What to Do When Discouragement Hits and You Can't Shake It
There are days when discouragement doesn't announce itself. It just shows up. Sometimes as a thought, and sometimes as a feeling you can't quite name. Suddenly the thing you were so sure about feels shaky underneath your feet.
I’ve felt that wave hit before. Some days it passes quickly. Other days it lingers. Either way, I can feel the shift when it happens. I've learned I have to be proactive about not letting it take me off track when it does.
When the wave hits
If you've felt that wave too, whether it has come, gone, or hit you hard, I want you to know: you're doing better than you think. You've made real progress since last year. You are not alone. Everyone feels doubt and discouragement at times.
But here's what I want you to really hold onto: doubt doesn't mean you're not called to it. It usually means you care. You're passionate about what's in front of you. You want it to succeed. That feeling isn't a sign to stop it's a sign that what you're doing matters to you.
How to keep going anyway
Before discouragement steals your momentum, here are three small things you can do when the wave hits:
Name it out loud. Say "this is discouragement, not truth." Calling it what it is takes away some of its power.
Go back to your why. Read something you wrote when you first started like a journal entry, a note to yourself, a vision you wrote down. Reconnect with what moved you to begin.
Do the next smallest thing. Not the whole vision. Just today's one step. Overwhelm can cause doubt to become idleness. Momentum is rebuilt one small action at a time.
I won't paint a fairytale and promise it will all work out exactly the way you hope because that's between you and God. But often, it does work. Just not always how we imagined.
So don't give up when doubt creeps in. Be encouraged. God gave you a gift. You were created for such a time as this. And now is the time to turn it up. Whether that means turning up your consistency, your marketing, or your rest and self-care.
Discouragement can try to steal your momentum. But if what you're pursuing is part of your purpose, don't let it win. Lean on God. Surrender the heaviness. And keep going.
You've got this.
If this resonated with you, I write about healing, identity, and learning to live fully every week in my newsletter From the Heart. Join the Rewritten Hearts community and get reflections like this one straight to your inbox.