On Being Discouraged

Humans are emotional beings. Sometimes we are overly emotional and occasionally, not emotional enough. Sometimes we use “emotions” as an excuse for our behavior. Some emotions are more beneficial to us than others. And some, like feeling discouraged, can be downright harmful.

It is completely normal for humans to get discouraged from time to time. Stuff happens, things don’t go our way, and we begin to doubt ourselves. While that’s normal, we can’t allow ourselves to stay discouraged for long.

The good news is, there are actionable steps we can take to pull ourselves away from discouragement. Here are a few ideas to make that happen.

1. Acknowledge Your Feelings

Accept that feeling discouraged is okay. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Everyone finds themselves down in the dumps once in a while. It’s called being human.

Write down or talk about what’s causing the discouragement to be clear about what’s going on. This is where you need to be completely honest with yourself; if your thoughts are making things worse than they are, this is where you can catch yourself.

2. Reframe Negative Thoughts

Identify those self-criticisms or pessimistic thoughts.

Challenge them by asking yourself: Is this really true? What would I say to a friend in the same situation?

Replace negative thoughts with positive ones, like “This is a challenge, but I can learn from it.”

3. Break Goals into Smaller Steps

Big goals can feel overwhelming. Break them down into smaller, easier-to-achieve steps.

Celebrate small wins along the way to keep going. This is a great time to remember that all progress is progress, even those baby steps we sometimes have to take.

4. Focus on What You Can Control

Think about the parts of your situation that you can change and focus your energy on those. Spending even a minute trying to change something that can’t be changed is a complete waste of time and energy.

Let go of worrying about things that are out of your control.

5. Find Inspiration

Read stories of people who overcame similar challenges. It’s highly likely that your situation is NOT unique; learn from the experience of others.

Surround yourself with supportive and positive people. Discouragement is a very negative emotion; the last thing you need is other people pouring gas on your negativity fire.

6. Take Care of Yourself

Make sure you’re getting enough sleep, exercising, and eating well. That used to sound kind of hokey to me, but I can assure you that it makes a real difference.

Do things that make you happy, like hobbies, spending time in nature, or quality time with family and friends.

7. Remember Your Purpose

Take a moment to remember why you started this journey.

Refocus on your goals and keep moving forward.

Focus on the long-term goal, not just the short-term struggles.

10. Take Action

Remember,even small steps move you forward.

Procrastination can make discouragement worse, so take any action you can to build confidence and move forward.

One of the keys to your success will be how effective you are at limiting your time in the discouragement trap. The less time you spend there, the more time you can invest in productive activities. With patience, effort, and self-compassion, you can overcome discouragement and move forward towards success and living your very best life.