Feeling trapped in the clutches of despair can be overwhelming, but it's not a life sentence. Discover seven transformative steps that can guide you out of daily despair and into a life filled with hope, joy, and renewed vitality.

“If you cannot make a change, change the way you have been thinking. You might find a new solution.” ~Maya Angelou

Many of our problems-the stumbling blocks that hold us back-are often there because we get in our own way.

  • We simply can’t see clearly enough to evaluate our problems and realize that each one links back to an action or thought that created it.

Trace back to the thoughts or actions that caused your stuck feeling

Reflect on what you truly want out of life and what you must do to get back on course.

  • The answers often are not complex. They’re just hidden because you lost your focus on what’s important.

Break the pattern

Stop what you are doing and emotionally remove yourself from the situation

  • Find a quiet place where you can retreat for alone time during all spare moments
  • Tell yourself you are leaving all your worries outside the door and you will pick them up later if you decide to

Trust the process

Your subconscious, creative, problem-solving mind takes time to process properly. Be patient.

Free your mind

During your free time, don’t think about problem-solving

  • Focus on resting, healing, and gifting yourself with positive, healthy thoughts and experiences
  • Change your daily activities to calming ones
  • Read only uplifting things
  • Get to bed early when possible
  • Practice silence

Reset your reality through change

Once you’ve cleared your mind, absorbed input from a trusted resource, and eased into daydreaming, you can start making some changes in your life.

  • Your answer doesn’t have to mean changing your work. You can change whatever aspect of your life is causing your pain.

Collect ideas to kick-start your thinking

Determine the key issue you are struggling with and find a high-quality resource to begin collecting ideas

  • Resources to address your problem are at your fingertips
  • Find something that sparks your interest and has received top recommendations from others, and dive in

Give your situation some preliminary thought

Begin to gently daydream some possibilities

  • Approach this in a relaxed way-not grasping for answers but allowing them to surface naturally if they do.
  • This is a creative process
  • During this time, run ideas through your mind to see if sharing your yoga experiences is a possibility.

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