Hope means different things to different people; at its core, it’s about sensing that good things are possible despite our current circumstances. It’s being interested in the future.
Hope is – and isn’t – about expectations. It’s not about having high expectations of others, or how our lives should be. It’s more an expectation that despite adversity and pain which can be real and persistent, life is still worth it.
Hope is about trust in life itself. It’s about the potential life holds. That some good will come.…if not today, then tomorrow or the day after or the day after that.
It’s the impetus to keep moving forward, to try, to show up as best we can. Knowing that we can be happy.
And sometimes, life does take a turn for the worse and we can feel hopeless …it’s only human to do so. Yet we can find it again.
And it’s probably better to see hope as on a scale, rather than having it or not. We can cultivate hope, so we feel more hope.
While studies that consider hope are very new, early findings are exciting.
Hope is linked to coping better.
Harvard Health reports an association between hope and wellbeing, engagement in healthy behaviour, and protection against depression and suicide. In studies with teens with chronic conditions, for example, hope is linked to many health indicators including stronger self-esteem, sense of purpose, and resilience.
Hope appears to help us in three main ways:
- It offers perspective when we can use it
- It helps us find a path to take when things fall apart: it keeps us open to life and what we can do
- It protects us from dread and despair: it allows us to find joy and comfort even in life-threatening situations, to enjoy small things
However, watch out for unrealistic expectations – false hope – for these take you out of the present moment and make it harder to take in information, make wise decisions and act constructively.
Three simple steps to take today:
- Practice gratitude for the positives in your life
- Actively imagine simple ways your circumstances might be improved
- When thinking negatively, gently catch yourself. Consciously choose some positive thoughts.
Therapy usually helps people discover their own sense of hope. It’s not the only way. While we can’t force hope to reappear in our lives, there are things we can do to cultivate it.
Is it worth it? Yes, the latest research confirms it. Hope helps.
