Have you ever been discouraged before? Well I have; many times in fact. It is not a good feeling. You feel like all hope is lost, like there is no way forward. Sometimes it comes like a feeling of being stuck and nothing just seems to be working. You have this big dream in your head but in reality you are struggling. Months pass, years pass and you are still struggling. That is enough to make anyone feel discouraged.
I felt discouraged recently when it looked like I wasn’t making any progress with my business. In fact, let me just say the business was stagnant. No clients were coming my way which meant no money. And I needed money! The clients that did come would either not be willing to pay the price I asked for or they would owe me even after delivering on the brief given. The bills were piling up. I was tense … sometimes frustrated. The side comments flowed; “You had better go and get a full-time job”, “Forget all this business thing you are doing”. These comments did not help matters. Yes, I did feel discouraged but here I am today much stronger; stronger in faith and in my determination to succeed.
It’s okay to feel discouraged. What’s not okay is for you to let that feeling of discouragement take over completely. The fact that things are not working today is not an indication that things will not work tomorrow. If you already believe the worst before things get better then those better days will never come. Here’s what to do whenever you feel discouraged. They worked for me and I believe they will work for you too.
1. Pray
You have to realise that there are some things you cannot deal with on a physical level – overcoming that feeling of discouragement is one of them. So when you feel discouraged just pray. Talk to God. If you don’t know the words to say, speak in tongues. You’ll pray your way to victory over that heavy feeling.
2. Let it all out
Depending on your temperament, there is a tendency to bottle things up and worry excessively when you are discouraged. You don’t need to do that. Let it out. Talk about how you feel. There is something about expressing your feelings that is therapeutic. I will however put a word of caution here – make sure you talk to people who will make you feel better; people who can hold you up in prayer and speak the truth of God’s word to you.
3. Hold on to the word
This is very important. I love God’s word because it makes me realise that at the end of the day, everything will be fine. It doesn’t matter if I am broke now; God will meet all my needs according to His riches. And my God is a very rich God. Can I get a hallelujah somebody? So confess God’s word. Wake up in the morning and declare “everything is working together for my good. I will not be depressed. The joy of the Lord is my strength”. Say it even if you don’t believe it. Soon enough you will believe it.
4. Count your blessings
When you are discouraged, it is easy to forget all the blessings of the past and even those you are currently enjoying. Yes, you have sent in hundreds of applications and you haven’t been able to secure a job but do you know you’ve not had a reason to go the hospital for some years now? Okay you don’t have millions in your account but you still have food to eat and a roof over your head. Can you count your blessings please? God’s mercies are new every morning and that should make you rejoice.
Like I said before, it is okay to feel discouraged but don’t let that feeling overwhelm you. Choose to see the positive side in every bad situation. God did not bring you this far to leave you hanging dry. He knows you have that particular need. Patiently wait for Him. Don’t be anxious or discouraged. Your time will definitely come.
About the Writer: Adedoyin Jaiyesimi is a Writer, Media Content Creator and Brand Manager. The various publications she has written for include Y! Magazine (now Y! Africa), Discovery, Pride Magazine Nigeria, Butterscotch magazine amongst others. She currently holds the position of Brand Communications Manager at Victor Adeyemi Ministries and she is also the founder of LRouge Media, an editorial and brand consultancy company which provides content writing and editing services for business websites, magazines and blogs. When she is not creating content, you can find her in church doing the work of her Father. She tweets @msdoyeen and blogs at
www.adedoyinjaiyesimi.wordpress.com
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This article was first published on 1st July 2015
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