If You’re Feeling Lost, You’re Not Broken — You’re Human

There’s a kind of silence that creeps in when you’re feeling lost.
You might look fine on the outside — answering emails, feeding the cat, nodding at meetings — but something inside is off. Disconnected. Directionless. Like you misplaced the plot of your own story and can’t remember where you left it.

And if you’re like most people, your next thought is, “What’s wrong with me?”

But here’s the truth:
There is nothing wrong with you. You’re not broken. You’re just in a deeply human moment.

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Feeling Lost Is a Signal, Not a Symptom

We’re taught to treat confusion like a crisis — something to fix, fast. But feeling lost often shows up for good reasons:

• You’re outgrowing a version of yourself that no longer fits.
• You’ve been running on autopilot for so long that stopping feels disorienting.
• You’ve spent years meeting everyone else’s needs, and now that you finally have a moment to breathe, you don’t know what you want.

This isn’t dysfunction. It’s a transition. And transitions are messy. They don’t come with maps — just instincts and slow realizations.

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The Problem With Constant Clarity

There’s a whole industry built on certainty. Vision boards. Five-year plans. “Find your purpose” podcasts. And while there’s nothing wrong with dreaming big, it creates a myth: that successful, healthy people always know what they’re doing.

That’s not real life.

Even the most grounded people have foggy seasons. Doubt-filled days. Nights when they lie awake thinking, “Is this it?”

If you’re lost right now, you’re in good company. The question isn’t “How do I snap out of this?” — it’s “What is this season trying to tell me?”

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What to Do When You Don’t Know What to Do

1. Stop Trying to Force Answers
Sometimes clarity only comes after you stop pushing. Give yourself permission not to know. That’s not laziness — that’s presence.

2. Focus on What Grounds You
You may not have a roadmap, but you still have anchors. What helps you feel even 2% more like yourself? Movement, quiet, music, trees, journaling? Start there.

3. Get Curious About Your Restlessness
Instead of spiraling into “I’m a mess,” ask: “What’s shifted? What used to fit that doesn’t anymore?”

4. Let Go of the Timeline
There’s no prize for figuring it out faster. Most growth happens underground, quietly, where no one claps for it — until it bursts through later with new shape and strength.

5. Talk It Out
You don’t need to have a thesis to come to therapy. You don’t even need a clear goal. Sometimes you just need someone to sit with you in the fog without trying to rush the sunrise.

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You’re Not Lost — You’re In Between

When you stop seeing “lost” as a failure and start seeing it as in between, things get softer. Less urgent. You begin to realize that this isn’t the end of the story — it’s a necessary pause in the middle.

And sometimes, in those quiet middle chapters, you learn the most about who you are.

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Want a Place to Explore What’s Next?

At Sandstone Therapy, we don’t pathologize your confusion. We help you get curious about it. Because often, the question isn’t “What’s wrong with me?” — it’s “What’s waiting to emerge?”

Reach out here. You don’t need to have it figured out to start the conversation.

Author: Bodie Coates, LMFT-S, LCADC-S, NCC