Have you ever had that feeling like there is something missing from your life? You are not alone in that thought. There are a lot of people that feel that way. These people have great family lives, are surrounded by friends, and are not in any financial problems. No matter how good things are in your like something can still feel “off”.
Keep track of triggers
While you can’t exactly put your finger on what is “off” you can help try to narrow it down by keeping track of moments you feel the worst. Backtracking from these times might give you an insight into what is possibly at the root of the issue.
You can keep a journal, or maybe just a short email to yourself, something to let you know if there was an event that sent you down the path of feeling “off”. Then the next time that you feel this way you can look back to see if there is a pattern in the way you are feeling. It could end up being a conversation with one particular person, or maybe you had a financial obligation that while it doesn’t seem like a big deal could be subconsciously eating away at you. Either way, keeping track of when these emotions strike is essential to finding the reason.
Follow the clues
So you have been keeping track of when you are having these feelings and the events around them. What is the commonality? For an example, it could be a social gathering that you go to every month. You need to start asking yourself questions about these events. Is there a person there that makes you feel uncomfortable? Is there something about the activity that is emotionally draining or unfulfilling? If you can find the answers to these questions, you might be on the right track to finding that elusive reason for your feelings.
Question it
Continuing with the example of the social gather, perhaps the core of that issue is that it isn’t creatively fulfilling. You enjoy the company, but the event leaves you wanting more mental stimulation. Pull on that thread to see what comes unravelled. Once you have something that feels like a core reason question what solutions will fix that problem and keep working at it until you have a solution.
Start the process again
While it might be nice to find the ultimate core issue the first time you do this just once might not be an enough. There might be a few issues keeping you feeling as if something is missing. Try the steps over again until you have the confidence to move on and get rid of that missing feeling. It’s better to take baby steps to help improve the mood than to let it fester until it becomes a bigger problem than it needs to be.
It’s always good to talk to someone about it as well, as they may be able to help you work through it all even quicker.