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by
Aletheia Luna
July 06, 2024
from
LonerWolf Website
There's no doubt about it:
feeling lost can feel anxiety-provoking,
demoralizing, and depressing.
How do I know?
I've been there before.
Some recent moments that come to mind have
centered around my work, relationships, and general purpose in
life.
Perhaps on your side, you're feeling lost,
after leaving a job, working through an
education degree, going through a big life transition such as a
marriage, divorce, death, or birth of a child,
...or you feel general malaise and unease
surrounding your existential meaning of life.
In my experience of feeling lost about a million times in life,
there's a lot of inner hidden shame that comes with the experience,
aka.:
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"Shouldn't I have my sh*t figured out
already?"
-
"I thought I finally knew my path, what
the hell happened?"
-
"Why do I feel like I want to do
something different all of a sudden? I've already put in so
much effort already!"
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"What is wrong with me?"
To answer at least one of your questions,
there's nothing wrong with you...
Feeling lost is absolutely and positively
normal, and we ALL go through this experience in life (usually
many times)...
I'm going to share WHY feeling lost is not only
normal but also why it can actually be a positive thing.
I'll also share some helpful tips for finding your path and eighteen
enlightening journaling prompts that can give you more direction and
clarity.
What Causes a Person to Feel Lost?
If you feel lost or like you have no direction and don't know the
answers (or what to do next), it usually means any of the following:
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The life, path, or direction that you're
moving in doesn't align with your deeper needs, dreams, or
gifts.
-
You're ready to grow and evolve as a
person in a whole new and different way.
-
You're disconnected from the voice of
your heart and soul and have come to a standstill in order
to rest and reconnect with your
higher self...
Often, feeling lost is a sign that you've
innocently been listening to the voice of the mind (or ego) instead
of the deeper and wiser voice of the soul.
Other times, feeling lost is simply a sign that you're ready to
metaphorically shed an old skin that feels too tight and
restricting, and expand in new and unforeseen ways.
On the wheel of the
Spiritual Wanderer's Journey,
feeling lost signifies that you're in phase one of the inner path,
where you feel a calling to go searching for what truly fulfills
your soul.
Is Feeling Lost Okay... and
Normal?
Yes...!
I've never heard of or met a person who has everything figured out
100% of the time - that just isn't a reality!
To be human is to be in a state of flux, change, and evolution. And
feeling lost is a completely normal, healthy, and positive part of
that.
Just look at nature... and by the way, don't forget that we are
nature - on a human level, we're mammals who "evolved"
from the great apes:
There tides of the ocean have a natural ebb
and flow.
Trees grow leaves and then shed them.
Animals carry shells, grow too big, and then
go in search of new ones.
Caterpillars dissolve in cocoons and become
butterflies.
Snakes shed their skin.
Day turns into night...
Within nature, we can observe moments of
transition and change everywhere.
The same happens with us humans - except because we're usually out
of touch with the Tao or the flow of Spirit, we tend
to interpret these natural shifts as "something going wrong."
As a result, we feel lost and start becoming obsessively preoccupied
with that feeling.
What to Do When You Are Feeling
Lost - 3 Tips
Feeling lost can often bring feelings of anxiety, sadness, and even
depression.
If you're experiencing any of these feelings, my heart goes out to
you. I know what it feels like to be totally lost, with no
direction, no purpose, and no clarity in life.
Furthermore, these feelings of lostness can also make us feel
isolated and lonely, especially if everyone else seems to "have it
all figured out" (which they don't, by the way).
Based on personal experience, here are some of the most simple and
direct tips I have for dealing with this empty feeling of being
lost:
1. Cultivate intentional
quietness and silence all external voices
As much as possible, try to distance yourself from all the noisy
voices out there that flood your mind with drama and irrelevant
static.
Take an extended break from social media.
Turn off your phone notifications.
Simplify and carefully select your
"information diet" or what your brain takes in each day.
Be a mental and emotional minimalist
right now.
What I recommend doing is embracing solitude,
silence, and stillness for a few days, weeks, or months.
Intentional quietness is essential for creating
the space needed to tune into your inner voice again - and
it's this internal force that knows what you truly need, want,
and desire on a deeper level.
2. Creatively express your inner
world and e-motions each day
Creative self-expression is a powerful way of helping you to
befriend and process feeling lost so that it doesn't sit like a
heavy weight in your mind and body.
You may have come across the saying that emotions are
energy in motion ("e-motion"), and when you tune into your
feelings, you'll know that it's true.
Having some kind of outlet to express those complicated emotions
is not only relaxing and healing, but it can also provide
tremendous clarity and, often, even inner direction.
Examples of creative self-expression could be journaling,
drawing, writing a song, writing a story, singing, scrapbooking,
dancing, or anything that requires you to create something
unique and fresh.
Feeling lost will then cease to become a horrible cursed feeling
and instead become an evocative muse to inspire your heartfelt
creations.
3. Be an autodidact and let your spirit wander
An autodidact is a self-taught person, someone who delights in
self-education.
When you're struggling with feeling lost, it may be because you
haven't let your spirit wander into exploring new refreshing
fields, philosophies, and teachings.
Sometimes, feeling lost happens because we lack enough
quality information or unique perspectives and paths
available to us.
Instead, we stuff our minds with the
half-thought-out junk food information found on places
like social media (Tik-Tok, FaceBook, Instagram, etc.)
Is it any wonder we feel lost?
If you spend large portions of your time externally focused, you're
probably mentally and spiritually malnourished - and this directly
contributes to feelings of emptiness and lostness.
Adopt the philosophy of being a passionate
learner.
Start reading soul-nourishing books again.
Explore new teachings, paths, and
philosophies that you've always had an interest in, but have
never given yourself permission to explore.
18 Journaling Prompts For Feeling
Lost and Finding Your Path Again
As I mentioned above, journaling is one powerful form of creative
self-expression that can help you find your path again when feeling
lost.
Questions can open magical doorways of insight and are powerful ways
to go soul searching.
Feel free to pick and choose any of the journaling prompts below
that resonate with you - they have been designed to help you gain
more clarity and direction:
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Why does feeling lost make you feel so
uncomfortable? Explore your thoughts and feelings.
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If you could change any one thing in your
life without negative consequences, what would it be, and
why?
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What is your unique definition of
"success"?
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Name the feelings that have been arising
inside of you recently. What deeper lessons might they be
trying to teach you?
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If you could pick any spirit animal to
accompany you on your life journey right now, what would it
be, and why?
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Off the top of your head, list five of
your values. Then reflect on them.
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List three non-negotiables (or core
needs) in life that you hold close to your heart.
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We all have a fantasy or "ideal" self in
our minds that we try to live up to. What does your fantasy
self look like, sound like, and behave like? How might this
fantasy self be limiting you?
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What does the mind's voice vs. the soul's
voice sound like within you? How can you tell the
difference?
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In what parts of life are you the
unhappiest? Why?
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In what parts of life are you the
happiest? Why?
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If there was no one else in your life
telling you what to do or who you should be, what would your
inner voice tell you?
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Place a hand over your heart and imagine
that a wise old man, woman, or person is sitting in front of
you.
What advice would they give you? Write in
their voice.
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What do you love doing in your free time?
If you can't think of anything, what did you love doing as a
teenager or child? How can you bring that more into your
life?
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We all carry many "shoulds" around that
limit our ability to be true to ourselves.
List some of your "shoulds" and reflect
on them, e.g.,
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"I should study to be a doctor
because that's what my parents want me to do"
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"I should feel happy about this
job offer"
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"I should want to be friends with
this person," etc...
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How is the you now different from the you
one year ago? What has changed, evolved, and expanded?
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What is the bright or positive side of
feeling lost?
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Visualize your life from the perspective
of your deathbed. What are you the proudest of having done
or experienced in your lifetime?
All of these questions have been chosen to help
you directly or indirectly gain some clarity and perspective about
where you are on the winding path of life right now.
Be gentle, take your time, and feel free to bookmark this page to
return to!
Feeling Lost in Life is Normal and
Healthy
Feeling lost isn't only normal, but it's actually HEALTHY...!
Why?
Feeling lost is a sign that you're growing
and evolving as a person, or at the very least, you've come to a
threshold of change.
We must all outgrow old ways of living and being in this world.
Feeling lost is what happens when we enter into that
uncomfortable liminal space of inner expansion and
transformation - and that's a positive thing.
Imagine if we were always traveling on the same
perfect path, never deviated, and never grew or evolved as a
person... how boring and empty would that be?
Not knowing the path ahead isn't necessarily
a bad thing.
It's a little scary, yes.
But it also means that there are new
possibilities ahead of us that we can't quite see yet.
Be a
lone wolf and embrace them...!
You may find that the more open you are to
accepting feeling lost, the more clarity, purpose, and direction
you'll discover.
The path will eventually become clear once you stop resisting these
feelings and turn inwards.
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