Stop waiting for an epiphany

It’s very common to feel hopeless. Nothing is going your way, you feel run down, and it seems like you're stuck running in the same spot. You feel almost in a dream-like state where no matter how hard you try and do something, an immeasurable force stops you from making any sort of progress. This feeling is perfectly natural, and a simple part of the ebbs and flows of human life. It’s how you react and respond to these feelings that can make the difference between getting back to your usual self, or make you feel like you’re trapped in quicksand for months on end. There are plenty of times when we feel sad and think life isn’t going anywhere. Usually, we turn to the things that are comfortable. Things we know that will cheer us up. Maybe we listen to our favourite songs, or watch our favourite movie. Maybe we take a short walk on our favourite trek. Generally, it doesn’t take much to make us feel better. But problems often appear when these things don't work. How do you get yourself out of that depressive, run-down state when your external motivating sources stop working?

I'm sure re-watching Friends for the 30th time will cheer me up

We often make time to reflect on how we achieve our positive moments in life. But we rarely reflect on how we find ourselves buried in negative thought. What is surprising is that when we get into these moods, there’s usually not a single source to blame. It is a slow process, where one day we simply feel lost. We slowly stop doing the things we like, stop seeing friends and sometimes even stop leaving the house. It’s a slow decline of activity, until doing anything at all seems impossible. There was no nail in the coffin, no critical crossroad. Of course, this makes perfect sense, because in comparison to doing nothing, even the smallest tasks are insurmountable. However if you’re someone who is full of action, taking on a little bit extra is pretty easy. If you’re a marathon runner, running 5k can be done with your eyes closed.

Even the best castles can get washed away in the sea of life

Oftentimes people turn to self-help books and YouTube videos to try and shock their system. You get stuck looking for an ‘ah ha!’ moment. You can easily spend months looking for that single epiphany moment and find no source of inspiration. So when we think about getting out of these feelings, rather than waiting for an epiphany moment, we should simply do the opposite of what got us into these thoughts and feelings. Lots and lots of consistent, positive action, over time. I think the simplest thing to do, is to do something, even something as simple as going for a walk down a different path, every single day. The hardest part of doing things when you don't feel like doing anything, is getting started. But action breeds action. Once you start actively engaging with your surroundings, engaging with people, you’ll find questions and answers that change your perspective and give you your life back. Just as action breeds action, life breeds life. It's amazing how quickly your perspective can change and you feel back on your feet. 

This guy is literally FLYING

So the next time you're feeling down or in a rut, don't search internally or externally for motivation. Simply act. Inspirational quotes are not the answer. To start taking back control of your sense of worth, a simple recommendation that I often make is to sign up for a local sports club as a replacement. Social teams are always in need of fill-ins and your help is immensely valuable. You become needed, wanted. Even if you’re not good, you’ve allowed the games (and the fun) to continue. You’ve brought joy to others by simply showing up. You will regain your feelings of self-worth, and life will continue with all the ups and downs. You will find that when you revolve your life around action, you’ll inspire others to do the same. You might even make some new friends, business partners, and the next time you start to feel down, you’ll know exactly what to do.