Ways to Create Meaning in Your Life
Since the beginning of time, humans have struggled to find the answer to what is the meaning of their own lives. In some cases, people have found it in their careers, their families, their hobbies, or religion. In other cases, people without an answer turn to things to fulfill them with temporary meaning that inevitably leaves them hollow and empty inside.
The sweet trap of substance abuse tricks users into giving them a sense of hope, of meaning in life, then rips that away as the high wears off. One cannot live a life that is devoid of meaning for very long. Finding a purpose or a meaning in your own life can be tricky – especially during adolescence. Your life may have previously been given meaning by your parents, and now, you wonder what life really has to offer. In these moments of deconstruction, it is a rare occurrence that one actually rebuilds their life with a new meaning. They simply deconstruct the old one, understand that it’s an uncomfortable and difficult process to find a new meaning, then live their life in some sort of waking despair.
This doesn’t have to be you, however. While these steps aren’t concrete, and might not work for everyone in turn, they might give you a good place to start as you try to ask and answer these difficult questions.
Nobody has the one true answer, and that’s the trick – finding something that you believe in enough to devote your life to it. That’s what finding meaning is, and that’s what you should strive to find.
Happiness Alone Isn’t the Answer
Happiness chasers end up in places that they generally don’t want to be. Always chasing that next high, the next thing that will fulfill them in a way that they are familiar with. While happiness is an important ingredient to a fulfilled life and a life with purpose, happiness is a product of a life already filled, not the recipe for it.
There are still celebrities with massive depression, feel terrible and don’t like their lives – these are people that most look at and think to themselves “wow, if I had as much money and opportunity as they did, I wouldn’t have any problems at all.” However if we know that they actually do have problems in their life, they do still struggle with many of the same problems that we do, we recognize that maybe all of the stuff in the world still just isn’t enough to solve the problem of life.
Take back control of your life and start on the road to recovery now.
Accept That Life is Full of Ups and Downs
Life is filled with drama, hard times, and good times. While we naturally try to avoid bad times, it’s often the case that in those hard times we learn the most about ourselves and how to overcome our weaknesses. Hard times grow people, and a life without drama is a boring life to live.
Accept Reality
Life is harsh. There is not a single person on this earth that doesn’t experience some kind of misfortune throughout their lives. Even the best of lives can still be met with some kind of hardship. Accepting this reality is key in understanding yourself and what you can expect from life.
Expectations are one of the hardest parts of life, and while they are necessary in some cases they can cause much hurt if the expectations are falsely set or not met when appropriately set. Accepting these parts of life will make your life easier, but it won’t necessarily give your life meaning.
Know Yourself
A meaningful life is one that knows the answer to the question “who am I?” and “What do I like?” While these seem like easy, first-date types of questions, answering them genuinely can present more of a challenge than some people care to admit. Knowing the answer for yourself is something that can be extremely freeing in the long run.
Those who live a meaningful life know what they should be working towards, what they should be dedicating their time to, who they should be talking to and what they should talk about. Again, these seem like trivial questions – but without asking them honestly one might forget and live a life that never addresses any of them.
Build Relationships
Building relationships is one of the key components to the human experience. One needs to find a community and where they belong to help understand themselves. Humans can be better understood in their own context, and without it they can be quite lost. Figure out who your people are, how you interact with them, how you want to interact with them, and do your best to meet those expectations.
Humans are social creatures. We need to have a community to live, and choosing a good community is a challenge. Don’t take these decisions lightly, look for people that you can build up and they can build you up also.
This can be a difficult journey, but you don’t have to go it alone. Let us be your guide and provide you the environment needed to regain control of your life and begin the path to recovery.
Don’t Hyperfocus
None of these tips will be good on their own, but they will help you if they are all taken as a package. Learn yourself and you will find meaning in your own life.
If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction, reach out to us at ecosoberhouse.devshell.site. We are ready and waiting for you, we can help.
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