Hope and healing on the horizon

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Fourteen months have passed since the initial lockdown.

The second and third waves were predicted by scientists and specialists all over the world. But it somehow didn’t sink in. Each wave and each lockdown deflating us to the point of pandemic fatigue: a complex of emotions that includes sadness and boredom. You may notice increased feelings of anxiety, or observe feelings such as helplessness and hopelessness.

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The entire planet is collectively experiencing this pandemic. Some parts of the world the pandemic rages on while other parts are coming out of the woods and reopening and returning to pre-pandemic life. The collective consciousness sharing this experience and therefore is a unifying force within our global society in the history books of all time of the “2020 pandemic.”

Wild.

So, what can we do as we are in the end leg of this lockdown relay?

We can fight it; we can resist it and we can wish things were different, but do these stances really change anything in the big picture? Ultimately, controlling what we can control provides the most effective relief.

Mindfulness teaches us awareness of what is, as it is. Through the acceptance of what is we can take authentic, mindful and effective action through the cultivation of hope as a valuable resource in protecting our mental and physical health, even in the face of challenging or even dire circumstances.

Hope, as defined by Hope Theory, proposed by Professor Rick Snyder, is a psychological attribute. It consists of three components: goals, agency and pathway.

Having goals and intentions that you feel invested in, can assist us to shift. A key to this step is making sure they are goals that are in your control. For example, I have set the intention to believe in a better tomorrow. The next step is believing that you have the ability to achieve your goals and overcome the obstacles that are along the way. Then, finding multiple potential pathways to achieve your goals and committing to do what you need to do to honour your intention or goals. For instance, in choosing to believe in a better tomorrow, I attempt to actively focus on what is going right, where we as a society are improving, the celebrations of success around us and choosing to focus my thoughts on and actions on what feels good to me, rather than what feels depleting.

You see, hope and healing are not just a positive mindset, but a keen state of mind that involves action, as well as aspiration. This effective and cognizant choice brings a healing sigh of relief, through the power of hope.

Research has shown that cultivating hope actively in our lives creates improved well-being and happiness and reduced psychological distress.

Setting goals, believing in them and putting forth action to make them come about brings resiliency and hope in facing difficulties, along the way.

Hope is that energetically alluring and delightful place, between the way things are… and the way things are yet to be.