live without the other person. This isn\u2019t because you can\u2019t live without them. It\u2019s because you\u2019ve focused so hard on the difficulties of living without them that you cannot see anything else.<\/p>\n

            Try convincing yourself that the thing you\u2019re feeling hopeless about, whether it\u2019s a relationship or a job, doesn\u2019t matter anymore.\u00a0 It\u2019s trivial in the grand scheme of things. Feeling hopeless about this job or relationship would be like giving up on eating for the rest of your life because you dropped a plate of food.<\/p>\n

            This may not work for every problem, but you\u2019ll be surprised at how many problems a shift in focus can solve.<\/p>\n

              \n
            1. \n

              Live in the moment.<\/h1>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

              The practice of meditation tasks people with focusing on the present and letting go of the past and future. You don\u2019t have to meditate, although you certainly can, but you should focus on your life right now.<\/p>\n

              Look at your surroundings and allow yourself to experience all that is happening in the moment. Where are your problems?<\/p>\n

              Unless you\u2019re dealing with a health issue, your problems are likely in your head. This doesn\u2019t mean they are imagined. It simply means that your thoughts are controlling your feelings.<\/p>\n

              This is a problem we all have, and it takes practice to correct.<\/p>\n

              Try consciously thinking about the present moment and all that is happening here. Do this whenever you begin feeling hopeless.<\/p>\n

                \n
              1. \n

                Ask for help.<\/h1>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                When we get lost in our thoughts, it\u2019s difficult to see any other way. Ask someone else what they would do in your situation.<\/p>\n

                People generally feel good about helping others, so whoever you ask is likely to give you a thoughtful answer. Think of it as a second opinion on the issue that\u2019s making you feel down.<\/p>\n

                With fresh, new ideas on how to address your issue, you should begin to feel a glimmer of hope. The ideas may or may not work, but the important thing to remember is that there\u2019s always another way.<\/p>\n

                If this way doesn\u2019t work, ask someone else. Find another way.<\/p>\n

                We all feel hopeless from time to time, so it\u2019s nothing to be ashamed about. However, if you\u2019re feeling like hopelessness is overcoming your life, it\u2019s time to get help. Talk to a counselor about how to overcome severe feelings of despair and hopelessness.<\/p>\n

                \n

                T<\/i>revor is a recovering addict & alcoholic whose been clean and sober for over 5 years. He currently works as a content writer for Coastal Detox<\/a>. Since his recovery began he has enjoyed using his talent for words to help spread treatment resources and addiction awareness. In his free time, you can find him working with recovering addicts or outside enjoying about any type of fitness activity imaginable.<\/i><\/p>\n

                Photo credit: hiva sharifi<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                Hope is a powerful thing; without it, we are lost. Have you ever felt yourself wanting to give up? Maybe you\u2019re feeling like you can\u2019t get ahead or improve your relationships. Maybe you\u2019ve been trying to lose weight for years … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12449,"featured_media":51311,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[205,33,21,6],"tags":[53,4641,3513,6147,66,1990,4629],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Overcome the Feeling of Hopelessness<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Here\u2019s the thing about hope: It\u2019s always available. 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