Avoid Despair

7 Steps To Gain Mastery Over Despair

Nobody likes failure, least of all when it’s us who’s failing. Everything can seem so difficult from that point forward. It’s easy to fall into despair.

Despair is feeling there’s no hope, nor even any point in continuing. It’s the precursor to depression and, at its worst, can lead you to some dark places. But you can master despair.

Rest
Your mind needs a break. Now is the time for self-care and pampering. Take all the ‘shoulds’ out of the equation. There’s nothing you need to be doing right now except what relaxes the mind. Listen to soothing music. Enjoy a hobby. Indulge in silence. Give your brain a break.

Research
Once you’re relaxed, you can open yourself up to new ideas. Where will you go next? Allow your mind to wander. Read things, surf the internet. Explore whatever interests you and see where it takes you.

Daydream
If anything piqued your interest in the last step, now is the time to explore your idea thoroughly through visualization. Picturing in your mind where you want to go next will help you to see all the angles before you commit to the hard work of changing things up.

Step Back
Now it’s time to let things gel. If this process seems long at this point, it’s because you’re supposed to be relaxing and allowing your mind to heal from past disappointments and hurt. You’ve done some research and daydreaming. Here’s where your subconscious does the heavy lifting. What sounds like it might work for you?

Take Action
Now it’s time to take your ideas and bring them into the world. Starting small, take the next logical step in what you want to do. Feel free to go as slowly as you need to.

Reassess
Now you’ve stepped far away enough from your previous despair that you’re engaged in something new. It’s time to carefully explore what caused the despair in the first place. You’re now where you can process this logically, without falling into a morass of negative emotion. What can you learn from this experience? How can you apply those lessons to what you’re doing now?

Despair can seem insurmountable at times, but with a lot of careful deliberation, you can shift your mind back onto a positive track. Just be patient. If, in the end, you’re still floundering, don’t be afraid to get help from a professional. Sometimes you just need a little help to jumpstart the process.

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