Anyone else feeling like things are not going great for us? I mean between inflation and needing a second mortgage to fill out gas tanks, it feels way too easy to just feel frustrated, angry, and maybe even hopeless. The thing is we are more resilient than we know or believe, both as individuals and as a country. We don’t break easily. We have to maintain hope. I think we throw that word around too casually like I hope the line at Dunks isn’t long or I hope the Pats win the Super Bowl. Hope is technically defined as “a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen”. I think hope is more than just that. Hope is fuel, it’s possibility, it’s that thing that makes us keep pressing on against the odds. The desire to have something happen that we want or need can drive us to a higher level than we ever expected. I believe every person has at least some hopes, even in their darkest moments. A hope to get healthier, to get a better job, to lose weight, for our kids to be happy, for the car to pass inspection, etc. I think a case can be made for hope as one of the most powerful feelings a human can have. I know it can be interpreted as fluff or hokey by some to focus on hope, but never discount the power of thought, of belief, of hope. Our minds and words are powerful, this is why it is important to always be conscience of the health of our thoughts.
Hope is more than a powerful feeling or an internal motivator. There is evidence that hope can have can have real tangible effects on your health. For example, pain relief. In his book “The Anatomy of Hope”, Jerome Groopman states, “Belief and expectation…the key elements in hope…can block pain by releasing the brain’s endorphins and enkephalins, mimicking the effects of morphine.”
Dr. Shane Lopez, author of “Making Hope Happen”, lays out many effects high hope levels can have on a person’s life:
1) Hope has been shown to decrease absenteeism at work. Whether you own the business or are the new guy at the job, you cannot afford to miss days.
2) Hope improves productivity. Obviously, this ties in to being present at work, but it goes deeper. Hopeful people tend to have more goals and energy to accomplish said goals.
3) Hope has been shown to be a predictor of happiness and satisfaction in life.
4) Hope affects aging and longevity. Yes, in terms of quality of life via happiness, but also actual mortality. From Dr. Lopez on Psychologytoday.com. “Research shows that hopelessness is a strong predictor of mortality, and those folks who said they felt hopeless were more than twice as likely to die during the follow-up period than those who were more hopeful.”
So that’s great and all, but the real question is…how are we going to become more hopeful. There are some obvious ways:
1)Find stress reduction activities (reading, meditation, etc.)
2)Take care of your health by exercising, sleeping enough, and eating well.
3)Create tangible steps (an action plan) to accomplish your hopes.
There is one big one that may be less obvious: laughter. Texas A&M University did research in 2005. The study has participants watch a 15- minute comedy video. Texas A&M psychologist David Rosen noted, “Those that viewed the video had statistically significant increases in their scores for hopefulness after watching it as compared with those that did not view the video.” So basically, feeling lost and hopeless, watch a comedy. Read a funny book, talk to a funny friend, do a “Mad Libs”, you get the idea.
Ultimately, you are too valuable to live an unfulfilled life. If you have goals, desires, or dreams for your life, then these are your hopes. Chase them and don’t give up. If you can accomplish more, it doesn’t just help you. It makes the world around you better. It makes you a better friend, parent, employee, or boss. It makes you more innovative, creative, healthy, and stress resistant. Doesn’t that sound like a community that you’d want to create and take part in? Sometimes if you watch or listen to the mainstream media, it’s easy to feel like the sky is falling. But it’s not and if we all cash in on our hopes, together we can push forward and get through anything.