It does seem somewhat unusual to have a thread about discouragement in this group, but I think it's a good thing. One thing I've noticed about spiritual people (myself included) is that sometimes we can fall into the trap of thinking that there's something wrong with us, or we're not practicing a positive approach well enough, if we feel discouraged, or disheartened, or whatever. And that can lead to stuffing feelings, as someone up thread pointed out.

I remember years ago when I was going through a divorce, feeling guilty, I had a young daughter, etc. I was getting so very discouraged and downright depressed. I found a great therapist, and I was going through my litany of what a bad person I was one day, when he stopped me and said, "So, who recharges YOUR batteries?" I just looked at him and said, "What?" He said again, "Who recharges YOUR batteries? Who takes care of you now and then? Who offers you a shoulder? You're so busy running around taking care of people and things, while simultaneously beating yourself up. Who's there for you?"

That question was a cosmic smack upside the head. For the first time in my life, I realized that I, too, was worth some care, some love, some support, and a shoulder to occasionally lay my head upon. It is in my nature to be loving, caring, and supportive of others, and I like that about myself. But I'm human, and sometimes things just get to me; sometimes things just get me down. I don't give them an inordinate amount of energy, but I don't ignore them either, because I think either choice can give the negative things legs.

We are all human, we all have our joys and our sorrows, our triumphs and our defeats, our ups and our downs. What I believe is important, though, is that we remember we have each other here, and the people in our daily lives, that we can turn to. At any given time, some of us will be up; some of us will be down. Sharing and celebrating the joys of life makes them grow; sharing the sorrows and the frustrations, without giving them undue energy, can help those sorrows and frustrations diminish.

For my own personal situation with the job I lost, I'm not feeling devastated like I was the first few days. I know I'll find another job; maybe one that I'll really love. It is because of you here, as well as other people in my life, that I can go on without that terrible feeling of devastation, because in sharing THAT with others, I'm able to find my way back to my strength, and able to care for and support others.

I have enjoyed reading people's responses to this thread. We all have things we're dealing with, yet none of us seems to be wallowing to the point where we're lost.