By Leini Jenkins
“Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today
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We often use the word hope to express wishful thinking. We often use phrases like, “I hope it doesn’t rain today,” “Hopefully, I don’t get sick," “I hope my test goes well,” or “Hopefully, I get the job.” When we say things like this, the unspoken belief is that nothing else we do will influence how things turn out. However, hope is a unique positive emotion that can help us recognize our ability to take control and move toward our goals despite setbacks and challenges.
Psychologist Dan Tomasulo (2022) talks about the power of hope and what is called learned hopefulness. This concept of learned hopefulness contrasts with learned helplessness, an older theory developed by Martin Seligman and Steve Mair (1967). When we set out to accomplish something and come up against ongoing difficulties and setbacks, we may begin to believe we have no power or control over the outcome because of how the brain looks to the past and revisits all the “failures." Yet in recent years—with new developments in brain science and biochemistry—–Seligman and Mair (2016) have reviewed their initial theory and made some surprising discoveries. Instead of examining the past to unlearn what happened, the brain looks forward, figuring out what it can control. In other words, when we focus on past failures and struggles, we tend to feel stuck in the mud and pretty helpless. But, when we focus on what we can do to make a better future, we can lift ourselves up and out of that mud. That belief that we can do something good to help dictate the outcome is hope.
Hope is unique because it is a positive emotion, but it requires negativity or uncertainty to activate it. Other positive emotions, such as joy, gratitude, awe, and love, do not necessarily need this paradox to be felt. Hope is the expectation that you can influence how things turn out versus believing you do not have control over the outcome. The mindset of "what can I do to influence or change the outcome?” instead of "I can’t do anything" can bring a sense of empowerment when obstacles arise. In fact, setbacks, disappointments, or unexpected challenges can turn hope on and set it in motion (Tomasulo, 2019). According to Dr. Tomasulo (2022), hope in motion is about becoming aware, making an assessment, and then acting.
First, to harness the power of hope, you must become aware, which means pausing when you encounter negativity and uncertainty. Our natural response to negativity and uncertainty is usually anxiety, stress, or racing thoughts. Experiencing a threat response can be overwhelming and cause us to freeze or feel stuck. However, the ability to pause with intentional awareness allows us a moment to ask, “what is it I’m feeling?” or “what is happening right now?” These simple questions can help you gain an understanding of the situation enabling you to respond thoughtfully. Mindfulness practice can help you develop this critical skill. If you want help getting started, check out the mindfulness module on the My Best Self 101 website!
Next, you must make an assessment. Now that you have paused and brought a thoughtful awareness to the situation, you can start to assess what you can do. An essential part of this process is realizing you may not be able to control everything, but figuring out what you believe you can do to influence the outcome is crucial to hope. Figuring out what you can do will depend on what resources and abilities you have that you believe can make a difference.
Lastly, hope is about action. Once you've paused and assessed, you put your resources and abilities to work through action. Pausing and assessing are important steps, but without action, you cannot witness your ability to influence the outcome and make a change that moves you forward. It is also essential to realize action will look different depending on the circumstances, and action can definitely be asking for help. The most important factor here is that you believe your action will bring influence and change, no matter how big or small the action is. You lose hope as soon as you stop believing you can make a difference.
The beauty of the pause, assess, and act practice is that you can use it again when your initial action doesn't yield the expected results. You may have to take the feedback from your activity and restart the process by pausing, assessing, and acting again. You can continue to modify as you go.
I have experienced many disappointments, unmet goals, setbacks, and challenges during my lifetime, and I am not unique in this. If I were to ask you, you would also be able to relate. Until recently, my mindset in these situations has often been one of helplessness instead of hopefulness. You may be currently in a mentality of helplessness. However, by learning to use the process of learned hopefulness, I have discovered my ability to influence my future for good. I have found a new way to think about hope and its power, and so can you!
“We must have hope that what we do matters.
We must have courage that who we are becoming matters.
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References
Maier, S.F., & Seligman, M.E. (2016). Learned helplessness at fifty: Insights from neuroscience.
Psychological Review, 123(4), 349-367.
Seligman, M.E.P., & Maier, S.F. (1967). Failure to escape traumatic shock. Journal of
Experimental Psychology, 74, 1–9. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0024514. [PubMed] [Google Scholar] [Ref list]
Tomasulo, D. (2019, November 4). How Hope Works. Thrive Global.
https://community.thriveglobal.com/how-hope-works/
Tomasulo, D. J. (2022, October 31). Learned Hopefulness: The Key to a Successful Life.
Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-healing-crowd-the-new-science-hope-and-the-power-learned-hopefulness/202210/learned?amp