Hope is desiring or expecting positive things to happen in your future. Overall, hope is an optimistic emotion connected to positive outcomes. Hopelessness is the absence of hope in your life. When you feel hopeless, you may have a sense that things will not improve, or you will never be happy, or you are stuck in life. Feeling hopeless can also feel like helplessness, sadness, apathy or despair. You might feel empty but not know why. Hopelessness can mean many things for many different people. It can be a natural, universal response to personal and world events that impact our lives. It can also be a symptom of depression, adjustment disorders and other mental health conditions.

People experiencing hopelessness may make statements such as: my situation will never get better, I have no future, no one can help me, I feel like giving up, it is too late now, I will never be happy again.

When you are feeling hopeless, it can seem like there is no way out. But there are simple, doable steps you can take to bring hope and happiness back into your life, even if it is just the smallest hint.

Stay present. Practice focusing on what is happening now instead of worrying about the future. Mindfulness can help enrich everyday life.
Name your feelings. Recognizing and naming your emotions is the first step toward overcoming them.
Lean into your friendships and support networks. Talking to friends and family can make a big difference in shifting your perspective.
Practice gratitude. Every day, write down three things you are thankful for. These could be anything, even the small things in life.
Shift your mental state with movement. Even a short walk every day can be beneficial. Consider working in a garden, or anything else that gets your body active.
Find a seed of hope in a new hobby. Try doing something new that you think you might enjoy. If the first one does not work, try another and another until you find one that does.
Avoid unhelpful triggers. Your wellbeing comes first. It is okay to say no to anything that threatens your mental health.
Understanding the “why” behind your feelings. Learn more about what makes you feel hopeless. Knowledge can be empowering.
Be gentle with yourself. Take one step at a time to feeling better. This is a process that takes time and effort.
Seek professional help. If hopelessness persists or significantly impacts your daily life, you may need to work with a mental health professional.

It is not easy when life’s challenges seem to come all at once. They can make you feel caught up in your emotions and experience a sense of hopelessness. Just because things feel hopeless does not mean they are. Even during trying times, it can be possible to guide yourself toward hope. With a little help from someone else or a slightly different perspective, you might discover that things can get better. After all, you likely will not gain hope about your situation by sitting still. Instead, you will gain more hope when you start putting yourself out there and start seeing what you can do.

Here are four articles for further reading:

“Feeling Hopeless? How to Find Your Guiding Light Again,” Medically reviewed by Bethany Juby, PsyD, By Hope Gillette, Updated on February 22, 2022,

“Tips for Dealing with Hopelessness,” The JED Foundation,

“How to Recognize and Support Someone Who Feels Hopeless,” Karuna Meda, Jefferson University, ,Living Well, September 8, 2023,

“A case of national depression,” Thomas Cangelosi, CT Mirror, February 23, 2022,

Here are today’s Wellness Wednesday Program book suggestions: