Choosing What To Do with Feelings of Despair

Despair is not something to be shunned, to be denied, suppressed or quickly disposed of. Nor is it a feeling to wallow in. It is a true perception of the hopelessness of our existence. It is a signal. How you interpret and act on that signal is entirely up to you.

You could use it as a sign to stop and reassess, or a signal to slow down and heal from emotional wounds. But if you stay in that state of stasis, you miss could miss an opportunity. Wallowing in despair is ultimately a narcissistic exercise. Oh, woe is me. Yes, you are in woe, but that is not who you are.

If you are emotionally injured, you are now an expert in that injury. If you are depressed, you are now and experienced expert. If you are lonely, poor, unappreciated or whatever, you now have a tool box with which to help others. There are dozens, hundreds, even thousands of people around you in woe. You can say, "I understand how you feel, I've felt this way before, and this is what I found." You found out that you can help others, and stop focusing on yourself. There is no cheese in there, it lies outside of the maze of your own situation. Jump the wall. That is what despair teaches us.