Everything Feels Pointless—What to Do When Life Feels Meaningless

Sometimes, it can feel like you’re not making progress in life despite your best efforts. Other times, the world around you can feel so overwhelming that it feels like there’s no point in trying at all. This can make it seem like the world is passing you by while you’re stuck in quicksand.

The challenges of life and the world around you can leave you feeling defeated and pessimistic about a positive outcome. Overcoming these challenges can seem impossible at times, and it can cause you to get stuck in a rut that you feel like you can’t get out of.

Let’s take a look at why life can feel pointless and what you can do to overcome it.

Why Does Life Feel Pointless?—How It Happens and What It Means 

Life can feel pointless if you’re experiencing a particularly difficult time that challenges your sense of identity or your outlook on the future. Difficult times can cause you to doubt your self-worth, and they make it hard to envision a positive future for yourself. When life feels pointless, you may be questioning if your life matters or if it’s worth it to keep pushing forward.

Some of the common situations that can make life feel pointless include:

• Loneliness
• Financial hardships
• Exhaustion and burnout
• Global conflicts and issues
• Experiencing a major setback
• Feeling separated from society

Experiencing a major loss or change in your life can also make you feel like life is pointless. This can occur if you are going through a divorce, unexpectedly lost your job, or recently lost a loved one. Sometimes, certain life situations can cause you to feel like life is pointless. Other times, it can be a symptom of an overarching mental health struggle.

Explore our mental health resources to discover how we treat mental health conditions with proven strategies and compassionate care. 

Feeling Depressed and Worthless—What Does It Mean?

It’s common for most people to feel like life is pointless at times. It’s natural to feel this way when life gets hard or they’re experiencing a major change or loss. That being said, if someone feels like they’re worthless or life is pointless most of the time, then it could be a sign that they're suffering from depression. 

Depression is a mental health condition that alters the way someone views themselves and the world around them. It can strip the joy out of life, and it often makes people feel fatigued, empty, and hopeless. The heavy burden of depression can feel impossible to shake, and this causes individuals to feel worthless or pessimistic about a positive future.

Read our full guide on depression to learn more about symptoms, causes, and treatments.

When someone feels depressed and worthless for a long time, it can cause them to think that their life isn’t worth living or the world would be better off without them. These thoughts are called passive suicidal ideations, and they often occur before someone makes plans to take their own life. If you or a loved is suffering from passive suicidal ideations, you should seek professional help immediately.

Read our related article for more information on passive suicidal ideation.

How to Push Forward When It Feels Like You Can’t

When everything feels pointless and life seems meaningless, it can be hard to find the motivation to keep pushing forward. If you feel this way, it’s important to keep hope alive and leave room in your mental space for a new perspective. Although it can be difficult at first, keeping a positive mindset is essential to improving your outlook on life.

Improving how you view yourself and the world around you requires you to make incremental changes over time. Changing your perspective on life takes time and patience, so stay positive and keep pushing forward. Over time, it will get easier to see yourself and the world in a positive light.

Read our related article to discover how to deal with feeling like a failure.

What to Do When Life Feels Meaningless

If you feel like your life is worthless or meaningless, it’s important to challenge these feelings by practicing self-compassion. You should always be kind to yourself and treat yourself how you would treat a best friend. Just like you wouldn’t let your best friend believe they’re worthless or unimportant, you shouldn’t let yourself believe it either.

Self-compassion helps you rewire your brain to focus on your strengths and achievements, rather than your failures or shortcomings. Instead of thinking that you’re a failure or you’ll never be happy, tell yourself that you’re doing the best you can and you're worthy of happiness. By continually practicing self-compassion, you will start to see the positives in yourself and rediscover your self-worth.

Practicing mindfulness techniques is another way to overcome negative thoughts about yourself and the world. It’s easy to spiral into pessimism when you’re constantly bombarded by negative thoughts, and mindfulness can help you stay grounded. To practice mindfulness, you can use a journal to reflect on your thoughts, and use meditation to guide your thoughts towards self-compassion. 

Seek Professional Help

If you’re experiencing negative thoughts that are disruptive to your life, it’s important to seek professional help. Mental health professionals can help you identify your harmful thought patterns and replace them with healthier, more positive ways of thinking. They can provide you with the tools and strategies that are needed to find self-fulfillment and achieve mental wellness. 

Read our related article to answer the question: Why do I feel empty?

Sequoia Behavioral Health—Helping You Achieve Mental Wellness

At Sequoia Behavioral Health, we understand the harmful impact that negative thoughts have on you and your life. Our mental health professionals work with you on an individual level to develop a treatment plan that’s personalized to you and your mental health journey. If you’re feeling helpless and don’t know how to push forward, we’re here to help.

If you or a loved one needs help treating depression or negative thoughts, reach out to our mental health experts today. You can also read our admissions page to learn how to get started with treatment.