With the holiday season upon us, we are often encouraged to count our blessings, express gratitude, and be full of joy. There is so much pressure to do for others which can lead to emotional and financial stress. For many people, the holidays are a really difficult and lonely time and it’s hard to get excited about the upcoming year.
Not meeting your goal or getting something you’ve been working towards can be really defeating. Feeling like what’s the use is a sure way to lose hope to keep working at your dreams.
It is often a time where family and interpersonal relationships become strained and boundaries need to be set. It can also be a time where everyone else’s life seems so much better. Comparing situations, feeling resentful, or feeling disconnected from loved ones are reasons for many to lose hope.
Struggling during the holidays
It can be so isolating and it often becomes a time of year to reflect on your life and what changes and goals you want to make for the new year. Without hope, it may be hard to see the possibilities and positive opportunities that are present.
When you are faced with a challenging situation in life, it can be difficult to sustain hope and a positive outlook. Hope is so underestimated in life, yet it’s so necessary in order to combat stress, push through grief, and follow personal dreams. So when the going gets tough, finding even a glimmer of hope can renew your persevering spirit!
Why hope is so necessary
Hope unites us as humans during natural disasters, traumatic events, and also in times of celebration and triumph. Hope fuels passion, inner drive, inspiration, and energizes us to push ourselves to new limits.
When you feel like the world is working against you or like giving up on your dream, discovering hope can refocus your mindset to positivity and allow you to move forward.
5 Ways To Find Hope During A Tough Time In Life
Here’s how to regain a sense of hope and optimism about your life;
1. Rely on faith
Explore your spiritual side by the act of prayer, leaning on the power of your faith, and finding comfort by reading scripture or spiritual teachings.
If you are not religious or spiritual, it may be an opportunity for you to reach out for guidance and support from a local church or by reading about spirituality. Remember even in challenging times there is an opportunity as individuals to grow personally and emotionally.
2. Find your silver lining
Whether it be a lesson to learn or a life experience to grow from can be empowering and instill hope.
Having the ability to take away something positive from tough times offers a way to have closure and move forward in life.
3. Surround yourself with family and friends
Hugs, smiles, emotional support, and their energy can help renew hope.
Often when people struggle they isolate themselves which only increases the feelings of loneliness, fear, and hopelessness. Instead, open yourself up and invite people in to support you.
4. Talk to someone
Talk to someone who has been through something similar or read about someone who has. There is such power in feeling connected with others through shared experiences.
Talking about a situation can offer a healing experience. Receiving advice or just hearing that it turned out well can recharge your inner hope.
5. Research
Lacking hope is usually because of fear of the unknown. Fear can be paralyzing so it becomes challenging to see a situation from a fresh perspective and to have the clarity to solve the problem or get through an obstacle.
Overcome your fear by researching how to solve the problem. Knowledge is power and feeling empowered sheds new hope on the situation.
Conclusion
Use these 5 tips to inspire a new sense of hope within. If you notice someone who seems like they have lost hope, reach out and offer support. Hope is often the spark of action and real positive change so there are no limits on where hope can lead you!
Featured photo credit: lifeofpix.com via lifeofpix.com
