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Hopeless Situations

 

There’s been a lot of conversation on hopelessness these past few days in my world. From chronic debilitating illness to dire financial situations to unhealthy relationships to fear of never getting married to deferred dreams…life’s chock full of things that can make people feel hopeless.

Hopelessness is real and it’s common—but it’s not how we were created to live.

Hopelessness Steals Your Power

One key factor of hopelessness is this: hopelessness always disempowers. You’ll notice when you start feeling hopeless you’re likely thinking thoughts like this:

1. This will never change or I will never change.
2. Nothing’s going to get better.
3. I can’t do anything about this
4. Things have always been this way and they’ll always stay the same.
5. I should probably just give up.

Ever felt that way?
Hopelessness is debilitating and strips us of our power and authority. Hopelessness makes us feel small, insignificant, and powerless. And what do we want to do when we feel powerless?

Give up.

You are NOT a Victim

However, you need to know—you are not a victim. You always have a choice. You are always empowered to do something. Even if all you can do is change your thoughts, you still have a choice.

And honestly, the most powerful choice you can make is to change your thoughts. When you choose to think differently about a situation, you will eventually start seeing the situation differently, and you will start finding ways to change the situation.

Victor E. Frankl, a Holocaust survivor, makes this powerful statement:

“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”

Personally, I have experienced a lot of hopelessness in my life. I’ve had chronic illness since I was a kid; watched my family lose everything when the stock market crashed; experienced rejection in relationships; showed up to wedding after wedding—still the single one; been so poor I couldn’t even buy food; and been on food stamps. And now, I often feel like I’m a total idiot for having these big audacious dreams to write when I am barely making ends meet.

To be honest, there are a lot of things in my life I could still feel hopeless about should I choose to.

But I’m choosing different.

I’m choosing hope.

Hope: The Powerful Choice

And hope, my friends, is a big deal. When we hold onto hope in the middle of dire circumstances, we make a powerful and empowered choice.

Hope always empowers.

So practically, what does it look like to hold onto hope? My friend Melissa recently made a list of things that give her hope. And I want to make a similar list and give some practical guidelines for maintaining a hope filled mindset. You do not need to do all of them at once. Pick ONE next time you’re feeling hopeless and chances are, you’ll start experiencing the beginnings of hope.

Six Keys to Defying Hopelessness

1. Take Care of Your Body

This might seem silly, but it makes a world of difference. As much as possible:

• Get a full night’s sleep (eight hours whenever you can).
• Eat nutritious, regular meals. If your blood sugar is unstable, your emotions can go all over the place.
• MOVE! Exercise is scientifically proven to enhance your mood. So if you’re feeling down, move your body!!!

2.  Create Order

My physical space almost always reflects my emotional space. When my circumstances feel hopeless or out of control, my physical environment often gets messy, fast. The simple act of making my bed or folding my clothes reminds me that I am powerful and I can make a physical and noticeable difference in my environment.

3. Speak and Listen to Positive Affirmations

Science shows us that we believe our self talk more than anyone else. Therefore, if your self-talk is negative, your perspective will also be negative, and you’ll invite hopelessness in.

I often listen to Joel Osteen’s Declarations on YouTube when I’m getting ready in the morning. I also write and speak out positive truths about myself and things I’m believing will happen in my life. A lot of what I speak over myself hasn’t happened yet. However, I’m attaching belief to it every time I declare it out over my life.

4. Cultivate Thankfulness

 This is a huge hope booster. When you start feeling thankful for what you do have, you begin realizing that circumstances are brighter than you thought. I have an ongoing list of things I’m thankful for that I can pull out when I’m feeling hopeless or discouraged.

5. Look Outside of Yourself

I think this is my favorite one. When I have a hard morning, I often pull out my phone and start texting people. I tell them what I love about them, how I’m praying for them, or anything kind I can think of.

This, in particular, is such a powerful choice. Because when you choose to look outside of yourself, you’re making a conscious decision to defy hopelessness. In essence, you’re saying, “I’m more powerful than my situation or my emotions and I can make a difference in someone else’s world.” You can do this through an encouraging text, donating something to a worthy cause, or showing up and volunteering at an animal shelter.

6. Ask For Help

Community changes everything.

Sometimes, we simply cannot escape hopelessness by ourselves—we need others to help us find hope. Don’t hesitate to ask for help or admit when you’re feeling discouraged. No one is supposed to walk this life alone.

Anchored to Hope

This list only scratches the surface of what you can do when faced with hopelessness and discouragement. But I hope you leave encouraged and empowered to tackle the beast of hopelessness in your life. Go out and live the life of your dreams. It will probably be a messy and bumpy journey. You’ll probably end up with a few bruises along the way. But the journey’s worth it.

Now go on.

Anchor yourself to hope.

And never, ever give up.