Tips to stay hopeful even in the most difficult times
Hope is a cluster of light in the darkness, an emotional force that connects us to life in the most difficult, dead-end moments. Pandemics, diseases, economic crises, financial and moral struggles, losses, unemployment problems, the number of negative news and developments we have been exposed to in the last few years is so high that most of us seem to have lost hope. But at the same time, don't the lyrics 'We will see good days, sunny days' keep going round and round in the back of our minds?
Difficult times always exist; they have happened in the past and they will happen in the future. So it is not possible to completely eliminate them from our lives. So what matters is what we do to overcome them. To be hopeful is to have a mindset that believes that even if things don't look great today, we can have a brighter future tomorrow. So optimism is not happiness or Polyannism. It is believing that despite the difficulties, despite all the negative feelings and thoughts, despite the bad conditions, things will change tomorrow and that we are strong enough to get through these times.
Gratitude is one of the most effective ways of focusing on what you have and waging war against negativity. No matter how complicated and difficult things get, there is always something to be thankful for. Your family, your loved ones, the sea, the sky, the sun, whatever you can think of. You can find a glimmer of hope in everything you are grateful for. You can increase your hope by being grateful for the people next to you, for what you have, for the breath you take. It doesn't matter whether it's in words, prayer, meditation or writing, use any way you want to express your gratitude and you will see the effect very quickly.
Hope is not about suppressing all negative emotions, ignoring them, pretending they don't exist. On the contrary, ignoring negative emotions can cause them to backfire even harder later and bring great despair. Give yourself space to feel all your emotions and accept and live them. If you are sad, if you feel like crying, don't hold back, let the tears flow. Do not resist your feelings. Remember that you have to accept them before you can get over them.
When you feel caught up in the rollercoaster of life, it is easy to hold on to the idea that things are out of control. Every negative scenario runs through your mind and it becomes difficult to find hope. Taking time to stop and reflect when you are going through a difficult time can help you manage your thoughts and embrace the positive moments. You can use meditation, breathing exercises or mindfulness practices to slow down and focus on yourself and your inner world.
Most of us know at least one person who manages to see the bright and beautiful side of life every single time, just as we know people who often feed off negativity and bring our mood down... It's hard to find hope when we spend time with people who fill our minds with negative thoughts, who constantly complain, who are pessimistic, who don't know how to be grateful. Therefore, it is essential to find 'that person' in the first sentence, and if possible, people. Surround yourself with hopeful people who will inspire you.
We cannot undo, rewrite, change something that has already happened, but we can change how we perceive it, how we interpret it, what meaning we attribute to it. If you are preoccupied with questions like "Why me, why did this happen to me, why do these things always find me?" when you experience things that challenge you, upset you, wear you down, try this: "Why is this happening for me?" Adding to your questions can help you change your perspective, make inferences no matter how bad the events that happen to you, and help you realize and learn something. In this way, you can move away from rebelliousness, the biggest enemy of hope, and challenge negative thoughts.
Another way to keep hope alive is to think about what you can look forward to beyond your current situation. Where could you travel to as an exciting destination? How can you start a new venture and build your dream business? Setting goals, dreaming and thinking about the future always gives hope, because it heralds that something will change very soon and that the current bad phase of your life will end and a new one will begin.
Take care of yourself Especially when you are going through difficult times, don't neglect to take extra care of yourself, to take care of your physical, mental and spiritual needs. Whether you take up sports, read a book or go for skin care, do something that feels good for you, that makes you feel good. This way, you can renew your love, trust and compassion for yourself and find different ways to focus on the positive when so many negative things are happening.