Sometimes the world can feel like a hopeless place. If we struggle with our mental health in general, then we read and see Terrible things in the news It can hit particularly hard. There are days when finding that hope can be a difficult task.
Despair
Despair is very heavy. Breathing can sometimes feel like a miraculous feat. Walking into the kitchen to make a cup can feel like a pilgrimage.
We may feel balanced on a tightrope. As if something else might be causing us to fall apart. Maybe the washer beeps to tell us it’s over, and we sit on the floor and cry; it’s a Much. At the same time, we have worry begins to progress. We notice ourselves playing in our office, having a disaster in the car, and running into the bathroom.
The more we struggle, the more hopeless we feel. The more despondent we feel, the more we berate ourselves, because while we struggle to empty the dishwasher, others leave their lives behind, or struggle to buy food. We’ll tell a friend in our situation that someone else’s struggle doesn’t erase our struggle, yet we are We struggle to apply the same logic to ourselves.
Over and over again, many of us will try to extricate ourselves from despair. We may continue to examine our lives for the good things that we hold on to. Try to think for ourselves. Paste positivity around other people, whether we believe it ourselves or not.
it’s a exhausted It can consume everything.
Get out of the desperate pass slot
How many times have we told ourselves to stop the ominous scrolling and delete apps from our phone (only to re-download them afterwards)?
We know scrolling through endless suffering feeds on social media likely won’t help us feel fulfilled, however it can be addictive. Some days the news keeps coming out; Terrible things happen everywhere – positive news does not sell newspapers.
Deleting apps from the phone or putting site blockers on our social media works well for some, but it’s not always the solution, because Positive aspects To connect online with less positive people, and if we’re being honest, we don’t always have the willpower to stay away. For those of us who struggle to stop scrolling, we may find it more useful Sponsored by our social media feeds To strike a better balance between the good and the less good. Follow accounts like happy news or happy broadcast. We can block certain words or phrases. Some find timers or reminders useful; Asking us to sign out if we’ve been scrolling for too long.
Our brain may start firing because we realize we are lucky to be able to protect ourselves from some “bad stuff” – but who helps us slide ourselves into a pit of despair?
Take solace in nature
anyway environmental concern Environmental dread is very real, and nature can also provide great comfort.
The predictable patterns presented by the natural world can be soothing. The shapes repeat themselves in different plants. The same spirals appear in new plant growth, cloud patterns, and moss growing between the paving slabs. Snowdrops open the year to many of us. We know that birds nest every spring and that trees offer a wonderful array of color before making way for new buds each fall. No matter how many worries weigh on us, Robbins continues to sing. If we sit in the same place regularly, we can often tell the sounds and movement patterns of certain creatures. It can become a mark by which we prove ourselves. If we had a garden, or were able to air a bird feeder on our window, we might start looking forward to the birds we get to know droning every day.
When the human world feels too much, it takes a step back, checks and adjusts everything temper nature It can offer us some peace, and maybe moments of hope.
looking for fun
Sometimes what we really need is some silliness and laughter. We need to drop the seriousness a bit and do something we love to do. It can help us remember that not all things are bad.
Spend time with your loved ones. Do the things the child finds joy in. Get down on a hill with your arms outstretched. Spin in circles until the world becomes blurry. Take a spin ahead with a friend before collapsing into a heap of laughter (because it turns out it’s not as easy as it was when she was a kid!). Play Pictionary or Charades. Get some paint and see how messy it can be. Find out which album our 14-year-old has been playing on for six months and see if the lyrics still come to mind. Bake cookies with younger brother, grandson or niece/nephew. Have fun!
Listen to the little things
It may sound cliched, but sometimes it’s the little things that get us through desperate times. Maybe it’s noticing the way the sun dances on a spider’s web, or a stranger complimenting our clothes on our way to work, or a neighbor dropping some garden produce. Perhaps it’s the wiggle of a young child learning to take their first steps, or offering an unseen drink from an imaginary seven-year-old, or asking a 14-year-old to join us for a movie night. Maybe it’s the scent of our fabric conditioner, our favorite “2 for 1” yogurt, or we catch an earlier train home. It could be a particularly colorful sunset, some love from a passing dog, or the sight of our first frog of the year.
No matter how small they are, noticing the little things, can help us hold onto hope for brighter days.
look for 1%
If something good, no matter how silly or small, makes us smile, our day is not 100% hopeless. 99.999% can still be hopeless, but not 100%.
We may want to look for the same thing every day: a boost from our dog, a hug from our partner, or the comfort of a couch blanket. Maybe we want to look for something new every day; A different flower pushing across the sidewalk or a different funny tweet. Different things will work for different people, but we just need to find a little something a day to break “100% bad”.
Looking back, looking forward
For those of us who need compelling evidence that things can get better, history books are helpful. Terrible things have happened throughout history: wars, natural disasters, epidemics, epidemics, and famine. Every time people suffered from these terrible things, others offered help. Kindness, donations, shelter, medical support, and fundraising, sometimes are some of the most unexpected places. This does not mean that we want bad things to happen, nor that there is a “reason” to suffer. But it does show us that there is an element of hope.
If it is our personal world that feels like a hopeless place, we may find it helpful to look back at a time when we once had a time of trash and reflect on our own strength and resilience. Having to be flexible over and over is really stressful, and it’s not fair. It may leave us feeling angry or Frustrating. But among all of that, it can also give us some hope. We’ve had rubbish times before, and we can do it again.
Searching for faith
When we hear the word “faith,” many of us immediately think of religious faith. For some, faith means religion. Faith in a higher power gives us hope and helps us keep going.
For others, our belief in other things. We may have faith in posterity, or belief in politicians, or belief that the good always prevails, or belief in the power of protest, or belief in democracy, or belief in our health system, or belief in science.
Faith can be found in the darkest of times. Sometimes, he hides for a while.
I care about you
Sometimes, we don’t find hope. We’ve probably tried everything we can think of, can’t find, and can’t feel. We are very tired and exhausted. It can take a lot of energy.
Even if we don’t find hope, we can still take care of ourselves. It’s more difficult. It is very difficult to take care of ourselves when everything feels hopeless, but it is not impossible. we may need the support; From family, friends, loved ones, professionals, or medications. If daily tasks are difficult, we may need Practical help. Perhaps we need to step back from some of our commitments for a while and use our limited energy to meet our basic needs.
We may need regular reminders that we are worthy of care and love. Because we don’t always feel worthy. But if this is what we need for a while, then this is what we need for a while. It’s okay to take what we need.
The future could be five minutes
When we “think about the future” there is no need to think about the next five weeks, months or years. The future could be five minutes. If that’s a lot, it could be five seconds.
Thinking far into the future can be terrifying, overwhelming, and heighten our desperate feelings. We may not have a plan. We may not know where we are going, or even where we want to go or what we want to do. The world may feel unpredictable; A lot has happened in the past few years; None of us can predict what it will be like in a few years.
No matter what happens, we have to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Keep trying. Remember that we deserve care, love and support. Find people who can remind us that we deserve care, love, and support in times when we can’t remind ourselves.
Sometimes a second, one moment at a time is the only way to get through tough times, and if that’s what we need right now, that’s totally fine. One step at a time, we’ll get through this.
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