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If you're hopeless, you're bound to have thoughts like: "It's hopeless, so it would be a waste of time to try." And because of this, you don't do anything, and you remain hopeless. And, in your thinking, this further confirms that you're right. Your hopelessness becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

So, try something different. First, make the decision to doubt your hopelessness. Simply entertain the notion that you could be wrong. You've been wrong before; maybe you're wrong now. And then, with that inkling of doubt, decide to act against your hopelessness. You can act as if things aren't hopeless by taking initiative, experimenting with optimism ("Let me try to make the best of this"), doing things you don't "want" to do but that possibly could make things better—exercise, see friends, be more upbeat. Prove your hopelessness wrong by acting as if things are better already. It won't be easy, but it makes a world of difference, and just imagine what could happen.

Next: Try something new

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