Sometimes, it may feel like it’s your second nature to overthink. There could be times when you get too lost in your head that you start feeling like you’re no longer part of the world, and because of that, you may grow further apart. When that happens, everything around you may start feeling meaningless.
It’s difficult to live your life just by going through the motions. You’ll constantly be demotivated to do anything beyond what’s necessary, and you’ll lose the drive to dream big. This may have been a result of a traumatic experience, and it doesn’t matter if it’s your own or if it was something that you witnessed.
Bouncing back from the rut that you’re in may seem like a long shot, but you have to try anyway. This is because life is too full of surprises and exciting adventures to just let it pass you by. You owe it to yourself to make the most out of your life, no matter how short or fleeting it may be. So do it for you.
One of the best ways to move forward from your stagnant phase is to find a purpose. Instead of simply waiting for the inevitable, this newfound purpose will become your driver for success and motivate you to work towards something that you can achieve. Here are four ways you can start finding your purpose once more:
Volunteer in Your Community
If you currently have no reason to live for yourself, then consider living for others. There are so many people who are underprivileged, marginalized, and disabled that can benefit from your help, should you choose to offer it. You might not have the drive to achieve your dreams just yet, but you may be able to help other people reach theirs.
You can do this by volunteering your time to the community. For instance, you can volunteer at a nursing home and offer your companionship to the elders. As a volunteer, you can help them perform their everyday tasks and engage them in candid conversations about their lives. This way, you’ll have something more productive to do in your time.
Reignite Your Long-lost Passions
When you’re feeling lost and confused about the choices you’ve made in your life, your passions are among the things that can ground you. You may have been forced to set your passions aside as you worked to earn a living, and that could be where it all started going downhill. This would be the perfect time to go back to the passions that made you feel alive.
Sing at the top of your lungs. Write as if you’ve never written before. Paint works of art that will never see the light of day. Or dance like nobody’s watching. Your passions are what can keep you going when the going gets tough. So, if you feel like you don’t have a reason to continue, reignite your passions and keep the fire burning.
Focus on Your Relationships
Most people who are going through tough times tend to push other people away simply because they fear that no one will understand them. But it can be difficult to understand someone who doesn’t want to be understood. Always remember that relationships are two-way streets, which means you have to give and take at the same time.
If this situation is familiar to you, then it may be time to focus on rebuilding your relationships. Your friends, family, or life partner will understand that you had to go through what you went through alone but let them know how much you appreciate their support. Even if you were too caught up in your own head to acknowledge their constant presence in your life, don’t forget to show them how grateful you are.
Make Plans for the Future
Going through the motions can drain all your energy, even if you’re not physically moving your body. This is because you’re continuously thinking and overthinking the situations in your head, which can be exhausting. So, if you feel like you’re not up to the task, you shouldn’t force yourself to get better.
But this is not to say that you should give up on yourself. If anything, it’s preparation for when you eventually decide to heal at your own pace. You may not have the energy to do everything you want to right now, but the future is still unwritten. So, make plans on how you want to get better and put down a tentative date when you’re going to do them.
But you shouldn’t be too harsh on yourself when the deadline comes, and you’re still not up for it. After all, you can just set another date. No one should be able to force you to do anything that you’re not comfortable doing. Remember that healing is non-linear; if you want to live your life again, you should be doing it for yourself and no one else.
