Combatting Hopelessness! || @Istand4Peace and @blossombreathe Discussion

Hiya lovelies, I hope youre all doing well! :3

Me and the wonderful @Istand4Peace thought wed do a collaborative forum thread on feelings of hopelessness and how to combat it!

There are lots of different forms of hopelessness, these include:

Alienation - people may feel that they are somehow different, leaving them feeling unworthy of care and respect.

Forsakenness - people feel alone at their greatest time of need.

Uninspired - people may feel like there arent enough opportunities for them, or their role models are far ahead of them and there is no way they are going to be as good as them.

Powerless - people may feel like they arent in control, or as if they cannot make choices which will affect their life.

Oppression - feeling like you are being crushed and as if there is no way of gaining any control.

Doom - many people may experience this. Feeling as if there is no hope and that death is imminent. This can also be referred to as a sinking feeling which people can relate to when they are feeling suicidal.

Captivity - if you are physically not able to leave a certain situation, you may feel hopeless. Another feeling of captivity would be being trapped in your mind with warped thoughts and not being able to explain them in any way.

Helplessness - feeling as if you cannot do anything within your ability to help someone. For example, if there has been an incident which is beyond your control.

These feelings are very hard to control, especially if you dont recognise why you are feeling like this.

Have you experienced any of the above? Let us know!

Were going to list three different ways in which you could combat these feelings, there are many more out there, so please dont feel like these are the only options available!

Breaking the cycle - When were hopeless we tend to feel like we have no future and there is no hope left for us. These thoughts are often linked to things such as loneliness, depression and bipolarity.

Because of that we need to focus on our inner self instead of the externalities to give us hope. We shouldnt let our hope depend on getting a job or a significant other but rather focus on how we feel internally.

Once we understand that we should look for small things that we are grateful for, such as the coffee we got for breakfast or the greetings that our friends gave to us. We can also try to make things better for ourselves - treat yourself to a movie or tea and break this cycle!

Changing your habits - Changing some of our habits can go a long way in achieving hope - Things like mindfulness can help us separate our thoughts from our feelings. We should set achievable goals in smaller steps rather than going for a huge leap.

Social support (as offered by 7cups!) can also help a lot in combating it! Exercising and healthy eating can also make us better suited to dealing with it

Dealing with mental disorders - Mental disorders can often pull us down and stop our progress and lead to hopelessness. We should try and reach out for help where we can and also go for a therapist if possible These guides can also be of help to you! https://www.7cups.com/supportGuides/selfHelpGuides.php

Thank you so much for reading this post, we do hope it has helped you in some way! Me and Peace loved working together on this, if youre interested in collaborating or want to know how it works, reach out to one of us!

Wishing you all the best :3

Tagging: @Joe2017 @Keanan @Erato @Nada @LittleLotte @ApplePiney @Moj @zee22 @BurningEmber @eyesshut @juniperstarfish @windflowers @EnigmaForte @Jenna

Tagging some people from the depression daily check-ins: @sujaypai @Mrcheeeku @KaylaGM @bgdave @bestVase7265 @CreativelyAlone @BlueBetta @KnocktournalMonkey