In his blog, E. Paul Zehr, Ph.D., talks about The Gift of Hope. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/.../the-gift-hope

I remember speaking to a group of research participants with stroke some years ago. I outlined the progress we had made thanks to their help and where we were going. And how it might, I was sorry to say, take 15 or 20 years to change or improve therapy. “It’s okay”, I vividly remember this one gentleman telling me, “you have given us the gift of hope. Just knowing you are doing these things helps us push ourselves to keep working at our own recovery”.

Hope may be defined as: the feeling or belief that something you want to happen is likely to happen. Hope is much more nuanced than the definition implies. Therese J. Borchard has a trilogy of articles about hope and hopelessness in her World of Psychology blog:

9 Types of Hopelessness and How to Overcome Them
5 Ways to Build and Sustain Hope: An Interview with Anthony Scioli
The 7 Kinds of Hope

In his interview, Dr. Scioli was asked: Question: Name the five most important things that will help a person find and sustain hope:

Anthony: My answer to this question overlaps a bit with my response to the previous one. But first, I would think more in terms of building hope, rather than trying to find it. Create a blueprint for yourself by taking out a piece of paper and number it one through five, leaving enough space between the items to fill in more details, suggestions, ideas, etc.

Next to the numbers one through four write in these headings, relationships (1), goals (2), coping (3), and spirituality (4). Next to number 5 write down what you believe is your most important mission in life (e.g., a good parent, the best teacher you can be, a crusader for justice, a friend of the poor).

Now you need to fill in the details.

1. Next to goals, write down your three most important life goals. Now list three or four inspiring role models, and helpers who will provide empowerment experiences for you.

2. For relationships, list two to three individuals who will build, and not erode your sense of trust. Seek out those whom you can be open with, and avoid individuals who make you feel guarded or defensive. Make a commitment to call or meet one of these individuals at least once a week.

3. Next to coping, list two or three stress management skills you have or would like to possess, and make a commitment to practice them at least several times a week. Hope is also about having options. What is your preferred way of coping? Is it problem solving, seeking support from others, praying, planning in advance, or avoidance? All of these strategies have their place. The goal for you to is to expand your coping repertoire. Make a commitment to practice one or two strategies that are not part of your normal coping repertoire.
Hope in the Age of Anxiety

4. Next to spirituality, list four to five of your greatest sources of faith. This can be a god or higher power, friends, social institutions, anything that feels spiritual to you. Make a committee to develop a game plan to deepen in your faith and sense of spirituality in these areas of faith.

5. Finally, make a commitment to write out a personal “mission statement”, making it elaborate enough to guide your daily thoughts, feelings and behaviors. Consider placing your mission statement in one or more visible areas or in a readily accessible location where you can refer to it when life becomes hectic, confused, or frustrating.

Dr. Grohol provides help with the hopelessness:

15 Common Cognitive Distortions
Fixing Cognitive Distortions

For me, hope complements spirituality. Spirituality has already been mentioned in the discussions about hope. How about wellness:

Definition of Wellness

What is the definition of wellness? More than ever before, we hear this word in the news, on billboards, in conversation and even at work. Interestingly, there is no universally-accepted definition of wellness. There is, however, a set of common characteristics seen in most thoughtful attempts at a definition of wellness. We generally see a reference to a “state of well-being,” which is vague, to say the least. Also frequently seen is a “state of acceptance or satisfaction with our present condition.”

The truth is wellness is a tough word to define. That said, we’ll leave it to Charles B. Corbin of Arizona State University who gives this definition of wellness: “Wellness is a multidimensional state of being describing the existence of positive health in an individual as exemplified by quality of life and a sense of well-being.”

Wellness is an active process of becoming aware of and making choices toward a more successful existence.

• Process means that improvement is always possible
• Aware means that we are continuously seeking more information about how we can improve.
• Choices means that we consider a variety of options and select those in our best interest.
• Success is determined by each individual to be their collection of life accomplishments.

Dimensions of Wellness


If wellness is multidimensional, what are the dimensions of wellness? The most commonly described sub-dimensions are the following:

1. Social Wellness
2. Occupational Wellness
3. Spiritual Wellness
4. Physical Wellness
5. Intellectual Wellness
6. Emotional Wellness
7. Environmental Wellness
8. Financial Wellness
9. Mental Wellness
10. Medical Wellness

Hope Is Grounded in Spirituality

Taking action on a bold and challenging vision, keeping the vision as boundless as it can be, being there for young people on a day-to-day basis means nurturing our hope regularly. While we can survive with a "thin thread" of hope, to live fully, to be deeply engaged in life, means having reserves of hope, hope that we can freely share.

If Becky and José can have hope, then I can have hope. If I am serious about the quest for attaining my vision, I must place high value on keeping hope. When I am hopeful my attitude opens up, I am able to see others' strengths more clearly. I can get out of myself and be more present for others. I can face the contradictions with greater tenacity. I can speak my heart with more force.

This process of nurturing hope is quite amazing; once I get into a routine and regularly feed my soul, the effects are magnified. I find myself becoming more of who I want to be-the very act of cultivating my hope makes me more open to others, more compassionate, more perceptive about what is happening around me, more able to take risks and stay committed.

Stephen Covey makes this point in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People when he talks about the importance of making a paradigm shift in order to be more effective in relating to other people:

Being is seeing in the human dimension. And what we see is highly interrelated to what we are. We can't go very far to change our seeing without simultaneously changing our being, and vice versa. If we see, visually, cognitively, and intuitively, the possibilities, we can live the possibilities. If we live the possibilities, we can see the possibilities.

So, how does hope get nourished? Sustained, deeply rooted hope is fundamentally the product of spiritual practice. By spiritual practice, I am not referring to religious practice-although it is possible that they can be one and the same. Spiritual practices are those activities and processes in which one engages to reflect on life, meaning, and connectedness, and to bring oneself in alignment with the greater whole. Some people, like Mahatma Gandhi, are examples of spiritual practice made fully a part of their daily living. His beliefs and life were so congruent, they could be clearly seen by all; his life was a constant meditation.

Stephen C. Paul , in Inneractions: Visions to Bring Your Inner and Outer Worlds into Harmony, describes this phenomenon:

Your daily affairs are the sacred ceremonies you perform within the temple of your life.

When we take time to engage in those "sacred ceremonies," to be silent, reflect, take in the thoughts of others (through reading or listening), soak in the wonders of the universe, we give ourselves the space to free up the best parts of ourselves. We allow our spirits to soar, our hearts to sing. We also create room for grief to work its way through us without being destructive. We can clear away the rubbish that builds up from overexposure to toxic language, images, and actions. In fact, we can strengthen our insight and intuition through reflection.

Spirituality is not just an individual matter to be attended to privately. Spiritual development is by its essence a collective venture, as well. Again, not religion or dogma, but spiritual practice is critical to assist young people to develop a sense of belonging, interdependence, generosity, independence, and mastery. Hope feeds their confidence and connectedness; it infuses their belief systems, supporting their willingness to invest in the family, neighborhood, community, society. With a profound sense of attachment it becomes harder to make destructive choices and easier to cling to life even in very difficult circumstances. In this way, spirituality can be the catalyst for transforming the "thin threads" to "strong cords" of hope. http://www.cydjournal.org/Brandeis/hughes_0316.html

"Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all."

-Emily Dickinson

Hope is an impetus. May we never lose it.