what should one do in life when one feel disheartened and helpless
Answers
Answer:
- Take the long view.
- Remember, there is no such thing as failure.
- Stay true to our vision.
- Don't let our ego get in the way of our development.
- Stop comparing ourself to others.
- Detach from rewards, focus on our actions and giving our best work.
- Change our “rules” for being happy.
- Consider who we are spending time with.
Answer:
think feeling discouraged is one of the hardest things to get through. It feels heavy, stuck, sad, even hopeless sometimes.
When you feel discouraged, it colors so much of your world – you easily find more discouraging signs that things won’t work out. (This is your brain’s frustrating negativity bias at work, which makes you more sensitive to anything negative when you’re feeling down.) Without realizing it, you start piling on feelings and stories from your past when you felt discouraged, which adds to the storm (just when you need the opposite).
People often tell me that they admire my tenacity and optimism. Truth is, I’m not naturally optimistic -- I’m a Russian Jewish immigrant, I don’t think that’s in our nature. And while I’m tenacious, I get discouraged, just like everyone else. And I can get really down when I do.
Last week I was feeling really discouraged because an opportunity I’ve been really hoping would work out hasn’t, yet. It would be incredibly meaningful – for me, for Happier, for my book. I’ve done everything I can to make it happen, and it’s still possible, but I found myself losing hope and feeling pulled down the negativity spiral.
I’m grateful that I had the awareness to notice my useless inner dialogue of harshness and negativity: “See, this isn’t going to work out so it’s a sign that other things won’t work out. And there’s obviously nothing I can do to make it work out. Maybe I’m just not good enough…”
But awareness alone isn’t enough – it’s just a really important first step.
So, I decided to practice what I teach and get myself out of the negativity spiral by applying the 5 Core Happier Skills to my discouragement. It really helped. I feel like I can take a breath and keep going. I’m not saying I’m excited about the situation, but it’s not blocking me from moving forward. And there’s joy in the moving forward.
I wanted to share the steps with you so they can help you the next time you feel discouraged, stuck, or caught in a negativity spiral.