I am having feelings of emptyness and being lost...?

Question

I am having feelings of emptyness and being lost I have been this way for some time. I keep finding myself looking to the sky for answers and getting no reply. Sometimes I feel sick lonely and out of place. what am i looking for?

Answer 1

Isn't it funny how the easiest questions to ask often are the hardest to answer? When you examine human phycology, you realize a few things; the first and most striking of these is that we are all very bare-bones. What we seek in life often falls within similiar paths. If you'll allow me to go deeper, I'll try both to answer your question and be brief about it.

A) A sense of purpose. This is where I think you're at based off of what you've expressed. It's completely natural--especially when something ugly happens (death of a friend or family member, pain and suffering, ect.)--to feel the need to know that the agony was not in vain. It becomes important for an individual to know that their struggles actually amount to something.

B) A sense of mastery in a given field. Self esteem builds in very powerful ways as we learn more and more about things that interest us. This is seen in the old saying: "Sucess begets sucess." Consider that failing at an endevour often leads to personal feelings of inadequacy... these feelings are natural, yet inappropriate, since our mistakes are our most powerful teachers--which is something every champion of any given field must learn to embrace. The more sucess you encounter at a given effort, the better you feel both about the activity and yourself. Might I suggest setting short-term goals (be realistic!) involving fields you find fascinating (NOT things you're only "sorta-kinda" into, or things that you do to impress someone else--this has to be YOUR project)? Take up a fitness routine. Or learn more about a certain animal. Endevour to become an authority on something! Your self esteem will sky-rocket, and you'll be providing yourself with a sense of purpose.

C) A sense of belonging. Consider the relationships that you have with the people in your life. Why are your friends your friends? Are you the type that tries to get along with someone simply because others consider that person as "in," or "cool?" Or do you genuinely enjoy the company of those around you? You'll never feel that you belong amoung those whose company you merely tolerate. How is your relationship to family members, and what can be done to improve things? One terrific thing about working to improve your relationships with others is that you'll quickly notice that many of them will try to improve their relationships with you. And why wouldn't they? They, themselves, want to belong to something as well.

None of this is easy work: Nothing worth doing ever is. The worst mistake you can make is to try to tackle all of it at once. I won't word it right (I don't have it to reference), but there's an old Chinese proverb that--loosely translated--states: "The longest journey begins with a single step." Chin up, and good luck! This life is only what you make of it, so make it count.

Answer 2

There is no concrete meaning in life and no actual purpose (answers.) What we each have to do is to create some kind of meaning in our minds that allows us to feel good about the mundane tasks (work) that actually fill our time and cause us to feel hopeless in the first place. Whether you find this constructed meaning in religion, personal gratification, relationships, or MMORPGs doesn't really matter. What does matter is that you do not look outward, as in to the sky, there's nothing there. The only things that can give your life meaning are on Earth right now, anything else is irrelevent (God.) If you try very hard to become part of some construct, feelings of hopelessness should go away as you think about them less.

Answer 3

There are no ultimate answers. Certainly not in the sky, or even from sky-gods. I think you're just not at home with yourself. That comes with the journey, in time. The meaning of our life is what we spend it on; the purpose is whatever we achieve. So find something, anything, that really interests you, and pursue it. Or if you can't think of anything, just go for something at all! It will lead to lots of side-paths. All will enrich you, and build your sense of self. The more you devote yourself to things outside yourself, it seems to me, the more you grow. The more things you try to do, whether you succeed or fail, the more confident you become, because you learn failure isn't fatal. And you could try Buddhist meditation, which is the best way I've found of understanding your true self and your place in the world - and of learning to use your mind. It is, as they say, a baby elephant, and always needs kind and compassionate training to be as powerful and useful as it can be. Good luck. Despair not. We've most of us been there, unless we're brain dead, or commit mental suicide with some prescribed religion.

Answer 4

What you need is in a phone book--the number for a therapist. Try therapy as a good place to explore questions. If the doc thinks you are just some existentialist being, then hit the bookstore and read on phylosophy. If he thinks you are a depressed existentialist then some medication may help you think more clearly and have a better chance at finding the answers. Good luck.

Answer 5

I think you may be looking for yourself. When I know who I am and am happy with that person I feel whole, like I fit in, and that I belong and it is ok to be me.

When I don't know who I am or want to be and I don't like myself I feel the way you are describing. I feel lonely, sick, out of place, lost, and empty because I am discontent with who I am or what I am doing.

It's called depression- some people can deal with it by themselfs and others can't so maybe(depending on how long you have felt this way) you should have someone evaluate you. Hope this helps.

Answer 6

You are searching for peace of mind. But you will never get from super market or from home, etc., It is in your own heart. Sit in a calm place and ask honest questions yourself, to your own heart and I am sure you will find an answer. Your inner voice would give the result. You yourself know better than any'ne. Try it out and find the answer and follow accordingly to find the peace of mind. From that point I am sure you will never feel lonely--
Mohammed Shafee

Answer 7

The less of self-awareness evokes such emptyness, being lost...
The fledgelings, the little ones of the bird are pushed out of the nest by the mother bird, and they too feel emptyness & lost(birds lack self awareness), till they somehow flapp their wings and learn that they can fly too, and they fly off never to return to the mother bird !

Answer 8

Perhaps you seek a purpose to your life. When I felt those feelings it was becuase I had lost my direction and purpose. I resented some of the changes that had happened in my life that had taken away some of the opportunities I had been pursueing. I had also lost a sense of my own value as a person.
I still struggle with those feelings sometimes, especially when I am feeling resentful about something in my life. My sense of value has come back after much soul searching and prayer. Only through my belief in a loving Father in Heaven and personal experiences durring quiet humble prayer to him has the sense of true value come back. I know that there is a purpose to my being alive at this time. I know that despite my many faults and weaknesses, He loves me. Anytime the emptiness starts to creep back, I can remember the times when he has filled me with a small sense of his unconditional love that he has for me and all of his children. (of which you are one too). Earth is not our home, We came from an eternal Father who sent us here to test how we would choose to act when not around him. We can choose to have his influence in our lives here to help us act in ways that would allow us to return to live with him again after this life. So whenever I feel out of place in this world I remember this and his love for me. Then I have the strength to continue living and make the choices that strengthen his influence in my life.

Answer 9

Imagine yourself looking up from the bottom of a dry well down deep in the earth. If you look ahead of you there are bricks, behind you there are bricks, so you're forced to look up. Relate this to life. You've created strong walls around yourself that protect you from others, you don't feel good enough to let just anyone know the real you. These walls help you with your understanding of who you are, in this case your in your own prison without the desire to open the door. Other people just step around you as you may appear unstable or empty. Perhaps you help them identify their instabilities by their being unable to talk to you.The emptiness-es and feelings of being lost and stranded are from lack of self-love. You're not in love with yourself right now, you don't like who you are, that's where the self-esteem and low self-worth come in and keep you in that state of nothingness.

There are a few things you can do. Have a relationship with yourself, get to know who you are, what you enjoy, how you like to be treated, what's acceptable, what's not....Treat yourself the way you want to be treated by others....Before any of the above can happen you have to be honest with yourself. Take a personal inventory and ask god to help you start that relationship with yourself. Ask God everyday for closeness and understanding. I truly believe that man stays weak without a strong belief system. Loving yourself is very hard for some, like myself.....and without that higher power my stumbling and falling would keep me down.....Ask God, he listens,,,,he'll help you out of the well.....

Answer 10

Read, read and read some more. There are many books out there to help you understand why you are here and about your purpose in life. I felt much the same as you are feeling as a young person and sometimes, though not often, still feel the same way.

Learn to meditate. You will be amazed at the peace and tranquility you will feel after meditatiing. I've read many books and have meditated. I've found the empty feelings and lost feelings are common among people. It seems to be part of their search for spiritual understanding. Not to be confused with religious understanding. A person can be highly spiritual with a deep belief in God, and not particularly religious.

I highly recommend you read The Divine Romance by Paramahansa Yogananda. It is about developing a strong and abiding personal relationship with God. I've found that any time I was in crisis throughout my life, if I took time to meditate and continue reading and studying philosophies in spirituality, the less alone, empty and lost I felt. In gaining understanding, I've felt at peace and as though I've found my place on this earth.

Please don't be discouraged. You would be amazed at how you will be guided by your own higher self if you just put the thought out there that you want to learn to overcome this emptiness. You can go to a bookstore or library, and will find yourself actually picking out a book that will be just what you need to read at that time. As you continue to do this, you'll find yourself eager to go on to the next book. I also highly recommend books by Deepak Chopra. Search for them on Amazon.com. He is a wonderful author and writes in layman's terms. He can convey complicated philosophies and science to the reader without confusion.

Also check out the Self-Realization Fellowship on-line to see what books they have to offer. They are the organization founded based on teachings by Paramahansa Yogananda.

Stay away from books that have to do with using witchcraft or magic. They are lower forms of spiritual development and they miss the point. The idea is to feel more union with God, not alienated from God. Always remember the presence of God is lightness and joy. The absence of God is emptiness. Exploring lower levels of spirituality will exagerate your emptiness and you will not be fulfilled.

Good luck exploring... it can be a great adventure. And always remember... listen to your gut feelings about what you are reading. If it just doesn't feel right in the pit of your stomach, then it definitely isn't right for you and you should move on to the next chapter or book.