A Time For Hope

Hope springs eternal. I mean, 2020 may have taken some of the bounce out of those springs, but with a vaccine and a government stimulus on the way, hope is rebounding.

And it’s a powerful force. There’s a ton of research showing that hopeful people are both physically and emotionally healthier than their counterparts. One study even showed that among college students, those who were more hopeful were more likely to graduate, and (you probably won’t be surprised by this) that this was a more effective predictor than standardized test scores.

And the best part about all this is that hope can be taught. Whether for you or your students, there’s solid evidence that certain exercises can foster hope, and all the attributes of well-being associated with it (e.g. lower levels of depression, stronger immune system, etc.).

The main difference between hope and optimism is the sense of agency. That’s why hope interventions emphasize a person’s control over the future. This is what we know: if you ask a person to create a relevant goal; if you teach them about the elements of hope; if you then ask them to envision pathways to that goal, obstacles they may encounter, and ways around those obstacles; you will cultivate hope in that person, and all the fuzzy stuff that comes with it.

Try it yourself, or better yet, try it with your students.

OK, so if hope is about the future, what does that have to do with the present moment and all this mindfulness jazz? It’s pretty simple, really: just because something is in the future doesn’t mean it doesn’t impact our present. And, in fact, by focusing on our sense of agency in the present, we can help shape the future. It’s about the journey, not the destination. And the journey is happening now. The more we can focus on that, on bringing our energy to this moment and what we can control in it, the more the future takes care of itself and doesn’t dominate our thinking.

So let’s try a little practice now.