Hopelessness

Have you experienced hopelessness at some point in life? A feeling of despair, a simple lack of hope for your future. Many people go through this at some point in their life. Some of us tackle it with ease, while others struggle to cope with stress and anxiety. Whether it is caused by loss, tragedy, failure, illness, relationship breakdowns, or job loss, most of these events are not in our control, nor do we have a magic wand to wish them away.  We have to cope as best we can and live through it. Outcomes might vary from person to person, especially regarding steps taken to remedy their individual circumstances. Even though there are both healthy and unhealthy coping mechanisms to help alleviate your hopelessness,  the latter will no doubt complicate matters and worsen your grief. At times, you may feel that you are fighting an ongoing battle with yourself and the world. Once you become overwhelmed with stress and anxiety, depression can eventually settle in and further complicate your goals for feeling better. Nonetheless, you can still win the battle and become hopeful again. Trying your best to remain hopeful, regardless of how grim your situation may be, is vital for your inner sanctity. The obstacles and challenges you face may be monstrous and can make you feel helpless, leading to hopelessness. It is within your power to rectify and remedy the situation, so you can focus your attention on achieving the best outcome for yourself. I always believe that giving up is not an option, it has helped me fight my battles like an avenger is within me.

“Isn't it the moment of most profound doubt that gives birth to new certainties? Perhaps hopelessness is the very soil that nourishes human hope; perhaps one could never find sense in life without first experiencing its absurdity.”

- Vaclav Havel

“The secret is not to give up hope. It's very hard not to because if you're really doing something worthwhile I think you will be pushed to the brink of hopelessness before you come through the other side.”

- George Lucas

“Even in the inevitable moments when all seems hopeless, men know that without hope they cannot really live, and in agonizing desperation, they cry for the bread of hope.”

— Martin Luther King Jr.

“Realize that there are no hopeless situations; there are only people who take hopeless attitudes.”

— Norman Vincent Peale

“A little more persistence, a little more effort, and what seemed hopeless failure may turn to glorious success.”

- Elbert Hubbard

I suffered multi-organ failure many years ago due to a septic infection. I lost hope, and I never thought that I would even survive. Hopelessness took over my emotional state; at the time, I thought it would be better if I died. My heart was functioning at 10%, and my kidneys were at 8%; I was at death's door. When you lose hope, you will begin to slip away. Coping with chronic illness is never easy, and it's a constant daily struggle. Since I suffered multi-organ failure and two strokes, it has been a daily struggle to cope with my chronic illness and disability. You do your best to find hope from within; it is difficult, but it is possible. Overcoming and coping with so many obstacles and challenges, you eventually learn to adapt and persevere. I have experienced overwhelming adversities with chronic illness and disability, and I have overcome many obstacles and challenges along my journey. My mental strength helped me to overcome the obstacles and enabled me to work through the challenges I faced. That is how you combat hopelessness; just don't give up on yourself, regardless of what you face in life. It is impossible to do this alone, and a vital support system of family and friends, and your medical care team can make a huge difference in your well-being. I fight the fight, for I know my plight. It is important not to give up the fight, especially when you understand that you may have a difficult journey ahead. I can attest that I have been tested on so many levels over the years, it has only made me stronger and has given me the grit and strength to persevere.

“Participation in and of itself is an act against hopelessness. Speaking up is a gesture against hopelessness.”

- Anohni

“No man was ever ruined from without; the final ruin comes from within when you turn hopeless and lose courage.”

— Amelia E. Barr

“You do not know what hope is until you have lost it. You only know what it is not to hope: You do not know what it is to have hope taken from you or to fling it away, to join the legion of the hopeless Unrecognized by other men, though sometimes by each other.”

— T. S. Eliot

“There are many who feel consciously hopeful and unconsciously hopeless, and there are few for whom it is the other way around.” — Erich Fromm

Hopelessness is common among those individuals coping with loss, grief, illness, trauma, and other unexpected life events. When hopelessness clouds your emotional state of mind,  you begin to question your self-esteem,  self-doubt, self-worth, and self-efficacy. Hopelessness can make life difficult for you, by affecting daily functioning and socialization. It has impeded your ability to self-care and take the necessary steps to seek help and treatment.  Treatments like CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), can help you gain self-esteem, eliminate self-doubt, and strengthen your self-efficacy and self-worth. Overall, an integrated holistic treatment approach can help dissolve feelings of hopelessness and help strengthen your resolve. It is important to take incremental steps toward achieving well-being. Dr. Viktor Frankl emphasized that hopelessness stems from an individual experiencing a complete loss of meaning in their life. Especially when they face extreme suffering and feel they are unable or overwhelmed to find a purpose or reason to endure their individual situations. He strongly believed that despite their hopeless circumstances, individuals can still find meaning. He felt that it is vital to choose their attitude and direct their focus on how to respond to suffering by achieving inner freedom with dignity and resilience rather than succumbing to despair. Never give up on hope because hope is what keeps you alive and helps keep you in the fight. Hope never dies, unless you or someone else creates its demise.

“Always believe in your dreams, because if you don't, you'll still have hope.” - Mahatma Gandhi

“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.” - Desmond Tutu

“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.” - Epicurus

“Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul - and sings the tunes without the words - and never stops at all.” - Emily Dickinson

“To live without Hope is to Cease to live.”

- Fyodor Dostoevsky