Life can be really tough at times. If you’re feeling in lost in life and don’t know what to do, here are some tips that might help.
If you’re feeling lost in life, don’t worry, many people around the world feel the EXACT same. Let’s be honest, we’re all thrown into this world without an explanation of why we’re here… so of course, we can’t help but feel lost and confused about what the purpose of all of this is.
We go to school for almost an entire two decades of our lives (kindergarten to undergrad), and then all of a sudden, we’re thrown into the “real world” where there’s no schedule, no grades, no school counselors, and no true measurement of success. IT’S HARD! Even to this day, I feel lost in life probably a good 60% of the time, haha! But it’s okay, because I don’t think any of us really know what we’re doing.
Related post: Does Life Get Better After College? Everything You Need To Know
What causes a person to feel lost?
There are so many reasons to cause someone to feel lost in life. Here are some scenarios and cause I think most of us can relate to:
Struggling to find purpose
One possible reason someone might feel lost in life is that they are struggling to find their purpose in life. This can be due to a variety of factors, such as a lack of direction from parents or mentors, or feeling like they don’t fit in with the traditional idea of what it means to be successful.
Overwhelmed about the future
Another reason someone might feel lost in life is that they have been through a traumatic experience that has left them feeling overwhelmed and uncertain about the future. This could include things like being in a natural disaster, experiencing violence or abuse, or losing a loved one.
Going through a difficult time
Another reason to feel lost in life is when you don’t know how to cope with what life is throwing at you. This can be due to a number of things, including problems in school or work, rejections during the job search process, relationship problems with your other half, and many more.
Unhappy with where you are in life
It’s easy to feel lost in life when you’re not happy about where you are. You may have a good job, a nice house, and all the material possessions that go with it. But if something is missing from your life – whether that be happiness or meaning – then problems will arise. You might find yourself feeling bored at work, restless during your weekends, and even deeply depressed.
Tips for when you’re feeling lost in life
Many of us find ourselves lost in life, sometimes because we lack direction or don’t know what to do with our lives. We feel stuck, depressed, and just can’t seem to move forward. I’ve been there! And here are some tips that have personally worked for me, and I think would work for you too : )
1. Don’t be afraid to reach out for help
Many of us feel ashamed when we’re not doing okay, and often feel the need to hide our struggles from everyone and wear a mask to pretend we’re doing just fine. However, the longer you suppress your emotions and try to deal with your internal struggles alone, the more likely it is for you to eventually have a mental breakdown, and we definitely don’t want that to happen!
So please reach out for help whenever you feel overwhelmed with life. Talk to a friend, a counselor, or your family members. Let them know how lost you feel and maybe they’ll have some great advice or ideas for you!
2. Make a list of things you enjoy doing and try to do more of those activities
Just like what Marie kondo says, before making a decision, ask yourself if it sparks joy. If it doesn’t, then minimize it. And if it does, do more of that.
If you love to draw just for the sake of it, spend 15 minutes every morning drawing! And if you love to dance, then spend a few hours a week moving your body and enjoying the beautiful movements that it makes. Trust me… this really helps! Just by doing little things that spark joy every day, you’ll feel a shift in your mood and have the ability to think clearly and make decisions in your life.
3. Start a manifestation journal
If you know me, you know how much I believe in the power of manifestation and speaking things into existence. It’s especially important when you’re feeling lost in life. Yes, the future might seem bleak and sad from your point of view when you’re in a rut, but it’s so so so important for us to never stop visualizing and believing that things WILL get better.
By writing in your manifestation journal each day, you’ll get in the habit of visualizing the life that you want to live, the amazing and abundant feelings you want to feel, and raise your vibration to the point that wonderful opportunities and ideas come your way effortlessly.
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4. Take some time for yourself to relax and recharge
It takes a lot of energy to figure out what you want to do in life. And when you’ve been stressing out for months trying to find your purpose and life mission, it’s so easy to become mentally and physically exhausted.
So please don’t feel guilty to take some time off and not think about anything for a while. Treat yourself to a nice bubble bath, manicure & pedicure, or a nice trip to the beach. Use this self-care time to recover and regroup. It’s always when the mind is relaxed that it generates the best ideas!
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5. Talk to people who have been through similar situations
I’m sure everyone on the planet earth has felt lost in life at least once in their lifetime! So if you know someone in your life who’s been through the same thing and has been able to come out of it and achieve great things, talk to them!
By having a conversation with them, you’ll not only be able to receive great advice, but also inspiration for the future! Sometimes, all we need is someone to push us in the right direction, keep us motivated, and inspire us to keep going.
6. Create an vision board to keep you motivated
I LOVE and swear by vision boards! They’ve helped me through the darkest times in my life, and allowed me to believe in a bright future that I didn’t quite think was possible for me.
When you feel lost and trapped in life, it’s easy to start feeling sorry for yourself and take on the victim mentality. I’ve been there, and it was not fun. You deserve an amazing life, and the best thing you could for yourself during the difficult times in your life is to not give up. Keep going despite the pain and confusion, and use your vision board as a flashlight to guide you to the end of the tunnel where the brilliance and abundance reside.
✨Not sure where to find aesthetically pleasing inspo for your vision board? Here are 30 vision board affirmation cards that you can print out and add to your board! They’re so gorgeous I’m literally so in love with them????
7. Set some goals and work towards them
As human beings, we LOVE accomplishing goals. Without a goal in life whether it’s in the short-term or long-term, we often find ourselves feeling lost and drifting in the world without a purpose. And this could in turn make us feel depressed and unmotivated.
So, set a goal! It doesn’t matter what the goal is. It could be something as small as learning how to play the happy birthday song on the piano, or something as big as opening up an Amazon FBA business that makes you 20k in profit a month! When you have a goal to work towards, you’ll feel less “lost” and more motivated to tackle each day.
8. Be kind to yourself above all else
Last but not least… please be kind to yourself. When you’re feeling hopeless, the last thing you want to do is make yourself feel guilty about feeling upset. Your emotions are valid! If it makes you feel better, then let yourself lay in bed all day and cry. Binge-watch all the Netflix movies you want. And then cry even more. It’s okay! Eventually, you wake up in the morning feeling better and have the energy to again embark on this crazy adventure called life.
How do you find your path when you are lost?
Finding your path when you’re lost can take quite a bit of effort, especially if you’ve mentally been in a dark place for a long time already. However, it’s important to always remember that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. As long as you don’t give up and keep going, you’ll find the way. In the meantime, here are some tips to make this process easier for you:
1. Take some time for self-reflection
Most of us don’t really know what we want. We see others making tons of money as lawyers or hedge fund managers, and we decide that that’s what we want as well!
Sure, there are people who genuinely feel like their life’s purpose is to be a lawyer or work on Wall Street. But is that really your dream? Or are you following others’ footsteps because you are scared to ask yourself the question: WHAT DO I TRULY WANT?
Maybe your life’s purpose is to be a surf instructor and open surf schools around the world’s most beautiful beaches. Maybe what truly brings you joy is astronomy, and you’re meant to become the world’s greatest astrologist!
2. Doodle or brainstorm
Doodling and brainstorming are such great methods for generating awesome ideas. I’ve used this method whenever I’m feeling lost or need some inspiration for the next steps to take in life.
All you need is a blank piece of paper and a pencil. Find a quiet space, calm your mind, and even close your eyes for a few minutes before you start. Then, get to doodling and brainstorming! Don’t put pressure on yourself to come up with amazing ideas. Just draw or write down whatever brings you joy. Graphic design, song-writing, travel, tea, flowers, people, photography…
When you’re finished, take a look at the piece of paper and I’m sure you’ll have a better idea of what kind of life will bring you the most peace and joy.
Related post: 30 Before 30 List To Inspire You To Live An Awesome Life
3. Make a list of your passions and interests
This is similar to the advice above. But instead, you’re making a list of all the things you are passionate about!
I love this method because every time I feel a little bit lost in life, I just take a look at the list of passions & interests I wrote down before to give myself some motivation and inspiration.
For me, the perfect life would be one where I could live out all of my passions and interests while being financially abundant. What does your perfect life look like?
4. Check out what others are doing for inspiration
There are so many interviews and blog posts online where you can find inspiration from successful people who are living amazing lives. If you literally have absolutely no idea what to do with your life, don’t worry. Go online and start Googling away. First, search up all the career fields that you find interesting, then, search up all of the most successful people in those fields and see how they were able to accomplish what they’re doing!
5. Take online personality tests
I love personality tests!! They’ve helped me so much when it comes to choosing my career path and understanding who I am as a person.
If you haven’t already, click away and go do the 16 Personality Test as well as the Enneagram Personality Test right now!
Btw, I’m an INFP and Type 7 if you’re curious haha!
6. Seek out advice from professionals
When you’re feeling lost, it’s easy to become unmotivated and spiral into depression. If you find yourself crying often, not wanting to get out of bed in the morning, losing or gaining tons of weight, and even not wanting to exist anymore, please be kind to yourself and talk to a counselor or therapist.
Mental health is often neglected by our society but it’s so so so important to take good care of it. Without a healthy and functioning mind, it’s almost impossible to live a fulfilling and peaceful life.
7. Make a list of pros and cons of each decision you’re considering
If you’re feeling lost in life because you can’t decide between becoming a full-time travel blogger or going to med school and becoming a doctor. Then take out a piece of paper and start weighing the pros and cons.
After you’ve done that, you’ll have a better understanding of the risks and rewards that can come with the decision. However, at the end of the day, it’s always important to listen to your heart as well. Follow your instinct because it never lies.
8. Consider what your definition of success is
Everyone’s definition of success is different. For me, it’s having the freedom to do whatever I want, whenever I want, while being financially abundant. For others, it might be having the power to make a great impact on the world, ending world hunger, being famous, or amassing billions of dollars!
Some of us feel lost in life because we take other’s definition of success as the only definition of success there is. But that is simply not true. If deep in your heart, the definition of success means having peace and freedom, you will not be happy as an international movie star. So make sure to come up with your own definition of success.
How can I be happy?
“Real happiness only comes as a side-effect of peace. Most of it is going to come from acceptance, not from changing your external environment.” – Naval Ravikant
If you haven’t read the book “The Almanack of Naval Ravikant”, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT. (My friend recommended this book to me when I was feeling so lost in life, and it literally saved me)
For me, this book really answered the question of “How to be happy”. Just like Naval Ravikant mentioned in the book, happiness is a choice. A lot of our unhappiness comes from comparing things from the past to the present. And we often decide to be unhappy until the thing we desire comes into reality.
He says, every time you catch yourself unhappy in the present moment and desiring something, ask yourself, “Is it so important to me I’ll be unhappy unless this goes my way?” You’re going to find with the vast majority of things it’s just not true.
This is another quote from the book that really just changed my whole perspective on happiness and my whole life: “We crave experiences that will make us be present, but the cravings themselves take us from the present moment“… wow!
Feeling lost in life quotes to inspire you
- “We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” -Joseph Campbell
- “There are two ways to live your life. One is as if nothing is a miracle. The other is as if everything is a miracle.” -Albert Einstein
- “To be lost is as legitimate a part of your process as being found.” -Alex Ebert
- “Nothing is more beautiful than the smile that has struggled through the tears.” -Unknown
- “Tough times never last, but tough people do.” -Robert H. Schuller
- “Scar tissue is stronger than regular tissue. Realize the strength, move on.” — Henry Rollins
- “If flowers can teach themselves how to bloom after winter passes, so can you.” -Noot Shirazie
- “Life is way too short to spend another day at war with yourself. “- Unknown
- “Sometimes, you have to stop thinking so much and just go where your heart takes you.” -Unknown
- “If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment.” -Unknown
Take it day by day : )
When I was reallyyyyy going through it after college graduation, this quote was what kept me going: “This too shall pass”
No matter how lost and confused you’re feeling right now, just know that eventually, you’ll discover what you’ve always been searching for. Yes, it’s tough to keep going when you feel unmotivated by literally everything in life, but trust me, it’ll always get better. Even if you don’t believe it will, try your best to just believe : )
xoxo
