“Even if you are in the midst of great suffering, do not give up hope” (Pirkei Avos 1:7; Rashi). Life situations might at times seem so bleak and desperate that you see no hope for the future. You might tell yourself things like, “My life is a terrible mess, and I don’t think it will ever improve.” Such thinking leads to very painful feelings. The Sages advised us never to give up hope. Ask yourself, “What proof do I have that things will never improve?” While you might not have a guarantee that things will be better, you can never be certain that they will not improve. Don’t give up hope when in a very short time your whole situation might change dramatically for the better.

-from Rabbi Zelig Pliskin’s “Gateway to Happiness,” p.372