Do you feel hopeless at some point in your life? Then, you should read this article about four ways to find hope when you feel hopeless.
Finding yourself in a hopeless situation shouldn’t be the end of your life as it’s a normal thing. What matters is being able to find hope again and moving on with life.
Hence, after going through this write-up, you will understand the concept of hope, how to be hopeful in a hopeless situation, and how you can help someone else find hope.
Also read: 9 ways to find hope when depressed
Definition of Hope and Hopelessness
On the other hand, when you come across those difficult times and you feel like, that’s it, you can’t overcome this, you can’t move past it; then, that’s being hopeless.
Therefore, hopelessness can be defined as one not having a positive approach toward their expectations or desire in life.
What is the cause of hopelessness?
Depression most times brings about hopelessness as hopelessness is mainly associated with depression. It sometimes fills you with grief too.
Additionally, you might feel hopeless from a job loss, relationship challenges like divorce or breakup, grieving over a loss, being traumatized, long overdue stressful situations, chronic illness, bankruptcy, even crisis, etc.
Signs and symptoms of hopelessness
- Feeling like you are stuck in life (No improvement in any aspect of your life)
- The feeling of emptiness (Like you have no reason of living).
- You won’t find the things you used to enjoy doing interesting anymore.
- You isolate yourself from people dear to you.
- Abuse of substances like alcohol, drugs, etc.,
- Suicidal thoughts start coming, though that’s in an extreme case of hopelessness
Importance/Benefits of hope
When one is hopeless, it can be detrimental to both your physical and mental health as stated above in the signs and symptoms of hopelessness.
That’s why finding hope and being hopeful about the future is so important; it gives us faith, strength, and a sense of purpose.
Benefits of hope include:
- It brings calmness and peace to you during difficult and disturbing times
- Hope instills courage and strengthens you making it more likely for you to succeed in that which you desire.
- It gives you the patience to cope with an imperfect life
- Hope keeps you positive
- The power of hope gives you the confidence to step out and try
4 ways to find hope
Feeling hopeless in life it may sometimes seem as though there is no need to move on and continue living.
However, no matter how hopeless a situation may seem at the moment, below are some things you can do to feel a little bit better and regain/find your hope again.
Here are four ways to find hope when you feel hopeless.
1. Talk to someone/go to your loved ones
There are people you can talk to like your partner, friends, family, or even a professional psychologist or counselor. These people can help you get through hopelessness and discover your purpose in life.
This is because most times, people who are going through tough times and are feeling hopeless tend to isolate themselves from people.
Furthermore, they may think that there is no point talking to anyone but that is wrong as isolating will only worsen the matter. As the saying goes: A problem shared is a problem solved or half solved.
2. Shun negative and unnecessary thoughts
Unhelpful and negative thoughts commonly show up when you are feeling distressed in difficult times. To be able to find hope, it is essential to fight and shun such thoughts.
Additionally, it might be difficult as your brain would be telling you otherwise like there is no point in trying but, you need to know that your brain saying these things doesn’t mean it is right.
Therefore, to deal with these thoughts, ask yourself these questions:
- Are there real proofs to support these thoughts?
- If a friend is having this same thought, what would I tell that friend?
- How did I handle similar thoughts in the past?
- Do I have this situation under my control
- Is this going to matter after a day or a week from now?
3. Concentrate on that which is within your power
Hopelessness brings about the feeling that everything is way above your control and there is nothing you can do to change it. It can also take time to recover from this grief and hopelessness.
However, to find hope, there is a need to have control over your thought. Like, try to believe that you can do something about the situation to have positive change.
Also, in cases where the situation is totally out of your control, it is within your power to accept it and focus on trying to take action to reduce the unpleasant feelings and emotions or discomfort instead of trying to change the circumstance.
4. Practise mindfulness
Practising mindfulness involves focusing your attention on the here and now. When you find yourself in some difficult circumstances, you tend to always think about your past (before the difficult times came) and worry about the future.
This may bring about more feelings of hopelessness and depression. Practicing mindfulness will enable you to stay in the present moment and prevent unhelpful negative thoughts from coming.
How to help someone find hope
Apart from the four ways to find hope when you feel hopeless, if you find yourself with someone that feels hopeless, here are some ways to support and help them.
- Reach out to them with open-hearted curiosity
- Be patient with them
- Show empathy
- Offer your support
- Encourage them to seek professional help
- Share with them your own experience and how you handled it.
- Always invite them to programs and activities to help keep them busy and away from unhelpful thoughts.
- If they have thoughts of suicide, talk to their loved ones or even report them to professionals that can provide help.
In conclusion
When there is life, there is hope.
