Nothing is final: the key to not giving up

At this moment there are thousands of people facing adversities that test their will and resources. For them, the pain has become unbearable, while hope has been lost. All attempts to improve the personal situation have been unsuccessful, and throwing in the towel seems the only way out.

Any of us can become that person; For this reason, in those moments it is good to remember that nothing is final, this is the key to not giving up.

The cruelest side of that despair is the moment when taking one’s own life seems the only way out. It is estimated that Every year about 700,000 people commit suicide and several studies have found that between 10% and 35% of youth have experienced suicidal ideation. For this reason, it is essential to have strategies to manage those emotions that, it seems, will never leave us.

Nothing is final: remember this when you are tempted to give up

In many cases, suicide and its attempts occur because the person is so immersed in suffering that they are unable to see a way out. So, The problem lies not so much in enduring the present pain, but in thinking that it will never stop..

We have all fallen into that trap of the mind. Although it is evident from the outside that the situation will improve sooner or later, fear, anguish and sadness can make us lose perspective and convince us that we will never be well again. And it is that hopelessness in the future that causes us the most harm.

This is precisely why it is good remember that nothing is final, that everything passes, that everything changes, that the sun will rise again. Carrying out this exercise in adverse situations can be really complicated; For this reason, we give you some suggestions to achieve it.

Thinking that everything will remain the same, that nothing will cease, is a trap of the mind.

Watch your cognitive biases

Cognitive biases are erroneous interpretations that we make of reality in a certain direction. Remember that How you feel is not a direct result of what happens to you, but of the way you perceive it, You analyze it and give it meaning. Thus, the ideas you generate in relation to your particular situation can magnify it and make it seem insurmountable or, on the contrary, help you weather the storm.

One of the cognitive biases that most often leads us to despair and makes us forget that nothing is permanent is overgeneralization. In this case, we extrapolate what happens to us at a given moment to other areas that are not related.

For example, we may think that “everything goes wrong for us” and that “we will never feel happy again.” In reality, not everything goes wrong for us (there are positive things in our lives beyond that adversity) and we have no evidence to affirm that the future will be negative.

It is important that When you find yourself thinking this way, stop and examine those beliefs. Are they true? What facts support what your mind affirms? You will realize how you yourself are sabotaging your emotional state with that internal dialogue.

Remember that you are resilient

An exercise that can be of great help when you go through moments when you want to give up is remember all those times in the past that you thought you couldn’t take it anymore, and yes you could. Remember those challenges that seemed insurmountable and that you faced successfully. Make yourself aware that, although you thought that nothing would get better, it did happen.

With this you will identify and value your resilience, a capacity that you already possess and can draw on at this moment. It is the ability to face adversity without leaving devastated, even managing to extract some learning. Surely, you have done it at various times in the past, and you can do it now. Don’t underestimate yourself, don’t give up, you are capable of moving forward.

Use the power of visualization

Finally, you can use visualization to see beyond this present that distresses you and project yourself into a more prosperous future And pleasant. Constantly ruminating in your mind about this painful reality that surrounds you will only increase your discomfort; don’t do this to yourself. Instead, know that the future will be better and focus on this image.

Visualization consists of imagining, as vividly as possible, a pleasant scene created at will. So, create an image of yourself in the future, having overcome this bump and imbue yourself with what you would feel at that moment: happiness, tranquility, gratitude, relief…

Repeat this visualization every day and you will see important changes. Firstly, your mood will progressively improve because, at least for a while each day, you will be taking your focus off of that present pain that is drowning you and focusing it on pleasant sensations.

Secondly, you will be closer and closer to that hopeful future, because Visualizing will give you the motivation you need to work for it..

Visualization can help project ourselves into a more prosperous and pleasant future.

Your current situation is not your final result, nothing is final

In sum, remember that No matter how painful your reality is today, the situation can always change.. Today you may feel alone, failed, helpless or hopeless, but this does not mean that tomorrow you will feel the same. If you knew that everything would get better, that everything would be different later, you wouldn’t give up.

Imagine that you are watching a movie of which you already know the ending. You wouldn’t be fazed by the twists in the script, even the ones where everything seems to go wrong, because you already know how it ends. You can apply the same to your life: This is just one chapter, don’t give up. Remember that nothing is final.

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