Cynicism and pessimism are on the rise. Studies show that cultivating optimism and hopefulness can improve mental and physical health and strengthen resilience.
When I saw the headline and subhead for this article, I was already rolling my eyes, expecting another lame post that would be nothing but toxic positivity.
I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t much acknowledgment of situations we are powerless to change and thus have no reason to feel hope about. That aside, the advice in this article is pretty good. The first two bits of advice have helped me in times when everything has seemed overwhelming and hopeless.
Get specific and break down what seems like an overwhelming problem into tasks I can realistically do one at a time. Then, do the next task.
Ask for help because many things seem less overwhelming when we know someone else is there. They don’t have to improve everything; it just helps to have hope when we are not alone.
Let me give you an example. I recently learned that I have a medical condition that is going to require a large number of changes to my lifestyle, the need to take medication daily, etc. Taken all at once, this news seemed overwhelming, but immediately two things happened. The doctor started breaking it down into steps. First, understand this is treatable. Then, here is the plan, broken down. Secondly, I had to share the news with my wife and make it our problem, not just my problem. It’s my health condition, but she’s in it with me because she needs to know how to support me, and she was all in on that.
That helps me feel hopeful about this. It doesn’t mean I’m not also scared and feeling a bit overwhelmed, but I have hope. As the article below points out, the research says that hope is a huge thing to have.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/frazzlebrain/202411/easy-ways-to-generate-hope