Feeling Hopeless? What to Do If You Feel Like You Have No Future

Hopelessness is an emotion where you feel like you have no future. You might also feel like you have nothing to look forward to in life, or that things will never get better. It’s a common symptom in major depression. And in some people, hopelessness can even be a risk factor for suicide. 

Hopelessness can be hard to deal with. After all, when you’re hopeless and depressed, it can become a vicious cycle. Your hopelessness can make it hard to do anything that can help you feel better or can improve your situation. 

Fortunately, there are things that you can do to help yourself feel better and reverse the cycle of hopelessness. Keep reading to learn about why you may be feeling hopeless — and how to find hope for the future again.

What does hopelessness feel like?

Hopelessness is a lack of hope. When you’re hopeless, you feel like things won’t ever get better. You’re convinced that nothing will work out and your circumstances will never change. Hopelessness can even make you feel like you have no future, and it may even be linked to suicidal thoughts. 

Hopelessness is a very difficult emotion to navigate. If you feel hopeless, you probably believe that nothing will help you, so you don’t see the point in trying to help yourself. Or perhaps you’ve tried and nothing has worked. 

But remember: You’re not alone. Many people have felt the exact same way, and they’ve come out feeling better on the other side. After all, hopelessness is just a feeling. And just like other feelings, hopelessness will pass. 

Why do I feel hopeless about my future?

It’s hard to say. Just like other feelings, hopelessness is a different experience for everyone. 

You might be experiencing hopelessness for any number of reasons: 

• Maybe you’ve recently experienced a setback that left you questioning the future. 

• Or maybe you recently lost a loved one or your job, and you’re grieving that loss. 

• Hopelessness can also be linked to things outside of your control, like climate change, politics, or racism. 

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A lot of the time, hopelessness will pass on its own. But sometimes, hopelessness can be a symptom of a mental health condition, like depression or bipolar disorder. This is especially likely if you’ve been feeling hopeless, sad, or depressed for 2 weeks or longer. 

Is hope important?

Yes. Hope is the opposite of hopelessness. It’s when you see the future in a positive way. When you have hope, you want good things to happen. And you believe they can happen — especially if you put in a little effort. 

Hope has three key parts: 

• Having goals

• Having a plan to achieve those goals

• Having motivation toward those goals

And the truth is: Hope is good for your body and mind. It’s associated with:

• Better physical and mental health

• Increased positive emotions

• More satisfaction in life

• Greater social well-being

• Better ability to emotionally cope with long-term illnesses

Keep in mind: Having hope and believing good things will happen if you try hard can be a privilege. Not everyone has the same opportunities or support to feel this way. Some people face more challenges in life. This can make it harder to have hope — even when they put in a lot of effort. 

What to do when you’re feeling hopeless

When you’re experiencing hopelessness, it can feel like nothing will ever get better. But the truth is: You can learn to feel hope again. 

First, it’s important to remember that your hopeless feelings might be coming from somewhere. As we mentioned above, it can be a totally normal reaction to a difficult life event. It can also be a symptom of a mental health condition, like major depression.

It’s also good to know that taking action can help you feel hopeful again — especially since you may be feeling hopeless about trying any new strategies. 

Let’s take a closer look at some of the things you can do to feel less hopeless. 

Reframe your thoughts

If you’re feeling hopeless, then you may be thinking thoughts like:

• “Things will never get better.”

• “I’ll never reach that goal.”

• “Life will always be a struggle.”

When you take a step back, you can see how these thoughts contribute to feeling sad, hopeless, or apathetic. Reframing or shifting your thoughts can potentially change the way that you feel. 

To reframe your thoughts, ask yourself questions like:

• Am I thinking in all-or-nothing terms?

• Are there times when this thought isn’t true?

• What’s another way that I can think about this situation?

From there, try to create a new thought that’s more flexible and constructive. For example, instead of “Life will always be a struggle” you can say: “There will be hard times, but I can do my best to try to make them better.” This can help you feel hopeful, instead of hopeless. 

Reframing can be difficult for some people. If you’re struggling with it on your own, you may benefit from working with a therapist who can coach you.

Practice gratitude

Practicing gratitude means focusing on what you do have, rather than what you don’t have. When you’re feeling down or hopeless, it can be hard to find gratitude. But with some effort, you can surely find something to be grateful for — even if it’s small. 

Here are some things to consider being grateful for, if you have them: 

• Your loved ones

• Your health

• Food and water

• Shelter

• An achievement

• A challenging event that helped you grow

• A delicious cup of coffee

• A kind smile from another person

• The sun on your face

Gratitude can go a long way when you’re feeling hopeless. You can practice it in the moment. Or you can create a daily gratitude practice, where you set aside time each day to list 10 things you’re thankful for.

Seek support

When you’re feeling hopeless, it’s easy to isolate yourself or to push other people away. But human connection is important. Having good social support is linked to better physical and mental health. Meanwhile, a lack of support is associated with depression.

Seeking out support can be difficult when you’re feeling hopeless. But it’s usually the time that you need it the most. Try to push yourself to connect with people in your current support network. Or consider reaching out to meet new people. 

Consider the following ways to seek support:

• Call or meet up with a family member or friend.

• Join a support group, like the ones offered through the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

• Sign up for a club or activity in your community.

• Volunteer.

When to talk to a doctor

If you’re feeling hopeless about the future, consider reaching out to a healthcare professional or therapist for support. This is especially important if you’re experiencing any of the following symptoms:

• Sadness, hopelessness, or irritability every day for more than 2 weeks

• Significant mood changes

• Excessive worry that’s hard to control

• Changes in sleeping or eating patterns

• Anger that’s difficult to manage

• Isolation from other people

• Inability to cope with problems or care for yourself

• Self-harming

• Suicidal thoughts

In some cases, it’s possible that your symptoms could be caused by a mental or physical health condition. Your healthcare professional or therapist can help you figure out what’s causing your hopelessness. And they can help put together a plan to bring back hope again. 

Will things get better?

Hopelessness and depression have a way of making you feel like things will never get better. But the truth is, many people who feel this way do improve — including people with mental health conditions, like major depression. 

It’s hard to find hope when you’re struggling, but even small glimmers of hope can make a big difference. Perhaps you can think of a hard time in your life that you overcame or another person who struggled and made it through. Try to hold onto these small bits of hope and use them to help guide you forward. 

Mental health support and resources

If you’re experiencing hopelessness or other symptoms, help is available. 

For assistance locating a mental health treatment provider or facility, you can:

• Call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357)

• Search the online treatment locator tool

• Contact your health insurance company

• Conduct an online search or use a provider directory

• Ask your healthcare professional for a referral

The following organizations offer information and additional support services for people experiencing mental health concerns:

• National Institute of Mental Health

• National Alliance on Mental Illness

• Anxiety and Depression Association of America

• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

And remember: If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, you’re not alone, and help is available. 

Call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, or text HOME to 741-741 to reach the Crisis Text Line. 

The Lifeline offers free and confidential support and is open 24 hours a day. 

You can also chat with the Lifeline here. 

Why trust our experts?

Written by:

Emily Guarnotta, PsyD

Emily Guarnotta, PsyD, is a licensed clinical psychologist and certified perinatal mental health professional with over 10 years of clinical experience.

Edited by:

Renée Fabian, MA

Renée Fabian is the senior pet health editor at GoodRx. She’s worked for nearly 10 years as a journalist and editor across a wide range of health and well-being topics.

Reviewed by:

India B. Gomez, PhD

India B. Gomez, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist with a certificate in Latin American Family Therapy. She completed her doctoral education at the California School of Professional Psychology/Alliant International University.

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