How to Cope with Hopelessness
When the Light Feels Far Away
"There is a light that never goes out." The famous refrain from The Smiths’ 1986 song captures a striking tension between despair and connection (The Smiths, 1986). Throughout the song, he describes a life marked by desperation and melancholy yet finds comfort and even joy in the presence of someone he loves. Amidst the dramatic lyricism, the song is carried by lush orchestral backing and blissful guitar work that blend together in the final refrain of the song, where not even death can extinguish the light, as the connection with his lover remains a source of light.
Hope carries us through the darkest of times; whether it's romance, a passion for one's career, the pleasant feeling of witnessing nature, the virtuosic elegance of a piano, or the meaning we derive from relationships and experiences. Throughout existentialist philosophy and literature, hope and meaning frequently maintain an interdependent relationship with each other. If we have no meaning, then hope has no foundation or purpose. If we have no hope, then meaning is hollow and vague. In Viktor Frankl's memoir, as a holocaust survivor in Man's Search for Meaning, he bluntly states, "The prisoner who had lost faith in the future—his future—was doomed. With his loss of belief in the future, he also lost his spiritual hold; he let himself decline and became subject to mental and physical decay" (Frankl, 1959).
The American Psychological Association (APA) defines hope as “the expectation that one will have positive experiences or that a potentially threatening or negative situation will not materialize or will ultimately result in a favorable state of affairs” (APA, 2018). Conceptually, hope is primarily concerned with the future in both possibility and desire for specific outcomes. Depending on whether those outcomes occur or not, it can either demonstrate how rewarded one feels or how resilient one is when those outcomes are not attained.
But what if you are someone who has struggled for so long without reprieve? What if you are someone who, much like some of the prisoners Frankl witnessed at Auschwitz, has "lost faith in the future" and struggles to find meaning in life? You would certainly not be alone in this experience, and perhaps the first step toward finding hope is not forcing yourself to believe that everything will be okay, but finding one small reason to believe that the light has not completely gone out.
Hopelessness and Depression in the U.S.
Within the first quarter of 2026, a recent Gallup poll found that 19.1% of U.S. adults have been treated or are being treated for depression, projecting that approximately fifty million Americans are suffering from this condition (Gallup, 2026). Moreover, nearly a third of this population believes their life is getting worse. "In 2012," Gallup reports, "48% of U.S. adults described their own mental health or emotional wellbeing as ‘excellent,’ compared with just 29% in 2025." Despite the increased attention and prioritization of mental health in recent years, overall life satisfaction has not improved, and the future remains uncertain for many people. Moreover, there is extensive research demonstrating a strong correlation between low socioeconomic status and poor mental health outcomes, especially among young adults ages 18-29.
Reading these findings might make the idea of hopelessness appear sensible given the depressing outlook the research is providing, and it would be naive of me to suggest that thought is completely irrational. What appears to be the case is that people, generally, feel dissatisfied with the way life and the world are going, and this positively correlates with the experience of depression. Moreover, when the primary cause of hopelessness is directly tied to systemic issues, one might feel disillusioned, rageful, or have overwhelming feelings of loss over the future. While macro-level problems are no doubt important and cannot be easily dismissed, it is equally important for us not to let the scope of challenges become so immense that we miss the significance of smaller, individual problems that we have much more autonomy over. Rather than simply defining hopelessness, we will be discussing ways to address hopelessness on an individual level, how it creates unhelpful thought patterns, and practical ways of coping. *
*It is important to note that if you are experiencing challenges that prevent you from accessing basic human needs (food, water, shelter, clothing, medical care, safety, financial security, etc.), please contact the relevant resources and organizations to address these challenges. Cultivating hope, while essential and highly motivating for confronting these issues, is not sufficient for survival, and it would be disingenuous of me to provide helpful ideas on combating your hopelessness without acknowledging real systemic issues that present barriers to improving your mental health. I recommend you create a checklist of basic needs, identify areas of insufficient resources, research institutions or organizations that can assist you, and contact the relevant people, including your primary care provider and loved ones. You don't have to do this alone; there are people out there who can help.
Three Ways to Improve Hopelessness
Meaning has multiple dimensions, and each has its own distinct way of addressing hopelessness. According to The Journal of Positive Psychology, meaning has at least three essential components: coherence, purpose, and significance (Martela & Steger, 2016). In other words, meaning needs to be comprehensible (coherence), goal-directed (purpose), and able to bring inherent value to your life (significance). Keeping these components of meaning in mind, the following are ways to understand meaning in life and cope with hopelessness:
Relational. From the time we are born, we establish attachments and cultivate relationships with those we care about, whether it is family and friends, colleagues, coworkers, or your local community. The meaning we derive from relationships is not only developed across our lifespans; "...it provides the structural foundation upon which meaning in life is later built" (Careno & Eisenbeck, 2026). Our loved ones provide us with a sense of belonging, a fundamental psychological need for healthy development and understanding our values. Reflect on the people in your life: What positive impact have they left on your life? What mark have you left on their lives? How have your relationships with others shaped your goals? How have they helped you make sense of and bring value to your life? Take a moment to notice how your own everyday interactions contribute to your meaning in life (Wong, 1998).
Transcendent. Throughout history, philosophers and religious figures have contemplated and deliberated on how we orient our lives around spiritual goals, and recent research indicates that this perspective is incredibly important to developing and maintaining meaning in life (Counted et al., 2018). Whether you are subscribed to a particular faith or focused on a personal spiritual journey, we frequently seek understanding of our place in the world/universe that transcends our individual experience. People have pursued this dimension of meaning through ritual (prayer, meditation), creativity (music, art), nature (stargazing, beauty), and other methods. In what ways does your spirituality give meaning to your life? How has it helped you through dark times? How does it frame your perspective of a cohesive world and your life despite episodes of chaos? Reflect on how your spirituality contends with feelings of hopelessness.
Action and Creation. In his memoir of his time in Auschwitz, Viktor Frankl delineates a meaning-centered approach, known as Logotherapy, that he developed to address concerns with meaning and hopelessness (Frankl, 1959). According to The Viktor E. Frankl Institute of America (VFIA), Logotherapy "promotes freedom of choice and personal responsibility," emphasizing our ability to respond to life's challenges and the "necessity to self-transcend in order to improve humanity" (VFIA, 2026). In other words, recognizing our freedom and responsibility to create meaning can combat feelings of hopelessness and illuminate the significance of our lives. I might go so far as to suggest that our freedom and responsibility necessitate meaning and significance in our lives. One of the major ways Frankl believed we could achieve this was by our actions. What specific actions do you take every day to create meaning? How much do you contribute to your community? What values are important to you and how do you act on them?
Finding Your Way Back to Hope
The ultimate antidote to hopelessness is something meaningful that you can actively participate in. Creating meaning in life is more than a vague sense of purpose; it is understanding what is important to you and knowing how to translate your values into meaningful actions that improve your life and the lives of those around you. But what if your circumstances prove too great to feel equipped to combat hopelessness alone? What if your struggle with hopelessness is causing other challenges like managing emotions, intrusive thoughts, or difficulties completing daily tasks? Inland Insight offers treatment for hopelessness and depression and can help you begin finding a path forward. Contact us through our website at www.inlandinsight.com or give us a call at 509-359-8807.
References
American Psychological Association. (2018). APA Dictionary of Psychology: Hope. https://dictionary.apa.org/hope
Counted, V., Possamai, A., & Meade, T. (2018). Relational spirituality and quality of life 2007 to 2017: an integrative research review. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 16(75). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12955-018-0895-x
Frankl, V. E. (1959). Man's Search For Meaning (1st Ed.). Beacon Press.
Gallup. (2026, April 21). U.S. Depression Rate Remains Elevated: Young adults and low-income Americans have seen the sharpest increases. Gallup, Inc. https://news.gallup.com/poll/708221/depression-rate-remains-elevated.aspx
Martela, F. & Steger, M. (2016). The three meanings of meaning in life: Distinguishing coherence, purpose, and significance. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 11(5), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2015.1137623
The Smiths. (1986). There is a light that never goes out [Song]. On The Queen Is Dead. Rough Trade Records; Sire Records.
(2026). What is Logotherapy? Healing Through Meaning. The Viktor E. Frankl Institute of America. https://viktorfranklamerica.com/what-is-logotherapy/
