What To Do When You’re Feeling Completely Disheartened

It’s 3:03 p.m. on a Sunday afternoon. I sit inside one of my favorite coffee shops in the city. It’s especially saturated with people today – it seems I’m not the only one who wants to grab coffee and read on a wet and gloomy Sunday. The shop is well lit from the floor-to-ceiling windows, which let in the daylight. It’s raining and overcast, yet still oddly bright outside. While I am surrounded by many people, I still feel completely to myself as I sit at the bar directly facing the window. The tunes coming from my headphones help mute the chaos, although I can’t completely drown out the café commotion. Although faint, I can still hear the clashing of dishes, grinding of coffee beans, and muddled conversation.

Normally, I hate rainy days. But today is different; today it is fitting. Today the rain comforts me. This is a first. Facing the window, I have a front-row view of the soft downpour. It’s as if the rain is speaking to me. Each droplet a soft expression that I’m not alone. That everything will be alright.

You see, life can be exhausting. Constantly trying to do your best, be your best, and give your best. It’s not easy. And it is especially disheartening when things still don’t work out as you had hoped after all the effort. Today I woke up exhausted from the trying. And I think the universe understands that today I just need a break.

I need to be told that I’m doing okay. I need a reminder that everything will work out and my effort is not for nothing. I think the rain is that reminder.

It’s not easy trying to be your best when things still don’t go your way. All that hard work might seem pointless at times. You might get turned down. You might not get the job you’ve been interviewing for. That one person you want to call your own might reject you. The school you’ve studied so hard to get into might not accept you. Your best friend might move away. You might not get that promotion. And there might be so many smaller, more seemingly insignificant defeats you’re dealing with right now.

But guess what? It’s alright. It’s alright to be sad about it. It’s alright to take a break; to give in to the sadness. It’s alright to feel completely exhausted and forlorn.

We’re only human, after all.

But I want to leave you with this: Do not forget your worth. Do not forget your effort. It’s much worse to not try at all than to give it your all and end up with a discouraging outcome. Keep trying. Keep giving this life your all. You’ve only got one, and you learn so much about yourself along the way. Maybe that’s the point of it all anyway: self-discovery and appreciation.

If I weren’t feeling defeated today, I wouldn’t have recognized and appreciated the rain. And I also wouldn’t have sat down to write this reminder to you. A reminder to give yourself a break when you need it, but to never stop trying.