Those of us living with addiction and mental illness are no strangers to feeling lost every now and then. We’re coping with tremendous difficulties. Our dependence issues, along with our mental and emotional challenges, can make us feel as though we’ve totally lost our sense of purpose and direction. We can feel unfulfilled, discouraged and depleted. We can feel confused, defeated and hopeless. When we’re in this place, what can we do when we’re feeling lost?
One way we can approach feeling lost is to see it not as something negative, but instead as an invitation to start rethinking things for ourselves. When we’re feeling lost, chances are we’re also feeling misguided and misaligned. We’re not feeling aligned with our life’s purpose, with what makes us happy, with what fuels our passion. We don’t feel driven or motivated. When we’re feeling lost, we can use this time as an opportunity to recreate ourselves, to explore our identity, and to forge a new path for ourselves.
We can ask ourselves some key questions. “What would make me happy? What are my passions? What is my life’s purpose? Why am I here? Who am I? What am I meant to do? How can I be of service to others? What things bring me fulfillment and satisfaction? When I’m happiest, where am I and what am I doing?”
Answering these questions will take time. The answers probably won’t come to us immediately. We’ll want to ponder them, explore them with trusted friends, and do some journaling around them. The process of digging deep and taking time to explore our inner selves helps us connect with ourselves and get to know ourselves on a deeper level. Often when we’re feeling lost it’s because we haven’t taken the time to know who we are, what makes us tick, what drives us and makes us feel whole and complete. Take the time to rediscover yourself. This discovery process is part of creating the life we want for ourselves. We can’t find our path in life when we don’t feel connected with our true selves.
When we feel lost, our instinct is often to panic. We’re afraid we’ll always be feeling this way. We’re afraid that a depression is encroaching upon us. We panic that we’ll never be able to find ourselves or our life’s purpose. Try to remember that we all feel lost at some point. Even the happiest, most successful people have felt lost at some point in their lives. It’s part of the process of recreating ourselves and our lives. Changing our perspective on what feeling lost means for us can make all the difference.
The community of Riverside Recovery has personal experience with addiction and the feelings of hopelessness and disconnection that come with it. We’re here to help you reclaim the life you love. Call (800) 871-5440 today.