what to do when you wasted your life

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"I'm wasting my life."

Many people will have thought this at some betoken.

Nosotros all take moments when we feel like we're not making the most of our lives.

But it's normally a passing thought that comes when we're having a bad day, a tough week, or haven't been particularly productive recently, for whatever reason.

If yous consistently experience like you're wasting your life, however, that'due south some other story.

A persistent nagging feeling that y'all're letting life slip through your fingers is one that you need to address.

Afterward all, information technology'south almost impossible to be happy if y'all feel this way.

If you lot've found yourself feeling like this, at that place are 2 different ways to combat it. Only you'll need to combine both approaches if you lot actually want to make a difference to your outlook on life.

It's nearly learning to recognize the value in the things you already accept and do, whilst also finding ways to make changes to the way you alive, so you lot feel that information technology'due south all more than meaningful.

Let's start with some advice for learning to recognize the value in the things you exercise and the life you already pb.

5 Ways To Accommodate Your Mindset To Feel More Fulfilled

ane. Finish comparison yourself to others.

Mark Twain said, "comparison is the death of joy," and I remember we can all concord on that.

After all, even if you compare yourself favorably to someone else, the happiness you gain from it is a twisted kind of happiness.

Have you lot ever stopped to think near whether yous really want all those things you've decided your life won't exist complete without, or whether you just feel like y'all should take them, considering someone else does?

Humans have e'er suffered from comparison-itis, but social media has made it part of our everyday reality, as we're presented with other people'south perfect social-media lives every 24-hour interval, multiple times a day.

Y'all're never going to exist able to cease comparing yourself to others entirely, because it'southward in our nature.

But you tin reframe…

You can remind yourself that just because someone else is succeeding, it doesn't mean you've failed.

Success takes a 1000000 unlike forms, and yous don't accept to have all the things your Facebook friend has in lodge to be happy.

Yous can also have into account that all those people sharing their lives online only share the good stuff, just like you lot do. You tin can bet there'southward plenty going on behind the scenes that isn't then picture-perfect.

You lot demand to acquire to be happy for the success that others have whilst focusing on ploughing your own furrow.

2. Be grateful for everything you do have.

Ane of the main keys to feeling more fulfilled in your life – only the fashion it is at this very moment – is to kick your level of gratefulness up a notch.

We sometimes spend and so much time focusing on what we don't have and want we want, that we have no appreciation for all the things we do have in our lives.

If you desire to up your levels of gratitude, accept some time at the end of each day to think about, say, 5 things that you're grateful for.

It might be your family, your abode, your friends, cute weather, a professional achievement, or but the fact that you're healthy.

That volition assistance you focus on all the positive things in your life, however small or seemingly insignificant they might be.

Information technology will besides take your attention off that slip-up at piece of work or that thing your friend from school posted on Facebook.

A nightly gratitude ritual should also mean that you drift off to sleep with pleasant thoughts floating around your mind, and hopefully wake upwards feeling positive the following day.

3. Reframe things positively.

Okay, so this isn't ever possible. At that place are some events in life for which information technology is hard to detect a silver lining.

But if y'all've had some bad luck recently, try your all-time to expect at those events from a positive perspective.

For case, if you've been allow become from a chore that you hated, endeavor to recall of it as motivation to finally offset doing something more fulfilling.

Doors closing generally hateful windows open, so do your all-time to look for that window in every situation.

four. Have the ones you love for who they are.

If you spend all your time focusing on the things y'all wish you could change about the ones y'all love, then your relationships will be strained, and you're bound to experience dissatisfied.

Do what you tin to accept the people yous dearest for exactly who they are, rather than focusing on aspects of their grapheme that you lot detect less than ideal.

Love them for exactly who they are now, not who yous think they have the potential to be.

five. Challenge your logic.

It's fine to desire more out of life, inside reason. It's good to have ambition and goals. Information technology'due south great to be motivated to brand more of yourself.

But there should be logic behind your choices and the things you're striving for or chirapsia yourself upward about.

Perhaps you've decided y'all want a new car. Is that something that would actually heave your happiness or brand your life easier?

Perhaps yous've decided you want to make more money. Is that because you struggle to get to the cease of the month and are worried about being able to take care of your family?

Y'all need to be clear on exactly why it is you want things, rather than only deciding that you do for no reason at all.

Ask yourself what the reasoning backside that want is, and where the desire comes from.

If yous observe rock solid reasons, then that's brilliant, as information technology gives you some management and purpose to keep going and make positive change to your life.

5 Things You Can Practice To Experience More Positive About Your Life

Okay, so we've looked at adjustments you tin make to your attitude and outlook so that you feel more fulfilled with your life as it is right now.

But besides as all that, there are plenty of concrete actions y'all can accept to help you lot stop feeling similar you're wasting your life.

The all-time arroyo is to combine the two. You can work on your outlook on the life you have right at present whilst also making a few small changes to the fashion you live that volition make a big divergence overall.

1. Invest in existing and new friendships.

Truthful friendship is a gift that we often take for granted, only it can make a huge divergence to your levels of satisfaction and fulfillment.

Build those friendships by reaching out to the people that are important to you more often, organizing activities to do together, and letting them know how important they are to y'all.

Prioritize them, and the meaningful relationships you develop will aid you say bye to the thought that you're wasting your life.

2. Volunteer for a proficient cause.

If y'all struggle to see whatsoever meaning in the way you live your life, volunteering can be transformational.

It can give your mood a boost and requite you a sense of purpose, so that yous tin can outset seeing the point in life.

You'll be able to see the positive impact you're having in front of your very eyes.

Soup kitchens, homeless shelters, environmental protection groups, or dog shelters are great places to start.

3. Be open to modify.

If you're set in your ways and not open up to change, then, logically, you're not going to be able to abound or progress.

Endeavor to approach potential changes in life with open artillery and so you know that at that place'due south the possibility of new, heady challenges on the horizon.

Opening yourself up to change is about making a conscious try to change your beliefs. If you notice that yous have a bad addiction, make a point of trying to piece of work on information technology every time y'all get a chance.

And it's nearly actively listening to people who express views that don't coincide with yours, always being willing to adjust your approach to things if there's a meliorate way that you haven't considered.

4. Spend more than fourth dimension with your family unit.

Merely equally building stronger bonds with friends tin can transform the style y'all see the globe, making more of an effort with your family tin also give your life so much more meaning.

Telephone call your family more frequently and brand plans to spend more fourth dimension with them.

At the end of the solar day, when the fries are down, information technology's probably going to be your family you're about concerned nearly, and deliberately spending more than quality time with them will mean it's difficult for yous to experience like y'all're wasting your life.

v. Brand plans and stick to them.

Contentment in life is rooted in the everyday, only that doesn't mean that a fiddling excitement, challenge, and change won't make you feel like you're really achieving things and really living life.

And then, if you've been meaning to go on that big trip, book information technology. If you've been meaning to visit somewhere, larn something, attempt something, experience something…

…get out there and do it!

Push yourself a little and try things that are out of your condolement zone, then that at the cease of the year you'll be able to look back with a smiling on all the things you've done and how far yous've come up.

Live in the moment, exist grateful for everything y'all accept, and get excited about the time to come, and information technology won't be long before your life takes on a whole new meaning.

Still not sure how to stop feeling like you're wasting your life? Speak to a trained counselor today who can walk you through the process. Merely click hither to connect with one on the BetterHelp.com website.

Ofttimes Asked Questions (FAQs)

Am I lonely in feeling this way?

No, you lot're not alone in feeling like you're wasting your life. Not fifty-fifty close. Many people feel like this right now, and many more have felt similar this at some signal in their lives.

It'south function of existence human to desire to do something with your life, to experience like your life has meaning and that you are contributing something to society. To experience like you are wasting your life is to feel frustrated that you oasis't however managed to find your true place in this world.

In fact, it can be of some consolation to know that there are others out at that place who feel the same as y'all. Become yourself on Reddit or Quora or some other website where lots of people hang out and yous'll detect so many threads and questions that will audio like y'all could accept written them.

Why am I and so passive?

There are lots of reasons why you might exist passive, none more important than it is easier to exist passive than to take adamant action in the long run. It takes less energy, less discipline, and less concentration to allow life to be dictated by other people and forces.

And so in that location is a lack of motivation. You lot haven't found a way to push yourself to keep going – both in the short and long term. In the long term, you lot demand a central reason to practise the things you want to do. This is often referred to as your 'why' in life – the driving force behind your actions. But yous too need brusque term motivations to overcome laziness and counter the excuses yous brand up as to why you can't do something.

You might choose non to act because you are afraid of failing at what you put your fourth dimension and endeavour into. Failure can be scary – it's a knock to your ego and it provides incertitude because you don't know what the event of your failure will be. And so you lot put off goals or dreams in the cognition that you can't neglect if y'all never endeavor.

It might exist that yous don't act because you don't have any goals to act toward. You lot merely allow the condition quo to continue because yous don't know what you want your life to look similar. Or you take some thought of what you want to achieve but have never fix clear goals that you lot can work toward.

Next comes a lack of self-belief. You may be crystal clear on your goals but avoid pursuing them because you don't think you are capable of achieving them. You lot accept and so many doubts swirling effectually in your head and these prevent you from taking action.

Your passive behavior could stalk from a lack of trust in your power to make good decisions. If yous doubt your choices or worry that you could take made better ones, you might become stuck in a position where yous don't brand any decisions at all.

Do you seek the approval or permission of others before you practice annihilation? This could be another reason why y'all feel so down on your life. This ties in with a lack of trust in yourself because y'all experience the need to inquire others what they think of your ideas or goals before you do annihilation about them. And even if they reply positively, you may still not act.

Another reason could exist a habit of overthinking everything you lot do. This relates to some of the other points and has a lot to do with self-doubt. If you doubt your decisions or your abilities, or don't have a goal in mind or clear motivation to reach that goal, y'all will probably notice yourself thinking the same things over and over. All that thinking rarely results in action.

Finally, you might take issues regarding your mental health that you are unaware of or that you lot haven't sought treatment for. Depression can make information technology hard to be proactive considering information technology sucks the will from you and negates all your reasons for doing anything. It'southward a good idea to speak to your GP or seek help from a mental health professional person to check whether you might be suffering from low or some other condition.

How can I follow through on my plans?

The most important affair to remember is that your plans need to exist things you lot actually want to do. There is no bespeak setting goals that don't fit in with your long term dreams, the type of person you lot want to be, or your morals. Make plans that matter to you; don't follow what other people are doing or do something because someone says that yous should.

It is a good to thought to start pocket-sized and find ways to achieve trivial things that push y'all always so slightly closer to a larger goal. This will build your momentum and help you keep going with other things that are slightly bigger. In one case you are moving consistently toward something, y'all are much more likely to persist with your efforts.

Getting organized is vital if yous are to follow through on your plans. If you don't have a clear path to follow and rough timeframes for your deportment, important things might get overlooked. And when y'all aren't organized, y'all'll waste product more of your precious time trying to figure things out on the wing.

Look anxiety and discouragement but button through them. When you push button yourself past your comfort zone, you lot are bound to feel anxious about what comes adjacent. And yous will as well feel discouraged at times because not everything volition go to programme. Knowing this will help you to deal with these feelings and not permit them terminate you in your tracks.

If you struggle to follow through on things by yourself, it may assistance to have someone else past your side. This person might just be there to hold you lot accountable in a positive fashion, prompting y'all when yous need to do things and asking most your progress. Or they might be someone who volition walk the same path as you so that y'all can hold each other's hand and cheer each other on. Either manner, having an accountability partner can aid to motivate y'all.

When you lot prepare out to achieve anything, it is important not to expect that matter to be perfect. Perfection is the enemy of progress because as soon every bit imperfections begin to prove, yous'll lose all motivation to keep. Instead, focus on being consequent with that thing and trying to improve to a skilful level. And when you can no longer ameliorate, just try to maintain that level.

Another aspect of perfectionism is the desire to research and plan every little particular of your goal. This tin lead to assay paralysis whereby you get stuck in the planning stage and never reach the action phase. You lot have to decide to just do the affair one time yous have a reasonable idea in your head of what you lot're doing and how to practise it.

Although the achievement of a goal provides advantage in itself, you should as well discover ways to reward your progress and your effort as y'all work toward that goal. Ideally, you should requite yourself a modest reward immediately following a period of action equally this has been shown to work improve than a bigger delayed advantage. But exist sure that the reward doesn't hinder your pursuit of the goal (e.g. don't advantage yourself with an unhealthy snack after doing some do if your goal is to accomplish a healthier bodyweight).

Speaking of exercise, information technology is the terminal suggestion to aid you follow through on your plans. Exercise needn't have anything to do with what you want to achieve, but regular exercise can improve your mental health. Since poor mental health can be a barrier to goal achievement, exercise can assistance to eliminate that goal.

How do I determine on my management in life?

When information technology comes to finding management in life, the most critical affair is to reflect on yourself. Consider what your morals are, what things you are passionate well-nigh, what sort of relationships you lot value virtually, and what a perfect day would look like to y'all.

Figure out how these and other things might intersect to form your ideal life. What sort of career suits you lot best? What hobbies bring y'all joy? Where would yous like to alive? Who is important to you and who might you be prepare to let get of?

Don't make self-reflection a one time thing; you lot should be spending some time in thought on a regular basis to ensure that the goals you lot are pursuing even so friction match the management y'all want to accept. You might need to make adjustments if you've wandered off course.

Am I addicted to my phone?

Telephone addiction can be a major contributor to the feeling that you are wasting your life. If you lot spend many hours each day scrolling through social feeds, reading articles, playing games, or watching videos, it can arrive hard to be productive and get things done.

If you call back you're addicted, you lot may find yourself refreshing social feeds every few minutes to see if at that place is anything new. You may click on video later video because you are drawn in by their titles or thumbnails. You may check the same apps over and over out of compulsion rather than because y'all demand to.

Exercise y'all have to take your phone with you from one room to another, even if y'all'll merely be gone five minutes? Do yous ever cheque your telephone in the middle of the night? Are you optics glued to the screen when you walk anywhere? Do you respond to letters within seconds of receiving them? All of these things signal toward a possible habit to your smartphone.

If this is the case, you might demand to seek aid to break that addiction. If you manage to, y'all will accept more time available to pursue goals and you should exist in a better mindset to do so.

Should I ditch my negative friends?

The people we spend time with influence the way nosotros think and act. If you spend time with people who are overly negative, who aren't ambitious, and who blame others for their shortcomings, you'll get stuck in that mindset as well.

That's non to say that you can't rant and express your negative feelings with others – everyone needs to do that once in a while. The problem comes when that's all you ever talk about with a certain person or group of people.

If there is no positivity coming from someone, they'll but elevate you down to their level whenever you are around them. You lot'll think you lot are wasting your life by virtue of the fact that you view your friends as wasting their lives too.

Whilst you lot do demand authentic friendships and people you lot tin can be yourself around, yous don't have to remain friends with people whose company no longer serves y'all or who you lot have grown apart from.

You may suggest that you all try to improve your lives and your selves, but expect to meet resistance to this thought because people can merely alter if they want to alter and most people don't want to change.

Still feel like you're wasting your life? Speak to a therapist today who tin listen to your thoughts and concerns and and then help you address them both mentally and practically. Simply click here to connect with one of the experienced therapists on BetterHelp.com.