Everything in my life is messed up. Motivation works temporarily and I'm not suicidal but feel it's pointless to live like this. What should I do to feel hopeful?

Sometimes a little temporary motivation can go a long way! I have felt similarly for a very long time, but I found that setting little goals can be very helpful for untangling messy situations and coping with things I couldn't change. Sometimes my goals are simply to wait for new movies to come out, and that gives me something to look forward to when the present is stressful. Then, if I am feeling a little better, I will set a more concrete goal like taking my dog for adventures three times a week. Most importantly, it's always okay to default back to the simplest goals.

For me, the shortest path to hope was to find gratitude for the things already in my life. Even simple things or perhaps especially simple things like being alive, safe and well fed. Access to a computer and a caring community like 7cups. Gratitude is a practice meaning that it is something we have to work on daily. I thought the gratitude journal was a silly idea until I committed to completing on for a week. Then I began to see the benefits in my attitude. Gratitude has a direct and measurable impact on depression and even in the brain. It seems it is just not possible to be hopeless and grateful at the same time. I hope this helps. I wish you peace.

Focus on the good things in your life and don’t forget that there’s not only bad stuff. Take one day at a time and everyday try to better yourself in the way you want to grow. Tell yourself the good things about yourself instead of only the bad things all the time. You will find something that makes everything worth while, it doesn’t have to be a big thing, you can find reasons to hope in the small things of life as well. Everyday will be better than the day before and in time you will feel better and look back on this time and know you learned things about yourself and you grew from them too.

Try doing something different. Whether that's in your comfort zone or not. Also what helps me is by making goals for myself for the week and by the end of the month and review them step by step. This could be something a long the lines of: eat 3 of my favourite foods a week, or watch a series, or learn a new language. If this is something you didn't enjoy you know not to do that again. With motivation you could start by the most basic things by getting out of bed by a certain time and when you achieve that goal reward yourself. Remember as well your allowed a day off and to have a bad day but its about practice out of a bad habit.

You can try to feel hopeful by reflecting and write some things that might be positives because changing your perspective could change your life. Or find someone to talk to, or even just discover something new or find different outlets for you to have something to hang on, such as music. But do remember one thing. Even though you are in the dark now, one day. It will pass. You will be able to see the light again, and it will all be worth it. So keep holding on, and never give up, no matter how hard it gets.

One should enjoy the small victories in life. A victory as small as getting out of bed, or eating. These victories will eventually work as motivation. Without recognizing these accomplishments one will never move on from feeling like they are living a pointless life. When life is messed up and while you may not feel suicidal, a way to live a life with a purpose is by celebrating the small daily victories. By doing this I think that it would help someone to feel hopeful. While anther way to feel hopeful could be by talking to friends and or family.

II tend to feel this most days. At home, work, with friends. I try to do my best by coloring, reading, or watching something funnny. Even talking on the phone to my bestfriend helps. As I grew up and got older, i started to realize i feel suicidal but i dont actually want to die. It took a lot to be where i am. Therapy helps, my good friends etc. Go for a walk with some good music or drive. I find it helps. Makes you feel better with life. Turn your phone off and take some time to your self

Here are some Hopeful Tools for you to use: Self-Regulation Techniques We practiced a Deep Breathing Exercise to help calm our mind and body down. Let’s look at some other self-regulation tools we may practice in our daily lives to keep us in a hopeful mindset. Meditation You can meditate in many ways. Meditation has been found to improve memory, increase creativity, reduce anxiety, help us relax, get better sleep, and is good for our emotional well-being. There are many great apps for meditation, and sources on the Hopeful Minds website. We are sharing the basic practice, yet if you search online you will find many options, so feel free to explore and get more advanced. Get as comfortable as possible, in a quiet location (when available). Close your eyes, keep your body still, and focus only on your breathing. As you breathe in and out, through your nose when possible, focus on only how the breath coming and going feels on your skin. Anytime your mind wanders, focus back on the breath and the sensation right below your nose. Practice this meditation for five minutes. If it is helpful when you are beginning, count to five in your head as you inhale and count to five again as you exhale. The goal is to quiet your mind/thoughts, be still, and focus only on each breath. Visualization Close your eyes and focus on an image that makes you feel good. Think about this image for 30 seconds (or for a few minutes, as long as possible) and notice the sensations you feel in your body. Breathe deeply, and continue appreciating and experiencing how this image makes you feel. Then take that new outlook into your day. Journaling There are many forms of journaling, but a very simple one is simply to write down positive things that happened throughout your day. No matter how big or small, find something that makes you smile. If you can’t think of anything, try to remember the last time you felt joy and write about it. Gratitude Another technique you may use to calm down if you’re feeling stressed, angry, scared, or frustrated over days, weeks, or months is to show gratitude. If you pay attention to three things a day toward which you are grateful, you are focusing on what is good in your life. This gratitude helps you stay hopeful even if there are events out of your control that challenge your hope. Get Creative Finally, you can relax your emotions and prepare your brain for hope by doing activities that are creative. Writing, using your imagination to make up skits or stories, painting/coloring, drawing, or designing other art projects (or any other activity where you use your creativity), can help you release tension, anger, stress, and frustration to prepare your mind for hope. Also, always remember that you have a purpose. You may not have found it yet, but you will soon. Everything happens for a reason.

I am so sorry you’re feeling messed up. This is a particularly hard time given the virus. Are there any activities you enjoy participating in? Also I think it is truly helpful to reach out to our loved ones and friends right now. If you need to feel purposeful, so as to realize it is not pointless. You might try going on line and find ways to volunteer online. It can give us a boost to know we are helping others. This may sound simplistic, but exercise can also get our endorphins moving which can help elevate our mood. Does any of these suggestions help. Also we all need to remind ourselves sometimes that this quarantining will come to an end.

Look at all the things you have done right in your life. There is always more great things to life and reasons to live than we may realize, even when everything seems to be going wrong or seems to be falling apart. It is very important to heal, so take some time to yourself and try to see the beauty within you. If you have a religion, maybe try looking for ways to become even more connected with your faith and embrace the feelings that come with it. Do things you love to do more often, and you might start to feel a sense of hope and appreciation come into you. When life kicks you down, don't forget to get up again. My one teacher always used to say, "Down is easier than up, but once you are up you get the will power to keep moving forward again." Every life is worth living to it's full potential. May you blossom.