Why Is Hope So Important?
Hope is defined as:
- a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.
- a feeling of trust.
- a sense that one wants something to happen or be the case.
We use the word in so many ways. Our days are filled loose references to it in casual conversations.
I hope it is a sunny day.
I hope you feel better.
I hope I get that job.
It is what helps us feel determined, supported and loved when we may otherwise feel down, full of despair or isolated. Hope reduces feelings of helplessness, increases happiness, reduces stress, and improves our overall quality of life.
It has everything to do with our dreams and aspirations. Hope has the power to change the things we desire for our future. It certainly pertains to the future and is part of our thought process, so, for all intents and purposes, it does have manifesting power! It feels much better to be hopeful than to be fearful or anxious. We can stare at “what is” or we can be hopeful it will change. The latter feels better to me!
We all fall into times when potentially dangerous ideations or intrusive thoughts take over our minds. We often seethe and marinate in them for inordinate amounts of time, seemingly unable to stop and pivot away from them. When we reach this point, having hope becomes a major protective factor in helping us tackle our unhealthy practices. Yet, sometimes it is hard to believe there is hope, and we need help to see things through.
Here are some of the positive impacts of hope taken from a recent extern.org article.
Hope:
- Gives you a reason to get out of bed every day
- Improves mental well-being
- Benefits your physical body
- Helps with the immune system as it reduces your levels of stress
- Increases self-worth, self-belief and confidence
- Encourages you to take positive action
- Encourages you to surround yourself with like-minded people
- Reduces sadness and anxiety
- Creates opportunities
We all have thoughts that result in self sabotage at times; no one is immune. But if we keep hope alive, practice mindfulness and consciously and deliberately chase away the feelings of unease and uncertainty that pervade our thinking and disrupt the balance in our lives, we can always emerge out of the fog with a renewed sense of well being! Let’s make today and every day an opportunity to embrace hope. Always remember, there is support out there to help you find the strength to believe that hope is a possibility and that it can help us change the way that we live. You are not alone!
Together WE are Stronger!
(Originally published in the April 2023 TriCircle Newsletter)