How to Overcome Hopelessness

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Hopelessness feels like whatever is happening in your life that is negative, whatever unfortunate circumstances you’ve suffered or are suffering, will never end. Hopelessness feels like a ‘bad trip’ on drugs–time seems to stand still, this moment feels like forever, and you’re unable to see any light, of hope, in the darkness. It feels like defeat; like you are in a game that you can never win and are predestined to lose. It can feel like a curse or a fate.
Circumstances, People, Places, and Things do not cause hopelessness. Hopelessness is a mental construct. And that construct can be deconstructed and RE-constructed to achieve happiness.

Welcome to the RATIONAL ANIMAL

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In my over 25 years as a psychotherapist and life coach, I’ve discovered that quite often, individuals will have lovely, articulate, accurate, empathic advice for their friends. They show compassion, forgiveness, faith, hope and rationality when guiding or counseling their friends.
However, I noticed those same individuals treating themselves far, far differently. Often these same people will turn on themselves in the most vicious, uncompromising manner. They have an ongoing internal (and sometimes, external) dialogue which is unforgiving, innacurate, overgeneralizing, negative, doomsaying, hopeless and irrational.
I also realized that when they looked at their lives from the ‘Best Friend’ position, they were able to see themselves differently.

And that’s what I’m hoping the Rational Animal Blog will be able to do for you as well.

Beause, let’s face it. You are all you’ve got.