During these overwhelmingly stressful times, we all need something to raise us up above the noise, anxiety, fear, and tension.

The dictionary defines hope as a feeling of expectation and desire for something to happen.

Hope is what we hold on to in the face of challenges and obstacles that things can and will improve.

When we feel hopeful we create positive energies within our systems, helping us to feel more empowered and uplifted. The reality is, when we feel hopeful, we will find new ways to cope with situations that are not within our control. As we are bombarded daily with fear-based, aggravating, and upsetting news, it triggers within us feelings of powerlessness and hopelessness. Certain news cycles are designed to do just that.

The one thing we all have within us, is the ability to take a stand for what you believe in. Peter Marshall stated: “If you don’t stand for something you will fall for anything.” It’s so easy to fall down the rabbit hole of powerlessness and despair, especially when we feel consumed by all the bad news we are exposed to 24/7.

As much of a draw as some news reports may be, it’s important and necessary to turn off the news and focus on things in your life other than the repetitious soundbites of current events. Just as we may feel burnt out from the isolation and social distancing due to the pandemic, burn-out can also be caused by the constant repetition of the same news day in and day out adding to feelings of frustration and desperation.

As you take steps to connect to feeling hopeful, trust in your abilities to handle the steps forward, navigate any obstacles, and trust in your abilities to cope with events along the way.

5 Steps to stay connected to HOPE (small steps of self-care can have a large impact in your life)

  1. Hope is a Choice: We have triggers to our feelings… something we see, hear, or do will trigger a feeling of hope, joy, frustration, upset, anger, powerlessness, etc. While we don’t have control over what feeling gets triggered, we do have control over what we do with those feelings. How do you want to handle those feelings?
  2. What is Your Desired Outcome? Remember that a desired outcome is what you want, not what you don’t want, and it has to be something over which you have control. So, if you want to feel more hopeful in these stressful times, focus on what it is that gives you hope. Is it doing things to stay connected to people you love and care about? Is it getting out to vote? Is it participating in a support group? Is it turning off the news and doing something that is fun and uplifting? Is it having news and politics-free get-togethers? Moments of joy and serenity help us to connect to positivity and hope.
  3. Count your Blessings: It’s important that when counting your blessings, you do NOT say “yeah, but”. Stay focused on the good in your life on any given day. Even small blessings count. And yes, it’s even more impactful when you write them down because on days when you’re feeling less hopeful, you can reread your list from previous days, and it can help elevate your mood.
  4. Ask others what they are grateful for (what blessings are in their lives): Having conversations with family and friends that focus on what they are grateful for can help everyone feel uplifted and more hopeful. It’s also a great way to talk about positive messages and events in our lives.
  5. Take positive action: Participating in activities that are positive, uplifting, and empowering helps to reenforce hopefulness, and we can all do something everyday that ignites hope within us.

If you want or need extra guidance and support on your journey of self-care and connecting to hope and optimism in your life, you can access your Step by Step Guide here: TakeBackYourLifeGuide.com

And we breathe…

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