23 One-Sentence Reminders You Need To Hear When You’re Feeling Completely Lost

amyjhumphries
amyjhumphries

1. Every single person around you has felt this way before too.

2. You are not alone in these thoughts, in these fears.

3. On the contrary, these worries are the things that make you the most human – they are your strongest connection to everyone around you, because everyone else has these crippling fears too.

4. Nearly every respectable and admirable figure you can think of (J.K. Rowling, Oprah Winfrey, Steve Jobs, just to name a few) has openly admitted to dealing with these feelings of inadequacy and self doubt before too.

5. Think about all the little insignificant things that affected you so deeply in the past, and how they are just distant memories now.

6. Remember that in a year from now, the small thing that is causing you so much worry and angst today will barely register as a blip in your thoughts down the line.

7. Feeling lost and listless does not have to mean that you are weak, shameful, or a failure.

8. It is what you do anyway, in spite of these uncomfortable feelings, that is the true representation of who you are.

9. Everyone has to start somewhere.

10. Just pick a somewhere.

11. You will never please everyone – never. 

12. Instead, focus on the people and the things in your life that make you feel most like yourself, like your best self.

13. Practice the five-minute rule: you can have five minutes to feel angry, or to vent, or to lay all your shit on the table, or to be afraid, or to complain or to whatever…. and then you must let it go.

14. By allowing yourself a few human minutes to feel frustrated or afraid, you are connected to everyone else around you.

15. And by forcing yourself to let it all go after a few minutes, you are like all of the successful people who came before you and felt those things and then kept fighting on anyway.

16. Sometimes, the best way to handle being in a funk is to acknowledge that it’s happening, refuse to feel bad for yourself, and think of even one – just one – small action that is a slight step forward.

17. You are so much more than the worst mistake you’ve ever made.

18. This, too, shall always pass.

19. Many people think that in order to combat the feeling of being lost or directionless, you must come up with a detailed plan of exactly what you will do to fix everything – when really all you need to do is just start with what’s right in front of you and go from there.

20. Self doubt and uncertainty will bring you more down to earth, and more connected with those around you, than anything else you could possibly experience.

21. You are just a spec in the universe, and that is freeing; but do not underestimate the difference you can make in another soul’s life.

22. Feeling lost can often be your mind’s way of refusing to accept a life of mediocrity – and that is a wonderful thing.

23. Some of the best success stories you’ve ever heard involve initial failure and struggle for a reason: failure and struggle humble you, they help you to understand who you are at your worst, and they connect you with the deepest parts of yourself. Thought Catalog Logo Mark

I’m a staff writer for Thought Catalog. I like comedy and improv. I live in Chicago. My Uber rating is just okay.

Keep up with Kim on Instagram and Twitter

More From Thought Catalog