March 9, 2025: Maintaining Hope in Times of Challenge
The constant barrage of news in a 24-hour cycle is a never ending source of heartbreaking drama, flooding our senses with events that can elicit feelings of anger, depression, discouragement and/or fear for our future.
Our last Weekly Wandering’s Post was on “Finding Hope in Challenging Times” : https://dreamscapejewelry.com/february-16-2025-finding-hope-in-challenging-times/ which gave practical suggestions on bringing back your sense of hope and optimism.
But how can we maintain hope when faced with an onslaught of negativity from social media to headlines. This daily onslaught of adversity seems as if it is geared to drive clicks and almost impossible to avoid, unless one lives in a bubble.
“You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”
― Marcus Aurelius,
There are steps we can take, to stay informed but not defeated.
Identify what sets off your personal alarm system and triggers anxiety/depression. We can’t change world events, only our own reactions. Once our triggers are identified, we can choose to focus on our areas of concern, then take steps to react in positive ways.
Be selective on social media. We can block, delete or snooze posts that are disturbing and find platforms that are more in alignment with our core beliefs.
Stay out of Rabbit Holes: Scrolling through social media, can be like diving down a series of rabbit holes. If we focus on the negative, scary things, we are essentially “doomscrolling” which can contribute to the diminishing of hopeful feelings. If you are posting, make sure sure to fact check before you inadvertently contribute to the tsunami of misinformation that floods our internet.
Read: Disturbing news can be detrimental to our emotional, mental and physical health. It initiates a “flight/fight response, releasing adrenaline and the stress hormone cortisol. Reading the news, without the graphic images of live television, can be less damaging to our bodies. Also, it can be helpful limit the amount of time you spend each day watching the news. A daily diet of negativity can be a huge deterrent to hope.
Take action: In face of political and world events that induce anxiety, we can take steps to be more active by vocalizing our concerns through emails/phone calls to representatives, spending time with like minded thinkers, getting involved with a group that supports the issues we are most concerned about. Even the smallest step can keep us out of feeling paralyzed or helpless.
Enhance Positivity: We need activities that provide happiness and joy to elicit a sense of gratitude within our lives. Take the time to reflect on what events bring you positive feelings and implement them into your daily routine.
Stay Strong: Along with our emotional/mental health,taking the time to maintain our physical health is critical. We can make sure we implement healthy habits of diet, exercise and get enough sleep.
Thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to read this blogpost. I’ve included some more quotes on finding and maintaining hope in times of challenge. If you have additional quotes that inspire you, you can share them in the comments below and share this blogpost with anyone who might find it helpful and meaningful.
Sending hope, care and compassion.
Wendy Oellers-Fulmer
Inspirational Quotes to Reflect On and Share
*”Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit.”
– Wilma Rudolph
”At the end of the day, we must go forward with hope and not backward by fear and division.”
– Jesse Jackson
“You may not always have a comfortable life and you will not always be able to solve all of the world’s problems at once but don’t ever underestimate the importance you can have, because history has shown us that courage can be contagious, and hope can take on a life of its own.”
— Michelle Obama
“But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.”
— Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.”
— Albert Einstein
“Our human compassion binds us the one to the other — not in pity or patronizingly, but as human beings who have learnt how to turn our common suffering into hope for the future.”
— Nelson Mandela
“The new dawn blooms as we free it. For there is only light if we are brave enough to see it, if only we’re brave enough to be it.”
— Amanda Gorman
“You are not here merely to make a living, you are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.”
— Woodrow Wilson
“Hope can be a powerful force. Maybe there’s no actual magic in it, but when you know what you hope for most and hold it like a light within you, you can make things happen, almost like magic.”
— Laini Taylor
“There was never a night or a problem that could defeat sunrise or hope.”
— Bernard Williams
