Echoes of Emptiness: The Despondent Meaning in the Soul

What do I mean by despondent meaning in the soul? The despondent meaning is in low spirits from loss of hope or courage. It’s the most hopeless, darkness place your mind can withdraw to. Your heavy-hearted being is under attack. I was in this place for so long, I didn’t think I was ever coming back.

I tried to be around people who would listen to me and not pass judgment. Some even left my life. This made me retreat even further into the depths of what I called “hell.” I felt soulness if that is even a term.

What changed my life. I played the victim all my life, and this was the result. It started in first grade, with bullying all throughout school till grade twelve. I decided I didn’t want to play victim anymore.

So, with what little strength I had left, I said the word “no.” Saying that one word changed my life forever. Granted, it was many years later, but it felt liberating. And from then on, I grew into the person I always wanted to be-hopeful and worthiness of myself.

“The weight of despondency is invisible, yet it presses harder than the heaviest stone.”

Feelings of being despondent

Defeated

You feel so defeated, like there is nothing left, but to sadly say was to die. I was at that low point and attempted to take my life in 2018. After I survived, I thought why am I still here. I felt so defeated, but didn’t understand why I lived.

So, I did some soul searching with what part was intact, and considered my options. I can continue on the same path of destruction of myself, or break free from the hell I have enveloped myself in. This was a defense mechanism in its own right,

Heartbroken

Your heart is broken because it’s wrapped in the despondent meaning of disdain for yourself. Heartbroken, because you feel like you have nothing left of you but hopelessness.

You’re a shell of your former self. But with that word “no”, you have decided to come up out of the place of despair and each day become more hopeful. Keep saying no to all the things that have ever brought you to that lowest place.

“Despondency feels like waiting for sunlight in an endless night.”

Why do people become despondent?

Stressful events

Stressful events can cause despondency, such as an accident, bullying, and a close person to you passing away. Accordingly, stressful events can play with your mind if you don’t handle them carefully.

My example, the bullying, has replayed over and over in my mind. If I had said no, I do not accept this behavior. Maybe my life would be different today. But then I might not be as proud of myself as I am today, having gone through those hardships.

Loneliness

I isolated myself, because I thought that was the only way to protect myself. Then the loneliness set in, and I hated myself more than ever. All these emotions (hopelessness, self-loathing) kept flowing through me.

Of course, you can feel loneliness when you are among a group of people. You can get lost in a crowd of people, because everyone ignores you. Loneliness can happen when you lose sight of who you are as a person, and can’t find your way back.

Illness

Illnesses (especially if they’re bad) can make you feel like you have the despondent meaning. It could be a terminal illness, or even a mental illness. When I was diagnosed with schizophrenia, I thought it was the end of the world.

My depression became worse, and I was losing sight of who I wanted to be. I wallowed in self-pity, which in turn affected my other illnesses. It was just a road leading to nowhere, and I had to switch tracks to save myself.

What does it mean to be emotionally despondent?

What does it mean to be emotionally despondent? All the emotions that go along with it-depressed, dejected, miserable, pessimistic, grief-stricken, despairing and dismal. I could go on and on.

Emotionally despondent meaning is the epidemy of losing yourself amidst chaos. Your life spirals downward towards the worst scenario you can possibly think of. I was sinking into the abyss, but I found that “no” word, this is not me.

Even with all these feelings, I found my salvation. Even though my soul felt damaged, it wasn’t completely gone. I remember praying to God for help, and I believe it came in the strength I had left to rebuild my life.

“Even in a crowd, despondency isolates you in a world of shadows.”

What is the spirit of despondency?

In Greek, the word Despondency is known as “Acedia” – “a” means Without, “kedo” meaning Care or Effort. When the fathers of the church wrote about this spiritual condition, they adopted the word acedia to literally mean a state where we make no “no effort”, “no action”, or even a state of “no care” or “nonchalance”.

How do you deal with despondency?

Getting out of despondency

The despondence meaning gets worse when you stay still. Get your body moving, get your heart pumping, get breathless and feel alive again. Walk, run, jump, swim, climb, box – do anything that gets you out of your head and into a physical experience. Clear the clutter.

“Despair doesn’t knock; it seeps into the cracks you thought were sealed.”

5 Ways to Cope with Despair

Take your despair for a walk

Once a day, get out of the house and get some fresh air. Go for a walk, which will raise your metabolism, and will get you much-needed headspace. Also, vitamin D from the sun will give you relief. Nature in itself is a well used tool for depression. It breaks you free from being in your head all the time.

Give your sorrow words

When I can’t find the words for sadness, I always turn to poets and writers who are masters at capturing elusive feelings. Finding the words for your despair offers comfort and solace. As Shakespeare wrote in Macbeth: “Give sorrow words; the grief that does not speak knits up the o-er wrought heart and bids it break.”

Honor your despair

Please don’t deny it. Don’t push it away. Acknowledging your despair takes away some of the power it has over you. Like when I said my first no, I started taking back my life. It gave me some of my power over situations again. I no longer felt I was obligated to cave into people just because they wanted it.

Seek out fellowship

Isolation fuels despair. I experienced that for a long time. Seek out the company of people who share your experience. There are many support groups, such as NAMI, DBSA, and MHA. Don’t go it alone, because it’s better to have someone close who understands what you are going through.

As the Buddhist reformer Nichiren Daishonin wrote, “Even a feeble person will not stumble if those supporting him are strong, but a person of considerable strength, when alone, may fall on an uneven path.”

Avoid toxic positivity

When someone tells you, “Don’t worry, everything will work itself out.” That can have the opposite effect. Such phrases like “Everything happens for a reason,” are insensitive to those who are truly suffering. Toxic positivity from others feels insulting when faced with insurmountable grief.

In the end, you can learn to fly on wounded wings. Despair may knock the wind out of you, but when embraced and managed effectively, it can also lift you to even greater heights.

“The hardest thing about being despondent is forgetting what hope once felt like.”

Sum it all up

The despondent meaning is in low spirits from loss of hope or courage. Not all hope is lost, I’m proof of that. From the deepest depths of despair, I found the courage to want something better. I wanted to live again.

So, I did everything in my power to make that come true. It didn’t happen overnight, but as long as I made progress, I didn’t care. I wanted to be me again. I look back on it now, and reflect on my inner strength to go from being lost and hopeless to wanting to live again.

Don’t ever give up on yourself. There might be times when you’re knocked to the ground over and over, but never give up faith that you can stand up again. Peace and love. Until next time…