Hope

hope

1. (n) to cherish a desire with anticipation : to want something to happen or be true

2. (v) to expect with confidence

If you're reading this, the odds are that you've had a tough time of it in some regard lately. I can certainly relate to that. Between the economy, the dried-up job market and the mental health for so many people deteriorating at troubling rates, etc... it's easy for life to feel downright desolate right now.

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I have a friend that's currently going through a particularly tumultuous time in regards to their finances. They suffered a significant loss in wages that wasn't their fault, and the solution to that problem looks like it's months away at best. Meanwhile, their landlord has threatened to evict them if they don't find a way to pay back thousands of dollars that's owed in rent; a problem that -- once again -- wasn't even their own doing or cause to begin with.

This situation has left my friend pretty hopeless, understandably so. When I try to talk them off the ledge, it seems to resonate very little. And then when they experience a setback, the emotional effects are palpably debilitating.

It's important to remember in moments like this that thoughts and mindset have a direct relationship with actions and outcome. In other words, positive thoughts breed positive results, and negative thoughts breed negative results.

No matter how despairing a situation is, if your let your negative emotions about a present situation cloud your ability to see the possibility of a better future, you're likely going to bring more negative outcomes into your life -- whether that's done consciously or subconsciously.

This is why the concept of hope is so important & essential when it comes to mental health.

“Hope is the sum of the mental willpower and waypower that you have for your goals.” -- C.R. Snyder, 'The Psychology of Hope'

While I could give some contrived cliché along the lines of:

"instead of viewing the glass as half-empty, ALWAYS choose to view it as half-full!!!"

... that's not quite what we do here on mental-ity. If you want doses of toxic positivity like that, you can always talk to that eccentric, way-too-bubbly close friend or family member.

But let's continue to keep it real here. If you're not a easily hopeful person at heart, you likely deal with a constant current of negative thoughts and a fixed mindset.

Family Medicine doctor Hannah S. Packlam expands on the unfortunate power of negative thought patterns on self: [1]

"Negative thoughts can take over all aspects of our lives. They can affect our relationships with others, cause low self-esteem, and make it harder to get through our day. Not only can negative thinking adversely affect our mental health (by worsening anxiety and depression), but it can also affect our physical health (by raising blood pressure and making it more difficult to recover from illness). These are just a few examples of how mindset and health are connected. Although negative thoughts can make us feel powerless, we actually have the power to fight back against them and challenge the way we think."

-- Hannah S. Packlam, MD

Dr. Hannah S. Packlam of the Northeast Georgia Medical Center.

Dr. Packlam expands on this negative thought concept by using the term "ANTs" -- automatic negative thoughts.

She explains that while there are many different types of ANTs, they're all equally as debilitating -- and can even distort our realities.

Hope is the simplest combatant for this.

I quoted an excerpt from the book 'The Psychology of Hope' by American psychologist C.R. Snyder earlier in this piece. Another one of my favorite quotes from this amazing book reads as this:

"I have found that high-hope people are quite patient with experiencing the course of unfolding events." -- C.R. Snyder, 'The Psychology of Hope'

Charles R. Snyder penned and published multiple works on hope theory -- the most renowned of those works being his 1994 book titled 'The Psychology of Hope.'

If I may get "religious" for a moment: in Christianity (and most other religions), faith is the basis and framework around which everything else is constructed. Faith and hope are very closely-related terms and ideas. We've already defined hope as an expectation and anticipation for a desired outcome. Here's what faith is defined as:

faith

1. (n) complete trust or confidence in someone or something

2. (n) firm belief in something for which there is no proof

   
   

Complete trust... with no preexisting proof? Hmm.

To go back to the example of Christianity, there's a reason why faith is one of the most important themes & concepts in the Bible. Without faith -- complete trust -- in God, Jesus Christ and the Gospel, literally everything in the Bible becomes immaterial. As Hebrews 11:6 states, "without faith it is impossible to please God."

And this faith has to be held even in the midst of struggle and pain. The theme of faith being "tested" is explored in the Bible countless times. These same themes are easily applicable to our lives.

To wrap up: I personally have one concrete belief when it comes to most mental health matters. It's this: a healthier way of living & thinking is always just a shift in mindset away.

Believe me; I too used to think that living a better, healthier life required so much. And I attempted so many quick-fix solutions, as well as many long & drawn-out ones, until I discovered the above truth.

I simply just tweaked my mindset through a complete dedication to hope -- to believe that there is always a better way ahead in EVERY possible situation, which gave me a true solution-based way of thinking at all times.

Famed psychologist and author Dr. Carol Dweck's decades of work has focused on this very concept, terming it the growth mindset.

Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck has built an incredible legacy with her work on motivation and mindset, most notably with her book titled 'Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.'

If I was struggling in a class, the situation was far from hopeless; I just needed to figure out a better system of studying.

If I developed anxiety and dread about an upcoming event or situation, I knew I could overcome those aforementioned 'ANTS' that Dr. Packlam spoke of. I just needed to begin developing positive thoughts and projections about those situations rather than falling back on my old habit of fearing for the worst.

Remember: positive thoughts breed positive results, while negative ones... yeah, yeah, you get it.

This way of thinking -- this dedication to hope -- completely changed my life for the better over the past half-decade and I believe it has placed my life on a firmly positive trajectory. Even when situations arose that would have crippled my mood and my hope before this dedication, I was able to stay the course due to the unwavering faith that I held, knowing I'm still on the right path.

Just think about it. Could you imagine if everyone walked around with the unwavering faith that their unsatisfactory circumstances would assuredly turn for the better at some point?

Remember: faith requires complete trust in an outcome without concrete proof or evidence to back that outcome's likelihood of happening.

But that is why faith -- or hope -- is so incredibly essential when it comes to mental wellness. When you simply hold hope that your circumstances will turn for the better, you're going to consciously or subconsciously think and act in ways that will serve toward that belief.

You see, hope sets a goal in place for our thoughts and actions to drive us through this big-ass, convoluted obstacle course that we call life.

And, yes. I'm aware at how this message could come across. "Haha yeah, just HOPE a little more and everything will change. Real profound stuff."

But, sometimes, in such a complicated & often perplexing world...

It really can be that simple.

[1] Hannah S. Packiam, MD. “Food for Thought: How Negative Thinking Impacts Our Life & Health.” NGPG, 27 July 2023, www.ngpg.org/food-for-thought-how-negative-thinking-impacts-our-life-health.

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