The humdrum of life, a taxing relationship or a boring, dead-end job – there’s a lot in life that can make you feel lost. Some things in life can completely consume you and make you lose sight of who you are and what goals you want to achieve. If this happens to you, you might find yourself feeling frustrated, listless and even depressed.
Instead of falling deeper and deeper into this pit of despair, it is time to find yourself again and take charge of your own existence. What you must realize, first of all, is that you control your life and not the other way around. Whenever you decide to put your foot down and make changes in your life, you will find yourself climbing out of the pit and entering a new self-aware, confident phase.
#1. Change Your Lifestyle
You might not be able to change your life immediately but what you can change is your lifestyle. Little changes like eating healthier and getting some exercise can make you feel in control of your health and subsequently your life. Your job or relationship might not last forever, but your body will remain with you until the end. In order to find yourself, start working on your body, and you will feel better about yourself in general. Exercise also helps the brain release endorphins which are happy hormones that uplift your mood. So, the blues you feel while you try to find yourself will be all gone. Another change in lifestyle includes sleeping and waking up early which will make you feel in control of your time by giving you a few extra hours before leaving for your busy day. Use this time to do something you love.
#2. Do Things That Make You Happy
Speaking of doing things you love, here is why you should invest time in a hobby. When you have a hobby that makes you happy, you can take a few hours each day and enjoy yourself. When work and family life gets to you, your hobby can be a welcome break. Activities like reading or gardening are easy, relaxing and do not need a lot of investment. These are easy, fun things that you can do right at home. You can also pick up activities like running or dance; which will not only make you feel better but also help your body become healthier. Your hobby doesn’t really have to be an activity. If what makes you happy is taking a short nap then by all means, go to sleep when you get the time! A well-rested body is one that is ready to take on life and its challenges.
#3. Meditate
Meditation is a sure shot way to find yourself as all it requires is looking inward and getting in touch with what is inside you. If you do not know how to meditate here is what you have to do. Sit down in silence and close your eyes. Then, focus on your breathing and clear your mind of all other thoughts. Clearing your head will give you perspective about what is important in life and what you can let go of. In this process, you will end up finding yourself, what you love and what was causing you trouble in the first place. Meditation is simple, and you don’t need any equipment to do it. Simply take out as little as fifteen minutes each day to sit down, relax and connect with yourself and your soul.
#4. Write A Diary
Throughout the day, you go through many emotions and have various thoughts both negative and positive. All the thoughts and feelings together might confuse you and make you feel lost. One simple solution to this is penning all your thoughts into a diary at the end of the day. Take a pen and start scribbling whatever you did and whatever you felt during the day. Then, read what you have written to find out what is confusing you and what you need to do to fix it. Your diary can also be a safe place where you can pour your heart out without letting anyone else into your mind and its secrets. The best part of writing a diary is that it can double as your hobby and you can also improve your writing skills.
#5. Take A Trip
The best way of finding yourself is by getting lost. This quote, although confusing, holds very true. Whether it is a long drive or a week-long adventure trip, you will benefit greatly from this break. Being away from your regular life will invigorate your senses and re-energize you in a way that nothing else will. If your work does not allow you to take a trip, you can even take out a few hours and visit a relaxing spa. This way, you will get a welcome break from the daily grind and find time to reconnect with yourself. In this time, talk to yourself and realize what lacks in your life and where you lost your way. Go back where you started to lose your path and start over.
#6. Create Goals
Before you got all tangled up in your life, what were the goals that you had set for yourself? Think back and make a list of the things you always wanted to do in life. This list will contain the things that will help you feel fulfilled when you’re done. A bucket list doesn’t always have to contain extreme stuff that you thought would be fun to do. When you are making a list thinking about how to find yourself when you are feeling lost, simply rekindling an old friendship or relationship will surface. Other things that might help you find yourself are gradually setting up your own business and becoming your own boss or marrying the one you have loved for a long time. These things will give you the emotional satisfaction you need to feel like you are in control of your life and happiness all over again.
#7. Act On Your Goals
Simply making a list will not do you any good. What matters is how soon you begin to act on it. If you make a list today, working on it now! Begin with the task you find the easiest and go higher on the difficulty level each time. Once you start checking off things from the list, you will find yourself feeling more confident and much better about life. To achieve some of your goals, you might need to step out of your comfort zone regularly. Don’t be afraid to do so as taking risks will only help you achieve big results. When you start doing things that matter, even though they make you feel a bit uncomfortable, you will be able to see yourself in a new light and become proud of who you are.
#8. Embrace Relationships
The people who love you are your biggest strengths, and they will make your life better no matter what. Nurture all your relationships, whether friends or family in order to make your life a beautiful place surrounded by love and trust. Only when you have enough people who love and support you, will you be able to find yourself and your inner happiness. Without love, you will always go back to the old depression you have been feeling for a long time. Strengthen relationships by spending time with people you love and letting them know that they are important.
#9 Live In The Moment
In the hap-hazard life that you are leading, you might not be living in the moment enough. Do something spontaneous or something crazy like you have never done before. Jump into a lake or laugh out loud about something. Do not question yourself and do something you never thought you would do. You will be able to pat yourself on the back for overcoming your inhibitions and see that you are not someone who lives in fear. Instead, you are someone who grabs life by its horns and tackles each situation like a boss.
#10. Seek Help
If none of the above points work for you, do not worry. There might be an underlying medical situation hindering emotional growth and contentment. To get over this, you can seek professional help from therapists who will know exactly what you are going through. A therapist will listen to you without judging you and will help you step out of the darkness of despair into the light of love and laughter. If you do not want to see a therapist you can go ahead and talk to a trusted friend or family member who can help you change your perspective and see things and yourself more clearly.
You might feel like no is coming back from the point that you have reached but this isn’t so. You can change things around whenever you want, and the steps mentioned above will help you do so. Do not give up on life as it isn’t going to give up on you anytime soon.
Tell us how you find yourself when you are feeling lost.
(Image Courtesy: 1. LinkedIn., 2. Be Moved, 3. Travel Daily Media, 4. Halogen, 5. Albert; Thought Catalog(Featured Image Courtesy)
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