Ways to tackle feelings of hopelessness Wellbeing & Meditation
WITH all that is happening around the world, some of us are struggling to maintain a positive outlook. COVID19 has changed many things. Some are happier than before and finding a silver lining. Others are up and down. And some are feeling more stressed and anxious.
Hope is defined as ‘an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one’s life or the world at large’.
Hope is a key factor in how we handle suffering. People can endure incredible hardship if they believe their pain will end, or that being helped is likely.
Studies show that hope correlates positively with satisfaction in life and protects against stress. People who are high in hope experience better academic, professional, health and athletic results. They are more resilient and happier. Hopelessness affects everything and weakens our ability to withstand crises. Research shows that creating and strengthening hope lowers the risk of suicide and ideation. No matter what comes, never lose hope.
Three of my clients shared examples of how they shift gears mentally when feeling hopeless.
‘Over the years, I have felt a lot of hopelessness in specific areas of my life–namely my work and finding a loving relationship. The feeling of hopelessness really stopped me in my tracks. I became unmotivated and depressed.
By focusing on any small area of life that I could still do something about, I managed to start taking positive steps forward again and that eventually gained momentum.
One of the first steps was starting to meditate. Later, I did visualisation and learned better communication skills which helped my relationship issues. Now life is good. I am happy and fulfilled and it all happened when I changed my mindset and took small actions.”
‘I was realising this morning that my sadness, hopelessness and fear is a mindset that needs to be reprogrammed. I feel gratitude is so important–it completely changes a negative mindset. It makes me see the opportunities in front of me. With a negative mind I just see fog and no clarity.’
In general, I am a positive person. I have an angel figurine on my mantlepiece with ‘HOPE’ written on it. I touch it every morning and tell myself: ‘You gotta have hope’–remembering a chant from a movie. This gives me a good feeling and builds me up.
5 WAYS TO INCREASE YOUR HOPE
Look back on past victories – at all the situations you have gotten through. You’re still here. How many times did you think: ‘I’ll never get out of this one” and yet, you did. Understand what got you through, and do more of that.
Pray or meditate. Connecting within or to a higher power anchors and strengthens us.
Be positive. The mind can only handle so much negativity. Sharing hope and positivity with others brings it to another level. Practice gratitude – when you feel grateful, you can’t be hopeless or angry.
Focus on what you can control and where you can make a difference. Consistent small steps are what bring growth and transformation over-time.
In life, when difficulties come, we can choose to be better, bitter or broken. Sometimes on the way to ‘ better’ we visit bitter and broken. ‘Better’ happens when we choose to learn from the situation. No storm in life is permanent. Think of the people you admire most. Invariably they are people that faced and triumphed in adversity. Never lose hope. Your future depends on it.
Calodagh McCumiskey is an accredited thought leader in wellbeing. She works with companies and individuals. For more information, visit: www.spiritualearth.com or contact: info@spiritualearth.com 0871 335230 ‘Let’s grow together’.