Hope shines the brightest after an active process of cultivating inner strengths and nurturing healthy habits. 

Frequently discussed and pondered, “Hope” is a mere four-letter word with a remarkable ability of eliciting an emotional paradox. It’s the famous phrase, “Have hope”, that thrusts you between rolling your eyes out of frustration, and desiring this feeling of comfort and optimism. 

The problem stands at this simple question: What is hope?

What’s wrong with the sentiment: “I’m feeling hopeless”? For one, hope is not actually a feeling. According to the hope theory in positive psychology, hope is a mental state, not an emotion evoked. While that view seems a bit less whimsical, the positive implications of it lies in the ability to foster and learn hope, instead of passively waiting for its manifestation. 

In this blog, we will explore the essence of hopelessness, and develop an understanding of the strengths and habits needed to plant such a powerful seed in a seemingly barren land. 

Complex made simple, what makes up hope?

If you know what it’s like to feel hopeless, it’s most likely that you understand the feeling of helplessness and loss of control. Thinking that you’re hopeless is not simply the same as getting stuck in a locked room. It’s as if your feet are glued to the floor, rendering you unable to move. So, let’s take a moment to deconstruct this scene and develop a rounded understanding of the elements at play when it comes to hopelessness. 

Developing hope involves an interaction between goals, pathways and agency: 

• Our behavioral patterns are motivated by an outcome, the goal, which usually meets a person’s needs or desires. 
• Reaching this goal through pathways, however, involves one’s ability to problem-solve, make decisions and develop action plans to meet objectives. 
• Agency refers to sustaining one’s motivation and self-efficacy to embark on these goal-oriented plans. 

Therefore, when we discuss hopelessness, it is not simply a pessimistic or weak personality. There is a greater depth to it that involves learned helplessness mediated by perceived powerlessness over the adversities and situations at hand. 

Plant the seeds of hope.

When a land looks overwhelmingly large and barren, what seeds do we need to transform it into a garden of hope? 

• Red Roses for Self-Love

Building confidence in one’s abilities involves accepting one’s self, celebrating achievements and being mindful of the inner strengths. This type of self-love involves a conscious effort to be your own cheerleader. Positive self-talk and listing your virtues increases self-esteem. And, consequently, this builds one’s perceived ability to be resilient and competent against adversities. Without the ability to love and accept yourself, you’d be vulnerable to harsh, criticizing inner voices that only serve to place you in a cycle of self-doubt and insecurity. Unsurprisingly, this will place a major obstacle against your journey to cultivating hope as it reinforces negative self-efficacy bias. 

• Pink Sweet Peas for Past Memories

Let me present you with an important question: Should we leave the past behind? Of course, this question is more philosophical than what can be discussed in a few words. While many unpleasant memories and mistakes are better left and forgotten, the past itself is full of secret lessons and guidance. We’ve all experienced difficulties that we overcame. One way to develop self-efficacy and hope is to remember our past achievements and resiliency. Let’s take advantage of the past to remind ourselves of our capacity for growth and strength. No matter what we have experienced, we are still here and trying. 

• Orange Daffodils for Dreams and Desires

A major pillar for cultivating hope is identifying one’s own desirable goals. Sounds easy, right? Let me add a bit of a challenge. Your goals for the future have to be desirable enough to create feelings of aspiration and excitement. It’s even better if these goals are achievement-based, rather than an avoidance mechanism. For example, instead of thinking “I want to do this job to avoid instability,” one can shift the narrative towards, “I want to do this job to be productive and grow in my career.” This transition creates space for long-term goals, providing more opportunities to foster competence and motivation. So, take a moment to set your goals and think, “How would you imagine yourself five years down the line?”

• Yellow Sunflowers for Friends and Family

The leading researcher on Hope, Dr. Chan Hellman, says, “Hope is a social gift.” Having strong social support from your loved ones has been proven to mitigate heavy symptoms of distress. Through validation, belongingness and practical advice, the people around you can cultivate a safe space for exploring personal strengths and navigating obstacles.

Instructions: Water your garden!

So, we’ve planted our garden of hope, and now what? One essential thing for the survival and flourishing of these flowers is the commitment in watering them. Similarly, developing hope in our day-to-day lives includes conscious effort to change our behavioral patterns. 

In other words, since learned helplessness is a mental and cognitive state affected by environmental and behavioral factors, breaking this cycle involves starting with what we can change- our actions. Reinforcing hope by increasing perceived agency involves increasing self-esteem. Consequently, this requires an active behavioral effort. For example, if a difficult exam is making you hopeless regardless of your efforts in studying, you can start by practicing with smaller quizzes to increase your competency and your confidence in it.

A finishing touch.

Hope is not a mysterious feeling we either have or don’t. It is a multifaceted concept that can be learned with vigour and commitment. Here, I remind you of this simple, yet vital fact: breaking out of cycles is not a linear, short process. Setbacks may be experienced, and it takes time to feel the effect. And, when things become too difficult, seeking professional help to guide you along your journey towards hope could prove to be life-changing and beneficial. One step at a time, as Peta Murchinson said,

“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.”