The power of hope
Keeping a sense of hope helps you to feel calm and happy.
Have you noticed the mornings and evenings are slowly getting lighter? Being hopeful that spring is around the corner and warmer, brighter days are ahead is a powerful feeling. This is because hope gives us the strength to be positive, even when things don’t go our way.
What is hope?
Hope is a positive feeling that things will get better. It’s more than just wishful thinking; hope means taking action and believing you have the power to achieve your goals. “When I’m hopeful it makes me see the brightness in myself,” says The Week Junior reader Jonah, aged eight, “It’s good to be hopeful because it gives you a chance to be happy about things.” Charles Snyder, a psychologist (an expert in how we think) studied hopeful thinking and said it has three main parts: having a goal, thinking up different ways to achieve it and believing in yourself even when things go wrong.
How is hope good for me?
Snyder called hope a “rainbow of the mind,” because it “lifts our spirits and makes us think of what is possible.” Being hopeful about something, like trying out a new sport or hobby, takes courage because you’re taking a step into the unknown. This helps you work out what’s important to you, as well as making you more confident and resilient (able to overcome challenges). Studies show that being hopeful also helps you learn better at school, build strong
friendships and feel less stressed.
How can I be more hopeful?
Hope is a skill you can learn. Hope expert David Feldman suggests starting by working towards a goal that’s important to you, then thinking up different ways to achieve it. So if you hope to be a chef one day, for example, aim to learn one new recipe a week. Staying focused on your goal takes energy, so Feldman recommends eating healthily and getting plenty of sleep. If you start to feel hopeless, get inspired by people who have already succeeded or tell someone who supports you so they can give you a boost. Finally, tap into your imagination and picture yourself achieving your goal. Picturing success in the future is hope in action.