10 Steps to Take When You Feel Empty Inside
Fog hovers over clear water this morning. I sit in silence feeling empty inside. When’s the last time you stilled your soul long enough to be real about the places where you feel empty inside?
We all have empty spaces.
Emptiness might look like numbness, emotional distress, loneliness, isolation, or grief.
When we feel empty inside, it can be hard to know where to turn.
Today, we’ll look at ten things to do to fill the emptiness in our souls.
When You Feel Empty Inside
The feeling of emptiness can have many causes.
Sometimes, grief leads to emptiness. All losses involve grief, not only death.
We can feel empty inside when grieving the loss of jobs, relationships, marriages, friendships, dreams, and even children who have grown and moved away from our homes.
Emptiness can also be the result of depression, a lack of purpose in life, or a sense of disconnection from others.
Regardless of the reason why we feel empty inside, we can take practical steps to fill the emptiness.
Here are 10 steps to take when you feel empty inside.
10 Steps to Take When You Feel Empty Inside
1. Resist the urge to isolate.
You might not feel like connecting with others, but this is a sign that you need to connect with others.
Send a text. Make a phone call. Arrange to meet with a friend.
We were designed to heal and grow through relationships with others, not in isolation.
2. Revisit a sense of purpose.
Do you have a sense of direction and purpose in life?
If so, consider your goals. What are you doing to reach your goals?
If you lack a sense of purpose, consider what makes you feel alive inside. How can you use this gift to help others? Tap into it. Find a tangible way to help someone else today.
3. Get up and do the next thing that needs to be done.
What everyday task needs done right now?
Get up and pursue that task.
Take a shower.
Wash the dishes.
Make the bed.
Sweep the floor.
4. Find open skies and soak for a moment.
If you can’t go outside, go to a window.
Spend a few minutes soaking in the beauty of the open sky.
Breathe deeply. Remind yourself that this, too, shall pass.
5. Bless someone else.
Call an older relative.
Write a note and put it in the actual mail.
Send a text to check in on a friend.
Bake a batch of cookies for the neighbors.
Pick up an extra coffee for a coworker on the way to work.
6. Move your body.
Movement is restorative.
Take a walk around the block or a walk around the house. Vacuum the floors.
Splurge on a gym membership or ask a friend to meet for a walk.
7. Pick a project.
Paint a room in your house. Install a peel-and-stick backsplash.
Wipe down the walls or dust the photo frames in the living room.
Picking a project can pull you from a rut.
8. Talk to God.
God wants to fill our empty spaces. Spend some time with God in silence and solitude.
Silence and solitude create space for our souls to breathe. We discover space to uncover our truest desires. God will use silence to show you where you are turning to the wrong sources to fill your empty places. He will show you his desire to fill you where you feel empty inside.
When you feel empty inside, make room for ten minutes of silence.
Allow the chaos within your soul to settle.
In silence, we often uncover the truth about our lives: soul-level exhaustion, grief, and emptiness. Silence creates space for God to show up and meet us where we are.
In the silence, we discover soul-level exhaustion, grief, and empty spaces that can be filled by God alone. Silence creates space for God to show up and meet us where we are. #slience #seekingGod Share on X9. Soak in the Words of life.
I read my Bible every day, but I do not always drink deeply from the Word. If you are at all like me, you’ve had many encounters with your Bible that did not fill your soul.
The reason is often simple: We need to drink deeply from this Word, not hurrying through it or simply crossing it off a list. Is your Bible reading leading you to life-giving encounters with God? If not, it’s time to step into it with a different plan.
Here are a few resources to get you started:
Tools for the Days when Your Bible Time is Boring.
If Your Bible Reading Looks More Like Mindless Skimming: How to Encounter God in Life-giving Ways.
10. Cultivate gratitude.
I sometimes focus on what’s wrong and forget to fix my eyes on what is right.
Self-pity gets the best of me. I become frustrated with the people in my life.
Other times, a comfortable season lulls me into complacency.
Do any of these statements resonate with you?
Ask God to help you be grateful. Make a list of his blessings. Tell him what you’re thankful for today. Take a moment to look around the room where you are sitting and thank God for three gifts. Gratitude can pull you from the emptiness.
If you are feeling empty inside today, pray about which of the above ideas might help you align yourself with God. He wants to meet you in this place and offer you the most abundant kind of life.
Calling All Parents and Grandparents!
As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God. Our kids, ages 6, 11, and 15, share this vision. They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents or older relatives to read with the children and teens they love. You can find all three books here or read more below.
Attention All Boy Moms (and Dads)!
God’s Warrior: Devotions for Boys Who Want to Grow in Courage and Strength helps young boys, ages 5-13, learn what it means to trust God and become strong warriors for his kingdom. Now, more than ever, our world needs men who are willing to boldly carry God’s love into the world. I wrote this boys’ devotional book with our two young sons, Aiden and Caleb, ages six and eleven! You’ll enjoy their honesty as we teach boys how to be strong warriors for the Lord. Find this life-changing devotional book here.
Mother-Daughter Devotionals by a Mom and Daughter
Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion. I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven. Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.
Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. Bekah and I will help you right here.
Find Our Family Devotionals Here
Find all three books right here. They are also free on the Kindle Unlimited plan, which you can enjoy with a free three-month trial! These books make great gifts, and you don’t need to be the parent of young children to read them. Share them with your grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or the young ones you love.
Learn Why Willpower Doesn’t Work and Experience God’s Deliverance and Healing
God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free shares practical ways to experience God’s freedom, healing, power, and presence in your life. Find this life-changing book as a free eBook on Kindle Unlimited or for 12.99 in print right here. (If you do not have Kindle Unlimited, you can try it out with a free three-month trial!) This book will transform your life and revitalize your relationship with the Lord!
A Free Devotional to Help You Connect With God
God is a good Father, and he wants us to experience his healing, deliverance, and replenishment. Most of us have learned that we cannot heal, deliver, or refresh ourselves; we need God to do this work within us. I invite you to create space for God to transform your life by downloading a free copy of my devotional eBook, The Lean Into Grace Devotional: An 8-Day Devotional for Healing, Deliverance, and Replenishment. Find it for free here. I also offer a library of free online devotional eBooks for free. I invite you to explore the collection right here! 
