The Next Right Thing: Nourishment When Hope Feels Far Away

There may be seasons in life when you keep moving forward, yet inside you feel lost or exhausted. You may still be functioning, caring for others, and doing what needs to be done, but emotionally things feel heavy, uncertain, or drained. In moments like these, hope doesn’t always feel accessible. It can feel distant, quiet, or even gone altogether.

I am a mom and bonus mom to six boys. Like many families, we enjoy all sorts of movies, and for a time Frozen and Frozen 2 were favorites in our home. One lyric from Frozen 2 captures this experience with striking honesty — a line that recently came up in my work and prompted me to write this blog:

“You are lost, hope is gone

But you must go on

And do the next right thing.”

That line resonates not because it reflects truth, but because it reflects how despair can feel. When you are emotionally overwhelmed, exhausted, or stretched thin, hope can feel absent — even when it is still there.

This is something we see often at the intersection of mental health and nutrition.

When emotional stress is high, caring for your body becomes harder. Appetite can change in many directions. Some people lose their appetite, skip meals, or forget to eat altogether. Others respond to stress by eating more — grazing, overeating, or turning to food for comfort, distraction, or relief. Neither response is a personal failure. Both are common, human reactions to stress.

Stress alters hormones, nervous system activity, and brain chemistry. It can increase cravings for quick energy or soothing foods, while also making planning, cooking, and decision-making feel overwhelming. At the same time, guilt or shame about eating can intensify emotional distress, creating a cycle that feels hard to escape. Willpower and discipline play a role, but they’re not endless. When your body and brain are running low, coping takes more effort than it should.

From a nutrition standpoint, this matters more than many people realize. Skipping meals, under-fueling, dehydration, or chaotic eating patterns can intensify anxiety, low mood, irritability, and mental fog. Likewise, using food as the primary coping strategy can leave people feeling physically uncomfortable, emotionally discouraged, or disconnected from their bodies. Mental health and nutrition influence each other continuously, especially in seasons where hope feels thin.

That’s why the idea of the next right thing is so powerful.

The next right thing nutritionally doesn’t require high levels of motivation, confidence, or perfection. In difficult seasons, motivation is often low — and that’s okay. What matters most is choosing small, supportive actions even when motivation feels limited. It may be choosing something to eat instead of skipping a meal. It may be slowing down during stress-eating moments and adding nourishment without judgment — pairing a favored carbohydrate with protein, fiber, or hydration to bring steadiness rather than restriction. It may be drinking a glass of water or sitting down to eat instead of rushing. These choices may seem small, but they are meaningful acts of care that help restore balance.

Emotionally, the next right thing might be allowing yourself to acknowledge how you’re feeling without judgment. It might be reaching out for support, choosing rest, or releasing the pressure to “fix” everything at once. Sometimes, the most faithful step is choosing gentleness toward yourself.

Scripture reflects this same step-by-step approach to living with faith:

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105).

A lamp doesn’t illuminate the entire road ahead. It offers enough light for the step right in front of you. God sometimes does not want us to see the whole journey, only to trust Him with what is immediately before us.

This is an important truth to hold onto: feeling like hope is gone does not mean hope is gone. Feelings are powerful, but they are not final. Hope often shows up quietly — in nourishing our bodies, in steadying our eating patterns, in choosing compassion over control, and in tending to ourselves when everything feels uncertain.

At Mindful Faith Living, we believe caring for your body is one way of honoring the life God has given you. Eating regularly, approaching nutrition with grace, and choosing steadiness over perfection can be acts of faith when hope feels hard to reach.

You don’t need to see what’s next. You don’t need to feel strong or inspired. You are simply invited to take the next right step — nutritionally, emotionally, and spiritually. Sometimes that step is as small as getting out of bed, choosing nourishment without judgment, or pausing for a deep breath.

Even when you feel lost.

Even when hope feels gone.

Even then, God is with you.

There is still hope.

And sometimes, hope begins with the next right thing.