What To Do When You Feel Stuck in Despair

Have you ever found yourself in the pit of despair?

I would venture to say that most of us have at some time in our life.

Sometimes the pit is more like a pothole and we can work our way out of it pretty easily.

But sometimes we may feel like this pit is more like a well.  Deep, dark, and scary.

The feelings can be so intense that they take over our whole world and we can’t find a way out.

Some people say it is like a drowning feeling where you know you are just barely keeping your head above water and you feel that you won’t be able to tread water much longer.

The First Step

The first step of moving beyond despair is to allow yourself to truly feel those feelings.

This might seem counter-intuitive, but if just squash them down and put on your happy face, you aren’t dealing with the real issue.

So give yourself permission to feel them.  Question them.  Analyze them.

The important part here is even though you are allowing yourself to go there – you must keep in mind that these feelings are temporary.

This Too Shall Pass

You know that old saying “This too shall pass”?  Well, it’s really  true.

Last week I had to go to the post office near my office.  I hadn’t been there in about 2 years.

I remember that the last time I was there, I was going through a really tough time.

So rough, in fact, that after completing my business I drove around the block and parked in a residential neighborhood and proceeded to cry my eyes out.

You know, that totally broken down – don’t care that everybody driving by can see me – kind of cry.

But you know what?  For the life of me, I can’t remember what I was crying about.

I have a notion that it had something to do with my marriage, but the specifics – no clue.

And of course, at the time, I thought it was the end of the world – that I couldn’t go on.

So you see, “this too shall pass” really is speaking the truth.

You may not believe it when you are in the pit of despair, but if you can think back to a time when you were upset but your world didn’t end, in fact, you were able to work your way out and feel joy again, it will make it easier the next time.

Grief Beyond Imagine

I want to say that I know there are types of crushing grief that I have been fortunate enough not to experience.

I am not making light of grief.  But I have heard from people who have been through that kind of soul crushing grief that indeed – this too shall pass.

It might take longer and a little bit of it may always remain, but when they find the faith that things will get better they were able to come out the other side.

In Closing

Having faith that this too shall pass can indeed help us out of the pit of despair sooner.  The more we experience this to be true, the more faith will develop and we will see those pits turn into potholes.