10 simple things you can do when life seems meaningless

Do you ever feel like life is meaningless?

We all go through challenging times; some are expected, while others catch us by surprise.

I had this exact phase just a few weeks ago, no matter what I did, life just seemed so meaningless to me.

Before I got to my breaking point, I decided to take things into my own hands and find meaning in life again.

The things I did brought me back on track and now, just a few weeks later, I feel better than I have in years.

I want you to feel the same way, so here are some things you can do when life seems meaningless:

1) Hang out with friends

Numerous studies through the years have shown that a strong network of friends can help you feel less alone and more connected.

When we feel lonely, our body produces cortisol and other stress hormones, which can affect our immune system and make us more likely to get sick.

Friendships can also make us happier and improve our mood.

Friendships help you learn empathy, build better mental and emotional health, and help you feel less alone.

Research has shown that friends also help you stay physically healthy. They increase your chances of getting regular exercise and eating well.

Having strong friendships can also help you get through tough times, like a breakup or a death in the family.

Now: why am I mentioning this as the first point?

Well, I don’t know about you, but when I start feeling as though life is meaningless and there is no point to it all, that’s also usually the time I start to isolate myself.

If you’re going through a tough time, or just need to get out of your head, reach out to friends and family.

Believe it or not, brooding over how meaningless life is while sitting alone in your room will not get you out of that mindset!

Instead, try to reach out to your friends and hang out. If you feel like you don’t have a lot of genuine friends, it’s never too late to make new ones.

Yes, you simply need to get out there and take action. It’s not going to be easy, but I promise it will make a difference.

Join a club or a gym and just talk to some people. Sooner than you think you’ll meet like-minded individuals who can help you through the rough times.

2) Go on a walk

Exercising is one of the best ways to boost your mood and energy levels.

While this might not sound like much, when you’re feeling low, a walk can make a huge difference.

Walking outside can also help you feel more connected to the world around you.

While you walk, try to clear your head. Think about the things that are bothering you and find ways to let them go.

When we let go of negative things, we create room for positive things to come in.

When you go on a walk, try to walk outside.

Not only will the fresh air help you feel less depressed, but it will also boost your mood and energy levels.

For me, when life feels meaningless, going outside and seeing nature, or a beautiful sunset is usually what makes me go “oh, that’s the meaning of it all”.

There is so much beauty all around us and we are here to experience it.

Try to walk outside when you feel like life is meaningless, it’s a much better way to get through the rough times than sitting in your room.

Walking will help to boost your endorphins while nature will remind you that there is a bigger picture, that is worth living for.

For me personally, seeing plants like trees keeps reminding me that there doesn’t need to be this one big reason for everything. Simply existing is enough.

3) Find your purpose

If you’re feeling disconnected from life, one of the best ways to find new meaning is to look at what you want to do in life.

When we have a goal, something to look forward to, we feel more fulfilled.

Even if you don’t know what you want to do in life, you can start with small goals, like going to the gym more often or eating more healthily.

When you achieve one goal, it can lead to setting more goals, and slowly, but surely, you will find what you want to do with your life.

You see, a lack of purpose is almost always the driver to feel as if life is meaningless.

After all, we give our lives meaning by what we do and by the goals that we set for ourselves.

If you want to find your purpose in life, try to think about what you want to do with your life.

Don’t just think about what you don’t want to do, but also think about what you do want to do.

This was really difficult for me. I just couldn’t figure out what my purpose in life was.

However, I ended up finding my true purpose.

I learned a new way to discover my purpose after watching Ideapod co-founder Justin Brown’s video on the hidden trap of improving yourself.

He had realized that things such as visualization might not actually help you all that much when trying to find your purpose (a fact I had already come to terms with).

Instead, he had a completely new approach, one that honestly blew my mind quite a bit.

After watching the video, I finally knew how to figure out my own purpose.

Once I had a purpose, I knew for a fact that life is not meaningless, so I really recommend you find your own purpose, either by yourself or through the help of this video!

4) Watch a movie you love or read your favorite book

When you’re feeling low, reading or watching your favorite movie can help you escape from your problems and bring you joy.

When you’re feeling low, it can also be hard to focus on reading or watching something new, so it can be a good idea to go back to what always made you happy.

While you watch or read, try to let go of any worries or thoughts that are bothering you.

Focus on the story or what you’re reading, and it will make you feel better.

Rewatching my favorite movies or reading my favorite books over and over again helps me to dive into another world, another reality.

It helps me to get really excited about something again, even if it’s just for a short time.

I often find myself making faces, laughing, or even crying when I watch my favorite movies.

This is a really good way to get rid of the negative emotions that you have.

If you want to watch your favorite movie, there are many options out there, so try searching for something that you like and see if it makes you feel good.

The thing is, as soon as you feel something again, you will realize that life has meaning, even if right now, your meaning is simply to read your favorite book again.

5) Take care of yourself

When you feel low, it can be easy to neglect yourself.

You might decide to eat less, sleep less, or do less exercise. But when you’re low, you need to take even better care of yourself.

When you take better care of yourself, you also bring better things into your life.

You might not notice the difference immediately, but it’s important to take care of yourself even when you don’t feel like it.

When you focus on self-care, you will realize how good it feels to be taken care of by yourself, even if it’s just taking a shower.

The more you care for yourself, the more you will realize that life is worth living.

You will feel clean and nice and all of that will just add to the fact that you feel better.

6) Do something nice for others

When you’re feeling low, it can be easy to turn inward and ignore the outside world.

But it’s important to do things for others, as it can make you feel better and make the world a better place.

When you do something nice for others, you get a boost of happy hormones, which will help you feel better.

When you do something nice for others, you don’t have to spend a lot of money. Even small gestures, like giving someone a compliment, can lift your mood.

The thing is, seeing joy light up in other people’s eyes is usually for me what reminds me that life is worth living.

It is so beautiful to see the joy in other people’s eyes when they see something you have done for them.

It reminds me that there’s still a reason to live, even if I feel empty and hopeless.

The more I do that, the better I start to feel until I have enough energy to really find meaning in my own life again.

7) Practice gratitude

When we’re low, it’s easy to focus on the things we don’t have and the things that are bothering us.

But when you feel low, it’s important to practice gratitude.

When you practice gratitude, you focus on the things you have and how lucky you are to have them in your life.

When you think of all the things you’re grateful for, it can help you feel more positive.

It can also help you focus on what’s important in your life. When you focus on all the things you’re grateful for, it can make you feel more fulfilled in life.

For me, having a gratitude journal on my phone really did the trick.

I would write down things I was grateful for every day, and by doing this, I started to feel a lot better.

You might be skeptical at first, but trust me when I say that practicing gratitude can really make you feel better.

While being in a rut of feeling like life is meaningless, you might start to believe that no matter what you do, nothing good is ever happening.

Gratitude will help you to see the beauty all around you and how much you truly have to be grateful for!

The thing is, we live such beautiful lives, but sometimes we are so consumed by our own thoughts that we can’t even see it!

8) Reinvent yourself

When you feel low, it can be easy to think of yourself as a failure.

It can be easy to think that you’re not good enough, or you don’t have enough experience.

But sometimes, a low phase can help you see potential in yourself and make you want to reinvent yourself.

While you’re low, you might have time to read and learn more about what you want to do with your life, which can help you discover new interests and skills you didn’t know you had.

When you reinvent yourself, it can help you find more purpose in life and make you feel more fulfilled.

And the best part?

You will realize that you can be whoever you want to be! There are no rules to this!

If you decide to drop everything and go travel tomorrow, guess what? Technically, nobody can stop you!

You can be whatever person you want to be, if you have the right mindset.

In life, there are no rules but your own rules.

By reinventing yourself and doing what you want to do in life, it can help you break out of your rut and make you feel more motivated to move forward in life.

You can get really creative with this, think about who you would ideally want to be, and then write down what steps you could take to become that person!

9) Live with intention, not on autopilot

When you’re feeling low, it can be easy to fall into a trap of living on autopilot.

You go to work, come home, eat, and then go to sleep.

But when you’re low, you need to break out of this rut and remember to live with intention.

When you live with intention, you decide what you want to do with your time.

This might mean making time for things that make you happy, even if it’s not something that helps you advance in life.

When you live with intention, you have more control over your life. You don’t feel so lost and confused, and you can start making the changes you need to make.

But that doesn’t mean you need to be less productive or do anything crazy.

Simply practice being more mindful and intentional about everything you do.

When you drink your coffee, don’t hurry, savor the taste in your mouth. When you get ready in the morning, notice how good brushing your teeth feels on your gums.

I know it sounds strange, but try to see the world through the eyes of a child.

And then, when you feel yourself starting to fall into the autopilot trap, mentally say ‘stop!’ and start living with intention.

10) Pursue deep connections

When you feel low, it’s easy to focus on surface-level connections.

You might want to spend more time alone. But when you feel low, it’s important to focus on pursuing deep connections.

Deep connections are the ones that make you feel like you’re truly understood.

When you’re with people who make you feel like you can be yourself, it can help you feel less alone and more positive in your life.

Deep connections will also help you feel less stressed and more confident in yourself.

When you have deep connections, you can reach out to the people in your life and feel more supported.

But in order to have deep connections, you need to lose your fear of vulnerability.

If you’re afraid of being vulnerable, it can make it difficult to share your true feelings with others.

But when you’re courageous enough to be vulnerable, you can feel more connected to the people around you.

Vulnerability is the key to moving past your low points and feeling more positive in your life.

Even though it is scary, being vulnerable will remind you that there is a point to living and that things do have a meaning, even if, at first, it doesn’t seem like they do.

You got this!

When life feels meaningless, it can be easy to get lost in your own head and feel like nothing will ever get better.

There are ways to overcome a low phase, though, and most of them just require you to take charge of your life and make a few positive changes.

When you feel like life is meaningless, remember that you can always make things better.

I hope that this article gave you a few ideas on how to turn your life around and find meaning in it again.

Remember, if you ever feel like things are getting too much to handle, don’t be afraid to reach out for help.

You got this!