How to Get Over Being Cynical About Life

Posted by Arlin on November 12th, 2019

Does it feel like every day is the worst day of your life? Does it feel like you're the main character in Office Space, just getting through the day and wondering what the point of it all is?

If you've ever been at a place in your life when things seem to be all downhill and you can't turn it around, this article is for you. We're going to talk about 5 quick things you can do to stop being so cynical about life and get back on track.

Make it Less About Yourself

Of course, if you are always focusing on yourself and what you don't have, it will never feel like enough. What if instead you focused on those less fortunate than you and what you can do to help them? This helps in two ways: 1) By helping others you will boost your self-esteem; and 2) You'll become more aware that you're not alone in your suffering and other people need help too.

Set Some Goals

If you don't have any goals, then you're just going to be a rudderless ship sailing haphazardly across the ocean. On the other hand, if you set some 90-day goals, break them down into Month 1, Month 2, and Month 3 goals, and then write out the tasks each week that you're going to do to meet your goals, you'll be a whole lot more motivated to get your butt in gear.

Practice Healthy Habits

Of course you will feel like *crap* if you eat Cheetos every day, don't exercise, and drink nothing but Red Bull. Clean up your diet, get regular exercise (even walking counts!), and make sure you are drinking 2 litres of water a day. Watch your world change.

Keep Track

The simple act of jotting down some notes each day about how you are feeling and what you are doing will make it easier to see what stresses you out and what calms you. I like to use a simple app on my phone that lets me keep notes each day of the month. The app is called Hormone Horoscope and also helps me track my moods based on hormone changes through the month (perfect for women with PMS).

Make Some Changes

Sometimes things suck because they actually do suck. In those cases, the best thing you can do is to re-evaluate your situation and see what you can change. Your job, home, friends, etc. may all be helping or hurting your mental health. It's your job to make sure that nothing is holding you back from living the life that you really want.

To recap, if you want to start being less cynical about your life, you need to stop thinking so much about yourself, set some goals, practice healthy habits, keep track of how you feel each day, and make any big changes to your life that are needed to make it possible to pursue the life you desire. Remember, in the end nobody can make these changes for you; you've got to commit to making them yourself.

Want to read more? What to Do When "I Hate My Life" is Your Mantra