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February 16, 2025: Finding Hope in Challenging Times

“As long as we have hope, we have direction, the energy to move, and the map to move by.” 

— Lao Tzu

Challenging times can seem like a never-ending, cold and dark winter. We experience daily headlines, news blasts and social media posts that are geared to send feelings of anxiety and fear for our future. From political discord and natural disasters, to health concerns like the avian flu, a divided country, and wars around the world, this daily diet of miasma can seem overwhelming, inducing feelings of both hopelessness and a feeling of despair that we have no control of what is happening. It can seem as if we are in a state of suspended animation, waiting for the next proverbial shoe to drop. As a result, we can feel anxious, discouraged, overwhelmed and in some cases paralyzed; which are completely normal reactions in times of despair. During times of challenge, it can be especially difficult to find the hope to sustain us through the days and months ahead. But when our world seems overwhelmed with despairing events, hope is a powerful antidote to fear, shining a beacon of light on potential pathways to take us out of the dark times.

But what is hope and how can it make a difference in our lives?

“Hope is all about imagining and reaching for a better future for ourselves. Hope is both an emotion and a way of thinking. We experience it in our brain but it comes from somewhere or someone outside ourselves. Hope is crucial in times of uncertainty, and in dealing with adversity.”

https://www.gbhi.org/news-publications/what-hope-and-why-do-we-need-it

Determine What We Hope For

First of all, we need to determine what we are hopeful for. Fear comes from the primitive part of our brains, effectively blocking our cognitive abilities to problem solve. Envisioning what we hope for illuminmates the first steps we can take on a path to a better future. Whether they are changes and challenges in your own life, your community, your country or world, once imagined, you can begin to explore what steps you as an invidivdual can take. This identification can help us feel more empowered, which ultimately restores a sense of hope that things will get better.

“Your brain operates more effectively, and you feel better, if you have hope when faced with adversity and uncertainty”

https://www.gbhi.org/news-publications/what-hope-and-why-do-we-need-it

Remind Ourselves that Difficult Times do pass.

During times of adversity, it can be a challenge to feel positive. But whether we look at history or even take inspiration from nature as Spring always follows even the harshest of winters, both show us that as difficult as it seems, these tough times do pass. Maybe not as fast as we want them to be, but the knowledge that they do pass, can be another beacon of hope that leads us through these tough times.

Determine What You Can Do

The Serenity Prayer asks for acceptance, courage and wisdom; accepting that there are things we cannot change, courage to work towards changing things we can and the wisdom to know the difference. One aspect of feeling hopelss is the sense that everything happening in our lives is completely out of our control. But there are everyday things we can control and do; from our daily choices and routines, to actions we can take to share our concerns and improve the outcomes. If concerned about political decisions, we can write letters, call our representatives and join together with like-minded others in our communities. We can be environmental activitists, taking care to recycle, reduce and reuse. We can watch news critically and fact check information rather than blindly accept what is being spewed on social media. Every little pebble of action in our own personal ponds does ripple out and can make a difference.

Take Care of You

Despair, fear and unrelenting stress sap our strength: emotionally, mentally and physically. During times of challenge, being strong is especially essential. Taking the time to maintain our health is critical. We can choose to spend time with positivie people, as well as identifying our own negative thoughts and consciously transform them into positive ones. We can make sure we implement healthy habits of diet, exercise and get enough sleep. We can add the dimensions of expressing gratitude and discovering moments of joy in our daily lives.

One friend described her way of beginning a day with joy, was to sit by the window with a cup of her favorite tea and watch the birds. Another incorporates prayer and meditation into her daily routine to establish a sense of serenity. Still a third, takes time each day to highlight the moments and things for which she is grateful in a journal. Each of these activities brings them a sense of balance, light and peace and ultimately hope back to a chaotic world that can feel so frightening and overwhelming. Explore what is most effective and empowering for you and make it a daily part of your life.

Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts. I have collected a series of quotes on hope that will “hopefully” inspire and sustain you through these challenging days. If you have other ways that have helped you, or additional quote,s please feel free to add them in the comments below. And if you have someone who might find this blogpost meaningful, please share it.

Sending hope, care and compassion.

Wendy Oellers-Fulmer

 “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.” 

— Thich Nhat Hanh

 “In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.” 

— Albert Camus

“When you have lost hope, you have lost everything. And when you think all is lost, when all is dire and bleak, there is always hope.” 

—Pittacus Lore

 “We have always held to the hope, the belief, the conviction that there is a better life, a better world, beyond the horizon.” 

— Franklin D. Roosevelt

“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

 “But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.” 

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

“The very least you can do in your life is figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire it from a distance but live right in it, under its roof.” 

— Barbara Kingsolver

 “Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues.”

— Brother Lawrence

 “We always kept in our hearts the most noble, beautiful feeling that sets human beings apart: hope.” 

— Manel Loureiro

 “Hope itself is like a star – not to be seen in the sunshine of prosperity, and only to be discovered in the night of adversity.” 

— Charles Spurgeon

 “Hope lies in dreams, in imagination, and in the courage of those who dare to make dreams into reality.” 

— Jonas Salk

“The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don’t wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope.” 

— Barack Obama