hey everyone and welcome to top think today we're going to learn about how to deal with
that feeling of emptiness now let's begin number one acknowledge your problem if you're struggling
with emptiness denial is the last place you want to be many people make the mistake of ignoring
their problems for too long they pretend their emptiness doesn't exist hoping the issue will
magically fix itself but you know it won't in fact your issue might get worse until it starts taking
over your life so what should you do instead psych central explains in a 20-18 article that
acknowledging your problem is a great place to start it's one of the most effective ways to
slowly come to terms with your emptiness but how do you acknowledge your problem in a positive way
one approach is to hone in on what changed in your life you might ask yourself am I feeling
unsatisfied with my career did a loved one pass away recently am i lonely after a breakup all
of these changes can create powerful feelings of emptiness so it's important to know exactly where
your emptiness comes from this strategy focuses on bringing those specific feelings to the surface
many people instinctively bury them deep down but those buried emotions still affect your mood and
your attitude that's why this approach encourages people to acknowledge those negative emotions to
stop denying or feeling guilty for their emptiness instead psych central recommends showing your self
compassion stop trying to change your feelings and start forgiving yourself for having them
because feeling empty is hard no matter who you are number two the power of journaling journaling
can be a powerful form of self-reflection not only does your journal offer a place to quietly
think about your daily life it also gives you an opportunity to explore your own emotions according
to the University of Rochester Medical Center if you're struggling with emptiness that emotional
exploration can work wonders it can help you understand your feelings and gradually put
those negative emotions behind you the one big problem with journaling is its reputation most
people simply don't understand what journaling does or why it's helpful you might have this
vision in your head of a teenager writing love notes in their diary to you journaling might
feel childish or like a waste of time but the truth is your journal can be an amazing place
to work through your emotions you can use it to blow off steam work through stress or just
get a better understanding of yourself in other words journaling can be a serious therapeutic or
light-hearted as you want it to be so don't shy away from the experience just because you think
it's not for you so how exactly does journaling help you deal with emptiness a 2011 study from the
Journal of creativity and mental health explains that journaling or any kind of expressive writing
develops self-awareness personal growth and emotional intelligence a slightly older study
published in the same journal in 2009 describes how expressive writing helps you understand your
emotions because it turns those abstract emotions into something tangible which makes them so much
easier to wrap your head around when your emotions feel real you start asking difficult questions you
start challenging your assumptions and over time you learn more about your own shortcomings there
are quite a few more studies that describe just how effective journaling can be it can help with
everything from loneliness to work-related stress so if you're struggling with emptiness if you're
feeling lost or unfulfilled try putting your emotions down on paper number three examine your
relationships why do outgoing and popular people still struggle with emptiness how can someone like
a celebrity feel empty when they're surrounded by friends and fans when it comes to relationships
quality Trump's quantity every single time many socialites try to deal with their emptiness by
making more and more friends by connecting with as many people as they can but the problem is those
connections never move past the surface one or two deep meaningful friendships can outweigh hundreds
of shallow ones in other words you should take the time to really bond with the people in your life
you should get to know them and let them get to know you because those personal bonds are going
to tell you one of two things either you'll find people you can genuinely trust people you can
communicate and connect with on a deeper level or you'll realize that you're filling your life with
the wrong kinds of people you might be surrounded by friends who are toxic or who just don't care
about you for you those bad relationships can make you feel lonely trapped and unhappy so if
emptiness is something you struggle with you might want to take an honest look at your relationships
number four avoid social media emptiness pushes many people toward social media you might rely
on the likes and compliments from these online communities to boost your ego to make you feel
like you're important or that you matter those things are true you are important and you do
matter but social media isn't the right place to deal with your emptiness why well because
that virtual attention disappears almost instantly it might make you feel good in a moment but it's
just a distraction and those negative emotions those feelings of emptiness are going to come
back even stronger than before a 20-18 study from the University of Pennsylvania investigated the
mental impact of popular social media platforms like Facebook snapchat and Instagram it turns
out the more time participants spent on social media the more lonely they felt their general
well-being suffered their self-esteem diminished and in some cases their self-worth disappeared
entirely if you're feeling empty social media is not the answer yeah I know it feels good to see
people like your photos and comment on your posts but overusing social media can make you feel empty
over time so to move past your emptiness spend less time online and more time in the present
number 5 close your wallet much like social media shopping is another trap that can make
you feel even emptier the media makes all kinds of promises to fill that void in your life every
day we see commercials that advertise adventurous happy and exciting lifestyles we watch actors live
the lives we wish we were living and deep down we become convinced that some expensive product
is the only thing standing in our way so what do we do we open our wallets and we shall out
some cash only to realize we're no better off than we were before the simple truth is no high
tech phone expensive sports car or advanced game system is gonna make your empty feelings go away
no matter how much money you spend you can't buy things like fulfillment meaning or purpose in life
these are priceless emotions that you have to discover all on your own so instead of scouring
the internet for your next big purchase search for something bigger inside yourself because
there are plenty of fulfilling things you can do without spending a dime number 6 alone time when
they're feeling empty many people turn to the world around them they try to spend more time
with friends and family the experiment with all kinds of new activities hoping one of them will
fill that void or give their life some exciting new direction but is that really how you deal
with emptiness according to psych central a better answer is to do the opposite set
aside more time to spend by yourself no matter where your emptiness comes from alone time can
help you overcome those negative emotions because it helps you get in touch with your own thoughts
that's the problem with constantly socializing or trying new activities every five seconds you're
filling up all the space in your life which means you spend a lot less time thinking about yourself
in a sense you're using these distractions to run away from your emptiness but you can't run away
forever that's why alone time is so important it gives you room to digest your thoughts and make
the kind of mental and emotional changes that really chip away at your emptiness but there is
a right and a wrong way to be alone many people spend their alone time thinking about their own
negativity they sit alone in the dark feeling bored and aimless that this kind of solitude
will leave you feeling even emptier than you did before instead psych central recommends filling
your alone time with motivational activities like self-reflection and setting new goals for
your future these habits focus on solving your emptiness and not just running away from it that
way you rediscover a sense of purpose in your life and embark on a new and exciting journey
number seven reinvent your routine routines can be an effective way to build motivation
and self-discipline but sometimes if you do the exact same routine every day it can make you feel
empty like you've lost that spark that wakes you up in the morning you may feel like you're
just going through the motions instead of feeling truly passionate about your work so if this sounds
familiar it might be time to change your routine okay let's say you want to light a fire under
yourself in the morning you might add a workout regimen right after you wake up or figure out
an exciting way to inspire yourself on your way to work even those small adjustments can inject a bit
of novelty back into your life and that novelty makes things more fun and interesting so whenever
life is starting to feel stale don't be afraid to reinvent your daily routine hey thank you
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