Uncharted: Navigating Life When You Feel Lost

It's one of the worst feelings in the world to feel lost. As if nothing in life makes sense, and you have nothing left to grab onto in order to move forward. Like walking off a pier into the deep, dark unknown – a feeling of isolation and utter disorientation that can render you helpless and angry at the world at the same time.

It's one thing to lose your footing momentarily, or to wander away from the path you thought you were on. Everyone has experienced moments of confusion. But it's quite another to find yourself adrift; to feel alone and without purpose, without the means or will to change anything about the situation.

When everything else fails, what is one to do when they feel so lost that their dreams, ambitions and hopes seem just out of reach? How do you even get started, when confusion clouds your mind and leaves you unable to navigate your own course?

The answer might not be as daunting as it seems. While it's impossible to brush away all of the fears and doubts that loom over us during these times, there are ways to create a plan of action that can help you find your way back onto a more stable path.

One key part of this is to figure out where you want to go, even if it feels distant and unimaginable. What is the feeling you want the end result to bring? Ask yourself this simple question – what do I want to feel?

Focusing on the positive emotions that you desire when this journey is complete can provide focus and mindset necessary for success. This can be a long process – especially as many of our fears and insecurities hide deep down below the surface. But by coming up with an emotionally focused goal, you can begin to build the momentum you need to stay the course and keep pushing through the fog of confusion.

As this practice begins to become easier and more instinctive, you can start to pair it with actions and real steps you can take to reach those goals. This is an important step, as it helps bridge the gap between the dream and reality. By returning again and again to your core intention, and allowing it to inform your decisions, you can begin to inch closer and closer to successfully navigating unknown waters and achieving a sense of peace and clarity.

Sometimes good navigation requires more than simply asking questions and setting intentions. Breaking tasks into smaller chunks can be a powerful tool, since too much ambiguity can be overwhelming. Creating an action plan (with realistic tasks) not only helps to break the process of finding your way into something more manageable but allows you to build momentum and reward yourself along the way.

When our fear of failure and negative judgement become roadblocks, it can be helpful to return to the basics – like taking inventory of your current resources, skills, and strengths. Reflecting on successes of the past can often help boost motivation and helps to create a permanent habit of confidence and trust in your decision making.

Only you know what will work best for you, so start small and take the time to go inward. This self-reflection and the related actions can help restore the balance and give you access to the clarity you've been seeking. Even if it feels like it is going to take forever, remembering that each inch of progress brings you closer to ending up exactly where you want to be can help you keep moving forward. So while there is no guaranteed method to achieving a sense of direction, by following the inner guidance you do have and trusting in yourself, you can make an effort to steady the ship, create a plan of action, and eventually find your way back to shore – whatever shore that may be.