Remaining Positive in a Chaotic World
Have you noticed how the world is changing?
Occasionally feeling overwhelmed is normal and it may be challenging to stay positive about the future. Maintaining a sense of hope may help to stay upbeat, as hopefulness is associated with wellbeing, resilience and reduced feelings of depression. Existential thinkers, like Viktor Frankl, highlighted the value of meaning and purpose as a source of hope. While Psychologist C. R. Snyder’s theory asserts that hopefulness serves as a coping mechanism to deal with stress and adversity.
Hope is a belief that conditions can be improved by trusting your ability change the environment. Brown (2010) stated, “Hope isn’t an emotion, but a thought process.” However, one’s encouraging notions are simply insufficient to maintain a sense of possibility and also requires the willingness to act.
Imagine a map that indicates, “You are Here” and which provides various routes to a specific destination. Planning a course to your goal and purposefully continuing on that path nurtures meaning and confidence. If you run into an impasse, choosing to focus on what cannot be controlled only fuels frustration and helplessness. As the saying goes, ‘there are many ways to skin a cat.’ Remembering the multiplicity of directions to reach your objective allows an experimental ‘opportunity’ to try out an intentional preplanned alternative strategy.
Snyder’s model of hope supports three key elements:
Agency – Believing that you can instigate change
Goals – Thinking in a goal-oriented way
Pathways – Finding different ways to achieve your goals
Being willing to both reframe your thinking and to act is a vital part of the hope equation. A ’can-do’ attitude and active follow-through enhances self-esteem while lowering depression and anxiety. Feeling pride in your efforts with the resulting boost in self-respect is the nature of true grit. Imagining a better future grants an important sense of control and a feeling of forward movement to deal with those unavoidable bottlenecks. Neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin and endorphins are activated during one’s positive experiences. Maintaining hope and motivation to reach your aims requires setting well-defined targets that result in swifter biochemical rewards reinforcing desired behaviors.
Strategies to Stay Positive
Start small
-Developing a sense of hope starts with taking the first step towards your goal, no matter how small
-Reduce your aims into manageable chunks to avoid the risk of feeling overwhelmed when beginning a task
-Make a journey seem more attainable by setting practical objectives to enhance your willingness to engage in the mission
Social impact
-Communities foster a sense of belonging and shared purpose that create collective inspiration
-Our social groups model examples that desired goals are possible
-Reminders of achievement from those in your cohort will facilitate perseverance when reaching inevitable roadblocks on your journey
Example: Let’s say you are thinking of beginning a yoga practice. The studio is full of support that can encourage you on your path by providing motivating models. When difficulties arise, like an injury, experienced practitioners can guide you. Once you develop into a skilled yogi, you can share personal knowledge to help new students in a mindset of growth
Reframing the outcome
-Cultivating your willpower requires a change in belief systems that you have the ability to move forward in a beneficial way
-With an attitude of spirited creativity, one can play with ideas on how to ‘beat the system’ to meet goals
-Having fun solving problems brings lightheartedness when confronted with challenges on your path
Past achievements
-Reflecting on successful past events proves you have the personal resources to meet difficult goals at the present time
-Recognizing your previous wins promotes a sense of real possibility that supports future forward movement
Recognizing success
-Take time along your way to celebrate small wins and use a gratitude mentality to intentionally notice what is going right
-Tracking success toward your goals reinforces motivation to keep investing energy toward a desired outcome
Staying optimistic in our world is difficult but vital for wellbeing.
Brown, B. (2010). The gifts of imperfection. Hazelden. From
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7015403-the-gifts-of-imperfection
Frankl, V. (2006). Man’s search for meaning. Beacon Press. From https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4069.Man_s_Search_for_Meaning?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_7
Snyder, C. R. (2003). Psychology of hope: You can get here from there. Free Press. From
Psychology of Hope: You Can Get Here from There: Snyder, C.R. R.: 9780743254441: Amazon.com: Books