Tips On How to Cope When You Feel Lost in Life

Last updated on December 28th, 2022 at 10:14 am

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I was recently feeling lost in life. It’s a feeling a lot of people can relate to so it inspired me to write a blog post about it.  

Maybe because it’s been a while since I’ve been a teenager but I don’t remember having this feeling in my earlier years. I’ve certainly lost count of how many times I’ve felt lost in life in my twenties.  

Although feeling lost can happen to any age group, I have a theory on why it’s the norm for people in their twenties to feel this way.   

Life Stage Process

When you were in high school, the next big thing was probably college or university.

It’s all you hear about.

Teachers talk about it, your family asks you about it, and it even comes up in conversations with your friends. The main focus was to get good grades in order to go to your dream school.  

Then, it’s college time. You go to college and the next big thing is getting work experience for your first real job after you graduate. It’s the first step of your career so you do feel the pressure.   

You pass your job interview and land your job.

What’s the plan after that?

Maybe marriage and some kids?  

Younger me spent so much time focusing on the next BIG thing. Now that I’ve been at my current job for some time now, my life felt stagnant at 26 years old.  

How Feeling Lost in Life Can Happen

Feeling lost in life can hit you all of a sudden. There was no triggering event where it just hit me. It was a build-up of events.  

I miss my friends and family back in Toronto.

There are many great things about moving back to Hong Kong but something that still gets to me from time to time is how much happiness my friends and family bring.

I do have family members in Hong Kong but just not as many or as close.  

Another reason was my blog. My blog isn’t getting as much traction as I would like. I’ve been working on SEO-friendly articles but the results are slow. I expected it but it can still be a bummer.  

Those are only some of the reasons but I know that feeling lost in life comes and goes.

It will come in waves. There are probably people out there experiencing the same feeling as me so this blog post is dedicated to everyone who has ever felt lost in life.  

Here’s how you deal.  

1) Talk to a Loved One

This one is almost always guaranteed to work.  

Your loved ones are the people that love and understand you the most in the entire world.

A loved one can be a best friend, family member or anyone that you feel comfortable confiding in.  

There’s something that makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside knowing you have people there for you. You can always hit them up even when you haven’t spoken in months.   

I called my cousin when I was feeling lost in life the other day. There was a lot of rambling on my end and I don’t even remember most of it. But she did help. A lot.  

It wasn’t the things she said that made me feel better.

It was more the feeling of hearing her voice and her laughter, even if it was through a phone call. Listening to her made me realize that things will be okay because I have my loved ones.  

She’s been in my life for a long time now. She’s been there for me since I was 16 and now, at 26. I even joked that she’ll still be there for me when I’m 36 or 46 years old.    

When you’re feeling lost in life, sometimes, you just need a quick phone call or a few messages with a loved one to cheer you back up.

Get you out of a bad mood and make you feel normal again.  

2) Focus on the Present

You might be reading the heading and think, ‘oof, this is hard.’   I totally get you.  

Do you also like to overthink right before you go to bed?

You’re supposed to be sleeping but then you can’t. Your mind is running wild with everything. Even things that aren’t important but you can’t stop thinking about it.  

Overthinking stinks. You can drive yourself crazy.  

Some people might not want to talk to their loved ones when they’re feeling lost in life. They would rather be alone. But the thing is, when you’re alone by yourself too much, overthinking happens.  

Tip #2 is about focusing on the present. When you’re so concerned about the future, you don’t appreciate today, this moment.  

Maybe you’re worried about your future but remember this.   

The future will come no matter what but we don’t appreciate the present enough. If thinking about the future is too much, focus on today. The present.  

You don’t have to figure out every single thing right now.  

3) Realize Everyone Goes Through This

Everyone goes through this. Feeling lost in life kinda thing.  

Does it bring a sense of comfort that almost everyone has felt the same at one point or another?

It does for me.

If someone claims they haven’t, they’re either not wanting to admit it to you or they’re lying to themselves.  

You might look at someone and might think, ‘Wow, this person knows exactly what they want’ but no one has it all figured out. On the surface, it might seem like they do though.  

There can be a bunch of reasons why people feel lost. Life throws a lot of curveballs and it can make you feel off for a bit but isn’t that also the beauty of life?  

When you’re always experiencing good things in life, how will you truly appreciate it? It’s because of all the bad that you learn how to appreciate the good.  

Accept the fact that feeling lost in life is something everyone has gone through before.    

4) Do Something that Makes You Happy

When you’re feeling lost in life, it’s a bizarre feeling so you want to do something that makes you happy so ask yourself this question:  

What’s something that brings you joy?  

For me, one of those things is my blog. I even made multiple blog-related goals for 2022 because I am motivated to keep improving as a blogger.  

It doesn’t have to be blogging. It’s just my example.  

Do you like to shop? (Btw, if you’re into luxury goods, I recommend checking out Vestiaire Collective)

Read?  

Watch Dramas on Netflix?

Whatever it is, spend some time on your self-love routine.

Do things that make you happy.  

If you don’t know what those are, maybe you should set aside some time to find what you like to do.  

5) Look Back at How Far You’ve Come

This is unlikely that it’s your first time feeling lost in life. Being negative can be all-consuming so it’s important to look back at your journey.  

You’ve come a long way.  

No, but really.  

You go through life day by day and we’re always so focused on the future that we don’t spend enough time looking back. Realize how much you’ve accomplished.

But if you sit down to really think about it, you’ve been through a lot even though it doesn’t seem like it.   Focus on the good things you’ve done in your life so far and I know there are things.  

If you really can’t think of anything, ask your friends and family.

I find that when I talk to them, they’ll sometimes remind me of my accomplishments that I either forgot about or didn’t think anything of it.

Looking back at how far you’ll come will help you feel good about yourself.  

Final Thoughts – Being Lost in Life

Does following these tips mean you will never feel lost in life again?  

Sorry! That’s a no.   

But when these feelings arise again, whenever that may be, follow these tips. It will help you with this funk.  

Now to You – Being Lost in Life

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Xoxo,
Nicole