When Everything Feels Impossible (But You Have More Options Than You Think)

Every young person knows the feeling when life problems pile up, and nothing seems manageable. Hope research provides evidence-based strategies for moving from feeling stuck to seeing possibilities again.

Using the skills from the Shine Hope Company’s Shine Framework can help.

• Inspired Actions: taking small, meaningful steps that move energy from despair to direction.
• Eliminating Challenges: recognizing and releasing shame, perfectionism, or fear that block movement.
• Nourishing Networks: seeking mentors, peers, and models of courage.

What doesn’t work: Telling yourself “just think positive” or “others have it worse.” This invalidates real struggles and often makes hopelessness worse.

What works →  Finding a Pathway Forward
“The Next Right Step” is a skill that involves identifying and writing down multiple choices for actions you can take within the next 24 hours to regain momentum and move past feelings of being stuck. If you’re having trouble thinking of the next action, consider a time in the past when you believed something was impossible. Reflect on what helped you keep moving forward during that time.

The act of generating multiple options for moving towards a goal is a core component of hope theory’s “pathways thinking.”^[1] Research on Hope theory shows that individuals who practice pathway thinking (or generating multiple routes to goals) demonstrate increased resilience and problem-solving capabilities.^[2]

When you discover a path that resonates with you, take at least one concrete step within the next 24 hours. This could be as simple as sending a message, spending five minutes on research, or having a single conversation. Taking action turns hope from a feeling into a reality.

Thinking in terms of a pathway shows that hope is not just an emotion; it is something we can influence. Hope is built through compassionate curiosity, small actions, and learning from setbacks.

Additionally, as you make progress, you might sometimes experience unhelpful thoughts about “failing.” Try to see “failure” as just data, information gathered along your journey, rather than a sign of worthlessness. View setbacks as part of the learning process toward your goals.

^[1] Snyder, C. R., Harris, C., Anderson, J. R., Holleran, S. A., Irving, L. M., Sigmon, S. T., … & Harney, P. (1991). The will and the ways: Development and validation of an individual-differences measure of hope. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60(4), 570-585.^[2] Chang, E. C. (1998). Hope, problem-solving ability, and coping in a college student population: Some implications for theory and practice. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 54(7), 953-962.