Hope is a positive state of mind based on an expectation that one will experience positive outcomes in their life. People who feel hopeful will also have hope-related cognitions or thoughts. Such thoughts lead them to set goals for themselves and help them learn new skills. People who have hope tend to be more resilient when they face challenges. This is because they are always open to challenges and enjoy learning and growing from their experiences.
One of these is Pathways Thinking - the ability to generate multiple ‘paths’ from a person’s present to the desired future. In other words, this is the ability to think of different ways to get to the goal. The other factor is Agency Thinking - the belief in one’s ability to achieve an outcome. In order to build hope, one can focus on increasing both these types of thinking. Hopeful people believe that the future will be better than the present (they have positive goals to work towards), that they have control over what will happen in the future (agency thinking), and that there are many ways they can reach their goals (pathways thinking).
Why do we need hope?
Life is tough and we all face setbacks from time to time. Just having a goal is not enough - we also need to have the right mindset to achieve it. Hope allows us to face obstacles with a strategic mind and increases our chances of accomplishing our goals. It makes us resilient in the face of adversity.
Now more than ever, we are in need of hope. Here’s why.
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Having hope can protect our health and can even boost physical well-being. This is especially important amidst the ongoing crisis, as we need to build our immunity to ward off the virus.
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Hope can help us better manage anxiety, uncertainty, vulnerability and uncontrollability. This can allow us to take care of our mental health in these uncertain times.
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Being hopeful allows us to take action to cope with the crisis and the challenges that we face. Having hope can allow us to carry out our everyday activities and take care of the people around us.
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Hope also allows us to combat our negative thinking and let go of our unhelpful beliefs. This can help us stay positive in the current situation.
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When hope is directed at relationships, it can help us strengthen our bonds with loved ones. It can also reduce feelings of loneliness.
