Hope is one of the many virtues that define a human being. It is a feeling of anticipation, desire, and wanting something to happen. Often used interchangeably with faith, hope is a natural human instinct to want a specific outcome, usually a better result. But does hope comes naturally? Or does it take mustering up courage and strength to feel hope? In author Walter Hoge’s book Easter: McEaster Valley, hope is symbolized in that tranquil, serene, and wonderful scene, an otherworldly valley, that the author and his dog encounter as they traverse across the mountains of the Sierra. Hope is something that stems from committing a life to serve and help others or the environment in the hope that the result would be a life that is peaceful, tranquil, serene, and, yes, wonderful.
Finding Hope
Does the feeling of hope come naturally to everybody? Everybody goes through the ups and downs in life, and some even go through the longest downs they have ever been that it’s difficult to look for that light at the end of the tunnel. Finding that hope is challenging for people going through very traumatic experiences. These experiences are so bad that the person going through them feels no more longing for life and becomes too comfortable in the darkness of misery that they find themselves in. So, how does one find hope when everything seems to be against all odds?
Reach Out to Others
Like a drowning person, the first instinct of someone who is drowning in despair is to reach out and grab on to the first thing or the first person that they can hold on to. The act itself of reaching out means that the person wants to be saved. Hope is available to those who want to be saved. The first act of finding hope is to reach out to other people, talk to other people, ask for help, be vulnerable and honest in saying that help is needed and that the person could not survive without the help of others. There are a lot of non-profit organizations offering free counseling services to people who are in despair, who have lost all hope in life, and to those who need to talk to someone to feel that they are being listened to.
Believing in One’s Self
It is never easy to get over something traumatic. The first step to recovering from something painful is to feel all the pain, the sadness, and sorrow, and never deny oneself from crying. It takes a lot to get up and show up every day, but these are steps to finding hope again in life. Just showing up means that the person is ready to believe that they can move on and start anew with life. Create small goals, but do not be pressured to accomplish these goals. Take small steps, baby steps forward. Believe in yourself that you are capable of living life again, that you are capable of getting back on track.
Practicing Meditation & Prayer
Research shows that meditating and praying stimulate a part of the brain responsible for controlling emotions; when some reflective parts of the brain are enabled, the other part of the brain linked with taking actions is inactivated. These brain activities make a stressed person feel calm and relaxed. In essence, meditating and praying sends positive feelings, feelings that are associated with compassion, gratitude, and forgiveness. The moment a person goes through these uplifting moments, they’d feel more control over their life, in charge of their stress. These eventually lead to a person feeling that heightened sense of healing and hope.
Embracing Positivity
How does a person focus and embrace positivity when they’re in the middle of despair and sorrow? The struggle is real, especially when everything seems gloomy and there is nothing good or positive insight. But, believe it or not, practicing positivity is one way to bring that sunlight of hope into an otherwise dark and bleak life. Start small, start practicing small positivity attracting activities. Humor or laughing can help. Look for something wholesomely funny and have a blast laughing about it. Laughter is also a form of remedy, a relief that eases out tense muscles and nerves brought about by negative emotions. Another small step towards positivity is by being grateful, even over small things. Be grateful that you can wake up every day, for the meals you eat, the clothes you wear, and the roof on top of your head. It need not be a great leap towards a positive-filled life, but it is a guaranteed step towards finding hope again out of despair.
Hope doesn’t come naturally to anybody. It is a want, a desire for a better outcome, and just like achieving a desire, people need to work at it. Hope is the desired value that needs to be practiced over and over again in life. It can be challenging to practice hope, especially if a person is going through a very traumatic time. But then, hope is the only weapon that prevents people from going down that rabbit hole of darkness and misery. Finding hope is the best tool to fight off and break free from the strong choke of despair.
The Damsel’s Files 