Feeling lost in life is a perception of life spiraling out of your control, not knowing what you are doing with your life and the direction your life should be headed. It is a very frustrating and unpleasant feeling, experienced by many people at a point in their lives marked by a lack of purpose, direction, or fulfillment.
Feeling lost in life at certain points is something human beings share in common. Every human has felt lost and out of place at some point in their life and it’s just how we are designed. Life is full of so many challenges that sometimes while trying to tackle them, we feel out of place and completely unsure of what to do next. We feel like there is a cloak that has been pulled over our faces as we lay screaming for help with no one in sight. Sometimes, life is like that.
Also, there are times we feel powerless about our situations and it would appear that our entire lives are charging into some dark abyss. Different reasons can make people feel lost in life but the good thing is that you can take action and bring yourself back together when you get to this point in your life where everything seems out of order.
What Does It Mean When A Person Is Feeling Lost In Life?
Like we have hinted already when people feel ‘lost’ in life, it means they have reached a point in their lives where they no longer have a clear idea of exactly what they want to do with themselves. They feel confused, frustrated and, sometimes, there is a painful feeling of disgust for their environment.
Psychologists explain that the feeling of being lost is almost like a feeling of depression. Some people with this state of mind sometimes feel like they have reached the end of the road, mainly because of the confusion that sets in. Some others lose motivation for work and just float through life by doing one random task to another with very little enthusiasm.
What Triggers The Sense Of Feeling Lost In Life?
People feel lost in life for different reasons that are peculiar to them. But this feeling of being lost mainly arises from a deep dissatisfaction with what one is currently doing in life. Sometimes, it is also a result of a deep-seated fear about the uncertainties of life.
- The loss of a loved one whom you have been so close to can make you feel lost and depressed.
- The loss of a job can make anyone feel terrible. It sets in confusion and deep fear for the future.
- Lack of love for the job you currently have that does not allow you to express your deepest passions.
- Inability to follow-through on your dreams and passions perhaps because of life’s hard knocks.
- Trying to live up to people’s expectations to the extent that you forget who you really are and what you want for yourself in life.
- Dwelling in comfort zones because you’re too scared of what people will say about you making big, bold moves.
- Comparing yourself to others in a way that makes you feel you’re achieving way less than you should in life.
The list is not exhaustive. It can go on and on. Many people have their reasons for feeling lost in life but the happy truth is they can turn their lives around again.
What To Do When You Feel Lost In Life
People with the painful feeling of being lost in life can help themselves get back their original drive and enthusiasm for life. It takes a lot of work, but by doing a number of things, they can become themselves again.
Below are some of the things they can do to help their situation.
1. Accept It’s Normalcy!
The first thing you should try when you’re feeling lost in life is to take a deep breath and accept that the situation is normal for the simple reason that you’re only human. Acknowledge the fact that you’re going through a perfectly normal process that billions of other people ALSO go through in their lives. Realize that you’re not alone at all.
Many people who feel lost in life end up edging deep into depression when they wrongly think they have reached the end of their lives and that they are the only ones in that kind of mental space. Listen, feeling lost does not mean the end of the road for you, neither does it signify the end of your life. Realize that at this very moment, billions out there are feeling just like you or even worse and it does not mean they have been sentenced to death.
When you realize that you’re not alone in your predicament, it will calm you down to take other steps in bettering yourself.
2. Remember Your Passions
The moment you start feeling lost in life is the best time to start reassessing what your original passions were. Think back a little…what kind of dreams did you have for your life before the hustle and bustle of daily living seized that from you? Turning your life around starts with going back to the basics, and remembering your passions is the best way to start.
The truth is that sometimes we feel sad and totally disconnected from ourselves when we derail from the things we have craved all our lives. Take stock of what you are good at. That thing that has always fired you up to wake up and take the world. Listen to your heart…what does it tell you?
When you reconnect with what you are good at, you get to feel better about yourself. You get to understand that you’re not a non-entity; instead, you’re someone who knows how to do something that people can connect with. Remembering your passions helps to give you a new focus in life that will ultimately put a bigger smile on your face.
3. Decide To Take Action
When life hurls you on the ground, get angry, and get back up. Get fed up! After reassessing your life, decide you will not remain where you are anymore. Determine you’re going to take action. It could be to follow those passions. It could be to do something else, but deciding to start taking action about changing your situation is what will fuel your drive to regain control of your life.
Realize that you can never buckle back up if you remain on the ground. So get up and act! Go out and do things that give your life some sort of meaning. Accept the fact that nothing comes easy and for things to change, something in you has to give! Let that be your motivation.
4. Do Some Organization
Taking action does not mean turning the whole world around. Sometimes, it starts with your room. Look around, how organized is your living environment? Sometimes, our feeling of emptiness is fueled by how congested our living spaces are and how scattered everything is. Start by reorganizing those little things you have left unattended over the past few weeks or months and feel a burst of hope and renewed vigor in your body.
When you do this, you will start feeling like you are actually regaining some control of your life. Finally, your journey to self-discovery and better days starts from here.
Taking action does not mean turning the whole world around. Sometimes, it starts with your room.
5. Be Less Hard On Yourself
While trying to get yourself back on track, realize that you must not be too hard on yourself. When you get too hard on yourself, things take a drastic turn. Realize that the journey to self-discovery does not happen overnight. Take it easy and do not set too many expectations which will eventually heap pressure on you. Feeling too much pressure alone contributes to what makes us feel lost in life most times.
So, give yourself time and know that it is one step at a time. Knowing that the process takes time helps you positively take calculated steps to regain your confidence.
6. Step Out Of Your Comfort Zone
While it is important to not be too hard on yourself, it is also important to note that you will need to step out of your comfort zone every now and then when setting out to rediscover yourself. You will need to try new things, hang out with new people, and basically, do things that used to scare you.
Sometimes, being stuck with a daily routine tires us out and leads us to think there is nothing more to get from life. This feeling leads to us feeling lost in life. But expanding your comfort zone helps you stretch yourself out in a way that makes you grow bigger and better as a person.
7. Read Books On Personal Development
This is a very important action to take when you start feeling like you’re lost in life. There are tons of books on personal development out there. Get some and read up on how to better your life. There is something about you that is inside those books. Something that will completely change your life! Books are powerful and that is not an overstatement at all. Get some for yourself.
When you read the right books, they can help you understand exactly what you want from life and how to go about grabbing those things for yourself. Books challenge you and open your eyes to things you didn’t fully understand before.
8. Call Out To Someone
It is important to have someone in our lives whom we can confide in. Someone we can just run to when things go south. There are many things in life we just cannot do alone and that is why the presence of those we love can go a long way to help us. Get in touch with that friend or family member and just vent. Sometimes venting is one awesome way to recollect yourself again. You can vent or simply ask for help.
Apart from friends and family, you can also visit professionals who specialize in matters like this. They could be life coaches, mentors, or counselors. Reach out to these people with all the questions you have and watch them try to answer them. Their answers and suggestions will give you a new insight into what you need to do next.
9. Set Targets
Waking up every day with a target to meet is an awesome thing. It gives your life some kind of meaning. You don’t go through the day feeling like you’re drifting. Instead, you go out with some purpose; something to achieve for the day and this feeling challenges you to stay on track.
Write down your list of targets. They must not be daily targets. They could be, say, a weekly target or a target you can meet every three days. This will energize you mentally chasing away that ghost of emptiness from your stomach. You get a new feeling of purpose within yourself.
10. Decide To Love Yourself Some More
In the hustle and bustle of daily living, it is very easy for us to fail to show ourselves some love. We rush out to make money but fail to realize that we are dealing with ourselves in the process. We fail to take timeouts or give ourselves treats. You must learn to love yourself because it helps to make you get a new feeling of self-worth. Loving yourself means making fun a priority and being honest with yourself as well.
Loving yourself gives you happiness. There is a burst of joy you get when you show love to yourself. It also adds to your confidence. You know you’re worth being taken care of. You understand that you’re important which is why your body and mind must come first in the scheme of things.
11. Pay Attention To Your Heroes
Most people have heroes, mentors, people they look up to. I personally have a hero; his name is Michael Jackson! I think of him as the greatest entertainer that ever lived. And when I need the motivation to achieve things musically, I simply watch his life and read up on what he did and how he handled things. This gets me going.
Maybe you have a hero too. In that case, you need to pay attention to that hero of yours. When you feel stuck, search online for them and read up about their lives; struggles, and decisions. Apart from Michael Jackson’s great success musically, I also know about his many struggles in his personal life and this teaches me to take things easy because even the ‘greatest of all times’ did not have things easy all the time.
So, apart from the fact that the successes of your hero will motivate you to go out and soar, you will also learn, from the struggles they faced, that life is not easy for anyone and this knowledge will help stabilize you on your journey to recovery.
12. Go On An Adventure
Sometimes, all we need is some fresh air. Some vacation. Some fun time! It is important to take breaks from all the daily hustle and just BREATHE! Our inability to realize that our bodies are not rocks or machines makes us crash every now and then into depression because we overwork ourselves.
Go on an adventure! You could arrange a day trip or even go into a solitary retreat. You could arrange with friends to visit new places and explore the world. This helps to declutter your mind in ways that words cannot tell.
13. Use Words Of Affirmation
When you feel lost in life, using words of affirmation can help pull you back. For the record, words of affirmation are some short but powerful statements you can make to yourself to register something positive in your subconscious mind. Instead of saying things like “I feel there is no hope for me”, say “I am so proud of myself and how far I have come so far”.
Confess some really positive things to yourself. Use words that come from the depth of your heart. Words that signify that you understand that life is not easy but that you are definitely riding high through the wave with your head held high. This helps to silence all the noise in your mind telling you you’re not worth anything.
14. Kill The ‘Yes Man’
One of the biggest things that contribute to people feeling lost in life is the inability to know when to say no. When you say yes too many times to many people, you will lose direction in life and start feeling lost. The truth is that you can’t say yes to everyone because you will get torn apart.
Just know that you can be yourself. Not what society, or people you know personally, want you to be but what YOU want to be. And, no matter the temptation to say yes, decide to say no when necessary to the demands from people to do things you know will not lead you anywhere. Stop being afraid of what people will think and just be you.
Killing the yes man in you is a very big step in turning your life around from the feeling of emptiness you have to that of triumph.
Final Word
Life has never been completely easy for anyone. Even some of the most successful people in life – from Bill Gates to Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, all have some private issues they are battling with. It is okay to feel out of place sometimes. However, it is not okay to allow yourself to get sucked away by that feeling. You can turn things around by finding help.
In the end, what will help you thoroughly is your love for yourself. When you love yourself so much, you will never let life’s vicissitudes get the better part of you and you will make every effort to stay focused and continue achieving successes.
