Most of us have hit rock bottom somewhere along the way. When that happens everything about your world feels wrong, and you don’t know what to do to change course. In fact, feeling this way can lead to depression which makes you feel even worse. But experiencing that moment when you think, “I hate my life,” can be the turning point motivating you to make dramatic changes and propelling you toward success. There’s no question — hating your life is a tough place to be. You feel hopeless and lack the energy to even take the first step. It’s hard to see that taking one small action can make a difference in how you feel about your life. Confusion and inertia keep you stuck. The key to any change is a bit of self-awareness. To figure out how to love your life again, let’s look at some of the possible reasons why you hate it right now.
Why do I hate my life?
What makes you constantly think, “I hate my life?” Maybe you worry all the time, which leads to inner turmoil. Maybe you are holding grudges and feeling a lot of anger. Or, you might be constantly comparing yourself to other people. There are a lot of faulty thought processes and limiting beliefs that could cause your feelings of despair. Here are some other possibilities:
You don’t accept personal responsibility for your success and happiness. You underestimate your abilities. You can’t accept that not everyone plays by your rules. You give yourself unreasonable requirements for happiness. You focus only on the negative aspects of your situation. You look for happiness in material things. You’re lonely. You surround yourself with unhappy people. You haven’t found your purpose. You are stuck in the past. You’re dealing with substance abuse or addiction. You’re stuck in a job you hate and don’t know how to make a change. You have childhood issues you haven’t resolved.
If you can identify why you are unhappy, it will be easier to turn things around. You’ll stop asking, “What do I do with my life?” and start taking action for positive change, because you’ll have a better idea of your roadblocks and self-limitations. But what if things have gotten really bad and you start thinking . . .
My Life is Over
Is this something you’ve been thinking on a consistent basis? Do you feel so down about your life and think, “I hate this world and everything about it?” With all of the bad news about climate change, human suffering, politics, and global conflicts, it’s easy to feel like life is just a series of unfortunate and depressing events. Or maybe things in your personal or professional circumstances are so bad that you feel sick of life and wish you were anywhere but in the situation you’re in right now. If you can’t find a glimmer of hope and feel so depressed, please don’t allow your angst and apathy to prevent you from seeking help. This article can be a start, but if you’re having nihilistic or suicidal thoughts, you need to take action immediately by contacting your doctor, a therapist, or even a suicide hotline. Hopefully, your situation hasn’t gotten to that point, so read on for some strategies to help you know what to do when you hate your life.
What To Do If You Hate Your Life
By reading this article, you’re already taking a step toward improving your life. You’re seeking information to understand why you feel the way you do and how you can improve your situation, which is the first vital step. Wanting to improve your life and feel more positive about it shows that you have a spark of motivation and hope. Many people cling to the status quo because they fear change. If you are able to act in spite of this fear, you’ll realize that you have more control over your circumstances than you previously believed. This empowers you to keep taking small steps that create a more fulfilling and happier life. When you catch yourself thinking about how much your life sucks, interrupt this negative mindset and take one small positive action.
How to Not Hate Your Life
1. Be honest with yourself about hating life.
Admitting that things are not where you want them to be is the first step. You might believe you have everything under control, and you just have hit a rough patch. But is it possible you are going in the wrong direction entirely? Are you making bad choices, hanging with the wrong people, or behaving in ways that push others away? Are you failing to live up to your potential or honor your own values and integrity? Be honest with yourself, and address the underlying issues that are causing your despair. Your problems may be obvious to those around you, and they may even be obvious to you in retrospect. But today is the day you need to get real if you want to start feeling good about yourself again.
2. Gain some clarity on why you hate your life.
Once you are honest with yourself, ask yourself these important questions:
Who do I want to be? What’s preventing me from being that person? How am I living outside of my integrity? How am I resisting positive change? Who could help me make the changes I need to make? Could I be clinically depressed? If so, what am I going to do about it?
You have to see the new possibility for who you can be in order to make a change. Self-inquiry will be the path to your new vision. One of the best places to start is by defining your core values and then examining how your life is out of alignment with these values.
3. Set clear intentions on what you need.
Write down exactly what you want in your life. Focus on what you need to do to feel happy and fulfilled. Once you have a vision, you have to start creating it. There is always a first step, and it is usually uncomfortable or challenging. You have to start planning how you will accomplish your intention and what you need to do to make a change. By setting an intention, you give yourself clarity and motivation.
4. Demonstrate your will.
Once you set an intention, follow through with new actions. Be willing and prepared to experience some discomfort to make a change and live out the new conditions that lead you to better prospects. You have to commit yourself to change bad habits and act on new experiences. If your old habits or thoughts test you while you’re trying to move forward, remind yourself of your values and intentions — the reasons why you are making a change. Remind yourself that you are stronger and more committed than you once believed yourself to be.
5. Start reading every day.
If you want to improve your life, you have to start making better decisions, which means you need to learn new ideas and get better information. Start reading at least ten pages of positive, uplifting, and useful information every day. Choose articles and non-fiction books that directly relate to the areas of your life that you want to improve. These could include health, finance, relationships, self-help, success, or even inspirational biographies. The knowledge and ideas you gain from these books will bolster your willpower and motivation to improve your life.
6. Write down your goals.
People who are successful have life goals to give them a sense of direction. Turning your life around requires identifying the things you want to achieve and then planning a strategy for achieving them. Give yourself deadlines and determine the actions you have to take to accomplish your goals. Map out those actions on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis, and put them on your calendar. Review your goals every day to make sure you stay focused and motivated.
7. Let go of people who hold you back.
If you’ve wondered, “Why does my life suck?” it could very well be the company you keep that is impacting your happiness. You may have friends or acquaintances whose habits or attitudes are not conducive to your success. Spending time with these people can be destructive to your well-being because their negative habits can be contagious. In fact, they will be the first to undermine your hard work as soon as they see you improving your world. While you might not want to abruptly cut friends out of your life, you can begin to let them go gently. Gradually decrease the amount of time you dedicate to people who are toxic. Use this time to build new relationships with positive people who will inspire your success.
8. Start exercising.
Get at least thirty minutes of exercise at least four times per week. This will help strengthen your heart and lungs, improve your strength and flexibility, help manage your weight, boost your immune system, and reduce stress. All of these outcomes positively impact your energy levels, mental and physical health, and productivity. When you feel better physically, you find that you like your life more.
9. Learn something new.
An effective way to add excitement to your daily living is to learn a new skill. Think about learning to play an instrument or taking a class that interests you. Maybe you want to pick up a new sport or learn a new language. Learning a new skill will ignite your sense of creativity and get you out of your comfort zone.
10. Reduce your screen time.
When you are at a low point in your life, spending time on social media and watching television are the most unproductive ways to spend your time. In fact, research reveals a direct correlation between depression and excessive screen time. You can’t make improvements while surfing the net or staring at some mindless program. You can’t enjoy time with friends and family sitting behind the screen. Stop wasting your time on negative news and social media that don’t add any value to your life. Use this time to create your goals, practice a skill, read a book or anything that is more fulfilling, meaningful, and enjoyable.
11. Gain perspective.
When you give too much weight to one area of your life, you lose perspective. If you have four things going well and one thing that isn’t and claim to hate your life, you’ve lost perspective on reality. Fortunately, there are a lot of ways to regain perspective and focus more on the good than the bad. One of the best ways to appreciate your life is by adopting a gratitude practice. Keep a gratitude journal in which you write down your blessings, and you’ll notice it becomes much easier to focus on the positive aspects of your life.
12. Be persistent.
You will benefit from adopting a mindset of belief, positivity, and appreciation. The key here is to stay persistent in your quest for change while you are trying to pass life’s tests of patience and willpower. It’s normal to feel frustrated on occasion when you are trying to improve your situation, but don’t allow frustration to sour your mindset. Even in the midst of fear or disappointment, seek out a reason to be hopeful and positive.
13. Focus on the journey instead of the destination.
If you only think about where you want to end up, you’ll lose touch with where you are right now. Every step of the way offers important lessons and insights. Don’t try to get ahead of yourself, or you will miss out on the beauty of the present moment.
14. Stop making excuses.
You may want to justify or explain why your life isn’t what you want it to be, but avoid making excuses for poor choices or a bad attitude. Excuses might salvage some pride, but they don’t help you advance you toward your goals. Most people see through them anyway. It is better to just own your mistakes and strive to do better going forward.
15. Be willing to take risks.
You may be anxious about taking risks but taking calculated risks is a necessary part of growth and success. You will miss some amazing opportunities if you’re never willing to take a chance. Yes, there is a possibility of failing, but there is also the possibility of succeeding. You never know unless you try.
16. Get comfortable with discomfort.
If you remain in your comfort zone without challenging or stretching yourself, you’ll never create a better life. No one enjoys the discomfort of disrupting the status quo, but you will find it easier the more you do it. You realize you are far more capable than you thought possible.
17. Find your reason.
Change is always possible. People are constantly adapting and surviving. When you want to turn your life around, you’ll be more motivated if you have a good reason for a change. Without a compelling reason to achieve your goals, drastic change isn’t sustainable. Dig deep to find your reason by asking yourself, “Why?”– until the answer clarifies your purpose. Some reasons include family, freedom, or love. These are profound reasons that will give you the motivation you need.
18. Pinpoint your bad habits.
We are all creatures of habit. We live with routines and patterns that dictate the quality of our lives. These habits are either empowering or limiting. In order to turn your life around, you have to identify which habits are holding you back and eliminate them. Then you need to replace them with good habits that reinforce your values and goals.
19. Accept your failures.
Failure helps eliminate the things that don’t work and replace them with the things that do work. When you embrace failure in this way, anything is possible. Look at failures as a turning point. Find other people who have overcome difficult situations. Whatever you’re dealing with, there are people who have been in your shoes and have triumphed. It may take multiple failures before finding the right perspective to turn your life around.
20. Start saving.
For many people, financial burdens can be the cause of hating your life. Unless you find a higher-paying job, changing your financial situation will require both time and effort. Start saving money each month to help build a better future. It is ok if it is just a little bit, having consistency in your saving can help you improve your path in the future.
21. Find your passion.
If you do what you love, especially in your career, you can change your outlook on life. However, doing things you hate can cause you more stress and make life harder than it has to be. Find what you’re passionate about and work toward making it part of your daily life. If you can’t change jobs, you can still enjoy your passion as a hobby or side gig.
22. Take a trip.
You might need to hit the reset button to improve your life. Going on a vacation with your partner or good friends is a great way to escape the stress of your daily life and recharge your batteries. A vacation can help give you the perspective that you need to make a change, especially if you go somewhere new and interesting.
23. Be a brave fighter.
Keep fighting, even when you feel like all of the odds are against you. No one is going to fight your battles for you. You are ultimately responsible for your own happiness. If you are depressed, find a therapist and get treatment for your depression. You can’t make your life better when you are struggling mentally and emotionally. At the very least, fighting for a better life will prevent you from having regrets that you never tried.
24. Be patient.
It takes time to change habits and mindsets. Turning your life around doesn’t happen overnight. You have to be patient and have faith in yourself without a firm guarantee of the outcome you want. Remember that your current situation didn’t materialize in a few days or weeks. You have years of thoughts, feelings, and choices that have led you to your current situation. Be patient while you change course and redirect your life.
25. Stop complaining.
Don’t give words to limiting beliefs and thoughts. People who complain are reinforcing negativity and unhappiness. If you catch yourself complaining about your life, stop yourself and reframe the situation. Complaining about it won’t change it. Be proactive to find a solution instead.
26. Stay hydrated.
It’s hard to love your life when you feel fatigued and have low energy. One of the first steps to increase your energy is to drink more water. This will help you replenish your system, improve your digestion, and eliminate toxic waste from your body. A lot of people mistakenly think they’re tired or hungry when the truth is that they’re dehydrated. Drink a large glass of water right after you wake up and continue to drink water throughout the day. Drinking more water won’t change your life situation, but it will give you more energy to take action.
27. Find ways to help others.
Give yourself a break from thinking about your own problems and focus on what you can give to others — especially your friends and family. If you want to feel better about yourself, one of the easiest things you can do to make someone else feel good. If you want to earn respect, treat other people with respect. If you want your life to improve, help improve someone else’s life. The more things you do for other people, the more doors will open in your own life. 11 Habits of Wildly Successful People The Ultimate List of Values 101 Enlightening Journal Prompts For Personal Growth And Self-Knowledge Are you ready to stop hating your life? If you are feeling deeply depressed and stuck, then you’ll need the support of a professional counselor and your doctor to help you treat your depression. It’s hard to do anything when you’re dealing with untreated depression. But once you have the emotional energy to take positive, life-affirming actions, then you will become happier with your life over time. By working these strategies into your life, your entire world can change over time so that you no longer hate your life. Think of these actions as planting seeds. When you plant seeds, you don’t notice results right away. But if you keep watering the seeds, roots start to grow and eventually, the plant will blossom. The same thing will happen in your life. The more you tend to these habits, then eventually you will see improvements in your life that will make you love living it.
