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
@blossombreathe This is so helpful and informative! Thank you for sharing this
@PromotingWellness
Glad that you found it to be of help!
So basically what you're saying is be grateful, practice mindfulness, and get help from a therapist/medication? All of these ideas are all great in theory, but in practice....it's just not something that always helps or is garunteed to help someone who is feeling hopeless. At least in my experience. Especially when I'm told to "just be grateful for what you have", it honestly makes me feel guiltier in the end. I do agree though with the whole changing your habits in general. Like going to a new place or picking up a new skill or just reading/learning something new. I find that to be one of the most effective ways I combat hopelessness.
@mimameid
Well tbh none of the ideas are guarenteed to work and are thus ideas.
It varies from person to person and being grateful doesn't mean that you have to be grateful by force- it's more of trying to look for things you are grateful for.
And glad that you found an effective way to combat it! ^-^
@Peace
Yeah. I suppose I'm just tired of people (in general, not necessarily the writer of this post) using wording as if being grateul is a full proof way out of hopelessness. Like saying " its scientifically proven and thus everyone needs to try it out!" *Shrug*
And thanks!
@mimameid
Well no way is exactly fool proof and we all tend to find different things to be more suited to us! Totally understand that ^-^
And you're most welcome!
@blossombreathe This is so nice and informative 5Peace and Lauren :D Thank you for this, I know you knew I needed this <3 lmao
@blossombreathe thank you for sharing. I feel something related to these hopelessness feelings - torment. I feel like I am walking on earth with my mind constantly being attacked with a bunch of empty but negative thoughts that I cannot explain. I try to talk to listeners for a while but it is hard when they ask me how am I feeling or how am I doing today at first. These thoughts led me to write more poems.
@blossombreathe
I have experienced captivity, alienation, forsakeness and uninspired.
Hold fast to dreams,
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird,
That cannot fly.