Hope as a Psychological and Social Resource
When we think about hope, often the conversation revolves around spiritual concepts, however, hope can be a psychological and social resource that increases well being when facing adversity, despair, uncertainty, and/or grief. As our name shows — hope is rooted and necessary in our foundation as a charity organization, rooted in our family trajectory and the challenges that came throughout the years.
That is why when we talk about hope, we consider it a necessary tool for moving forward when life places bumps in the way. For Richard Lazarus (1999) “to hope is to believe that something positive, which does not presently apply to one’s life, could still materialize, and so we yearn for it.” ; which means that it is the tool that glues everything together when nothing is left, and if you choose to believe it, a better outcome can be possible.
On the other hand, cognitively, “hope can be defined as goal-directed thinking. It is characterized by the ability to find routes that lead to desired goals and thoughts, with the motivation needed to reach those routes” (Hartmann J. et al. 2018). This neurobiological process takes its shape when parts of the brain such as the prefrontal cortex (which takes care of the planning/goal-setting) and the anterior cingulate cortex (which refers to the motivation and monitoring progress) are activated.
Therefore, hope can be established as a tool that we can learn to implement when experiencing life, in fact, an experimental study found in the National Library of Medicine called “Hope as a behavior and cognitive process: A new clinical strategy about mental health’s prevention” concludes that hope facilitates behavioral and cognitive reinforcement for elderly people, and that they are more likely to take initiatives, pursue their goals, and remain steadfast on their choices, or, have the flexibility to change them if necessary.
It seemed important to highlight the cognitive and psychological side of hope because it is a process we can find inside of us. The possibilities, the diversity of options and the course of action for a lighter path are perceived when facing a personal journey that requires and implements another view.
“Hope is everything” were the last words that Sarah — our first hope angel in this project, said before leaving this world. She knew how, even though she had a short life, to live every moment to the fullest: writing poems, sharing love, spending time with her loved ones. She understood that the only way for a person to see what is on the other side, is by finding hope.
Sarah exercised some of the ways hope is improved in our daily life: finding community — people who understand or can relate to struggles, clinging to small moments in life that serve as a reminder of the essence of what it means to live, practicing gratitude, setting goals, and practicing mindfulness or meditation by doing enjoyable things. These are tools available for whoever is reading this.
More than an organization for charity, we are a community. We understand what it means to live through struggle and how life can feel too heavy to keep going. Whether you are searching for hope, or wanting to bring more of it into a world that is clearly begging for it, you can become a Hope Angel.
For more information on how to contact us and be part of Hope Is Everything, please click here.
References
Lazarus, R. S. (1999). Hope: An Emotion and a Vital Coping Resource Against Despair. Social Research, 66(2), 653–678. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40971343
Hartmann JAS Júnior, Fernandes ALAF, Medeiros AGAP, Vasconcelos CAC, Pinheiro KSCB, Amorim LLL, Queiroga MFS, Cruz MRCD, Araújo RCT, Neto MLR. Hope as a behavior and cognitive process: A new clinical strategy about mental health’s prevention. Medicine (Baltimore). 2018 Sep;97(36):e12130. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000012130. PMID: 30200101; PMCID: PMC6133436.