Life can be overwhelming at times. We go through stages of feeling sad. Don’t be discouraged; it happens to a lot of us.
Looking back on how far you’ve come, remembering why you started, locating some mentors, and quitting comparing yourself to others are some of the strategies on how to keep going. You must also refocus your energies to keep going when you want to give up. This will help you break free from your rut.
Learning how to keep going in life, even when you want to give up or are depressed, can transform your life. In this article, we’ll look at how to keep going in life and how to keep going when you’re depressed.
How to Keep Going in Life
Regardless of your effort, you have no control over many things that happen in life. However, you have a choice in how you respond to them. Concentrate on what you have control over and accept what you don’t.
Here are some tips on how to keep going when you want to quit:
- Look Back at How Far You’ve Come
You’re usually disheartened when you’re on your way to wherever you want to go since you’re just looking forward, not around or behind you. Your life’s adventure will last until the end of time. It’s no surprise that you still see a long, sometimes frightening path ahead of you.
Regardless, it is critical to take a moment to glance around before continuing. Take a look at where you are today vs. where you were when you first started. Look at how many hurdles and challenges you’ve successfully overcome in the past.
Looking back on how far you’ve gone is typically enough to get you going.
- Remember Why You Started
When life gets hard, you need something to hold on to, to sustain your grit and remember why you started doing what you did in the first place. You’ll quickly stray from your route if you don’t know why you’re doing it.
When things are at their worst, your primary motivation for performing the activity will be what keeps you going.
Knowing why you’re where you are in life will enable you to make the split-second decision to ignore your frail mind and press on. To make the impact even more, try writing down why you started and placing them in spots you see every day.
- Find Some Mentors
There are so many ways to glimpse the world’s top minds now that the internet is more accessible than ever. You can see what people did when things got rough in their life.
Most successful individuals have had to overcome significant challenges to get to where they are now. You can probably find out about all of your favorite people’s challenges by quickly searching the internet.
You should strive to locate your mentors by taking inspiration from these people. It’s vital to realize that no one can live their greatest life without encountering challenges, and finding mentors can help you keep going.
- Quit Comparing Yourself to Others
No one else will believe in your potential if you don’t, no matter how good you are. As a result, you must stop comparing yourself to others to go forward in life. Take inspiration from individuals around you, but don’t be too hard on yourself if you aren’t on the same level.
Also, don’t be swayed by the greener pastures on the other side of the fence. Keep in mind that no one’s life is perfect. In today’s social media-dominated society, this can be difficult.
We often only view the positive aspects of others around us, such as dream careers, expensive vacations, or flawless relationships.
The information you find on the internet is only half of the picture. Everyone has their struggles and bad days, just like you. So, if you don’t compare yourself to others, you’ll be able to keep going even when you’re ready to give up.
- Take Smaller Steps
It is typical for people to make mistakes in life due to trying on too much at once. Big moves might sometimes be too much to bear due to overambition or unreasonable expectations.
Big steps are inconvenient, unusual, and difficult to maintain without toppling. Your major milestones, life-changing objectives, and dreams may frequently be broken down into smaller, more doable steps. They’ll take you to the same spot.
You may be trying to do too much at once if things are getting hard. Take small, reasonable steps to see if hurdles and challenges become less tough.
How to Keep Going When Depressed
Depression can make it difficult to stay motivated to complete even the most basic activities, much less the more difficult projects. Depressed people have a difficult time motivating themselves to go to work, socialize, or even clean their homes.
Seeing depression as a habit rather than a disease puts you in control and may encourage you to keep going.
Here are some ways to keep going while you’re depressed:
- Stop Feeding Your Depression
It’s a snowball effect when you feed depression. For example, a few pigeons will come if you leave a few crumbs on your balcony. Several pigeons will flock to the area if you keep throwing the crumbs out for days.
Depression thrives on uncertainties, negative thoughts, and anxieties, which feed depression.
Learn to recognize the bad thoughts and fears contributing to your depression so that you can substitute them with more optimistic and reasonable ones. You will be able to keep on in life even if you are depressed due to this.
- Take Small Steps
Even if you’re depressed, you must take modest actions to keep going. If you’re lying in bed and want to pull the blankets over your head and sleep again, that’s fine.
Make one simple change that will make you feel better. You can stretch a little and smile, or try it even if you don’t feel like stretching or smiling. It will greatly assist you to keep going if you do small things.
- Take Control of Your Household Tasks
Household duties such as doing the dishes or paying bills can be tough to do when you are depressed.
A heap of filthy dishes, a stack of papers, and a floor covered with dirty clothes, on the other hand, will only add to your emotions of unworthiness. Taking charge of your everyday tasks will help you keep going even when you’re depressed.
Begin small and focus on a single project at a time. Simply getting up and exercising can help you feel better. However, observing your progress at home can help you stay motivated.
- Avoid Perfectionism
The pursuit of perfection is the adversary of the good. You could not even start if you’re too focused on doing something perfectly.
People who are depressed typically believe that their actions must be flawless or they will fail. This prevents them from starting and encourages them to stay depressed.
Allow yourself to accept less-than-perfect results when trying to stay positive throughout a depressive episode.
Take Away
We all have days when we don’t feel motivated, so don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s often tough to tell if we need to push a little harder or slam our heads against the wall.
Always think about your “Whys” and what you’re learning. And, if something isn’t working, feel free to alter paths and control your negative thoughts to keep going in life.
