Feeling of the Week: Hopelessness

Hopelessness doesn’t usually arrive overnight. It builds slowly, over time...when your coping stops working, when your efforts don’t land, when your system is so worn down that even imagining things getting better feels like too much.

Hopelessness = Exhaustion + Prolonged Dysregulation.

When you’ve been stuck in a reactive, overwhelmed, or numb state for too long, your brain stops believing in the possibility of change. It’s not that you’ve given up on life. It’s that your nervous system has run out of fuel. You’re tired and untethered.

This doesn’t mean you’re weak. It means you’ve likely been surviving for a long time without enough repair.

Hopelessness doesn’t need to be “fixed” right away. But it does need a small signal of safety. A breath. A moment of connection. A reminder that your system can shift, even if it’s just 2 percent.

What might it look like to offer yourself rest, regulation, and gentleness, before demanding hope?