A quick way to check in with your mental health is to ask yourself whether you’re feeling excited or hopeful about the future. If you’re not excited about the direction your day, week, month, or year is going in, it’s probably time to pay extra attention to your mental health.
So how do we help ease the feeling of hopelessness? Begin by playing devil’s advocate with yourself.
When you’re feeling hopeless, you talk yourself out of trying new things because you feel there’s no point. Due to this lack of action, your hopelessness wins, and your negative thoughts become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
So, make the decision to doubt your hopelessness! Take a moment to consider that you could be wrong, and maybe even experiment with some optimism.
If optimism seems hard right now, try doing something new. Let go of how you’ve been thinking and acting if they haven’t been working for you. If you’re complaining, avoiding, or participating in other actions that aren’t beneficial, try something new!
Can you think of any actions, thoughts, or patterns that you’re engaging in that are no longer serving you? Can you think of any changes you can make that might help you create a brighter outlook for yourself and your future?