On being grateful - and the intentional practice of hope

What is the significance of hope in your life? While many studies have shown how practicing gratitude helps support our mental health and wellbeing, over the past years I have become more interested in the intentional practice of hope. Like gratitude, joy, and awe, hope is a positive emotion. An important difference is that, while experiencing most positive emotions requires us to perceive an event as beneficial, hope is one of the few emotions we can rely upon when things are not going our way. Lately, we have all lived in situations far from ideal - a pandemic, climate changes, an epidemic of chronic disease and financial woes… What if, buried amidst our problems and circumstances, we could still find hidden treasures and opportunities?

“Expect great things”, the department store campaign came to mind while talking to a patient several years ago. She had lived through so many challenges starting with a very difficult childhood. Only then she realized her prior negative experiences had primed her to anticipate danger and expect the worst from life and people. She was ready for a change: perhaps if she would imagine a better tomorrow she could help create a new and better reality. I started reflecting on our collective humanity - and noticing how a lack of faith seemed to be tied to a myriad of physical ailments and suffering. People who felt alone or forgotten almost invariably had impaired cardiovascular and mental health - and worse chances of getting better. Oftentimes, my own doubts would get on my way. Who could possibly perform surgery on a heart the size of a walnut? After what seemed like years of painful reflection I realized I was letting my insecurities impact my ability to see the possibilities around me. I just needed to be open to the possibilities, and to accepting help. Once I was able to recognize the boundless talents and possibilities within each one of us, my hope started to grow.?

Being open to experience is not necessarily an easy task in the world of Western medicine. Although Ancient healing traditions have always considered the mind, body and spirit as a whole, the advent of technology, insurance, and what we know as evidence-based medicine has made our interpretation of health much more fragmented and transactional. Yet once you realize the enormous impact of trust and relationships in healing, there is not a way back.?

For over a decade, we have known about the perilous effects of being lonely: you can be surrounded by multitudes of people and still feel lonely and disconnected. In 2010, Julianne Holt- Lunstad, PhD was the first US researcher to report the strong association between social isolation and mortality risk. Did you know that the increased mortality risk from feeling isolated is greater than other commonly recognized risk factors such as obesity and smoking? Even before COVID, an epidemic of social isolation was already expected to occur by 2030, at least in affluent countries. As the COVID pandemic highlighted the negative effects of loneliness and despair, I started observing myself and others even more closely, and exploring ways of remaining hopeful. I noticed how exposing our curiosity and openness to experience helped others to sustain their own motivation, creativity and engagement. At home and at the workplace, practicing accessible mind-body interventions - or simply providing time for self-expression - would create an environment more conducive to health and healing.?

Then I found it. A year ago this month, while examining my life and pondering on the next steps, I found an intriguing book titled “The Best Year”. The journal guided me in exploring the year past: the tests, the lessons, the things I was grateful for. By sincerely examining the challenges and the knowledge gained, I slowly started to reimagine my innermost vision of my own self. I took time to celebrate all the achievements - big and small - and really notice the people and activities that brought me the most joy. A road trip, a graduation ceremony, cooking a new recipe… Rereading an old favorite book, helping my parents, mentoring and supporting others… Finally it was time to write my own holistic action plan by honestly looking at every side of me - including the things I wanted to do more of and the things I was willing to leave behind. No rock was left unturned: I had to examine my own physical and mental health, my relationships, my work and finances, even my creativity and sense of adventure! While writing my values and priorities for 2022, I chose to refocus on bringing a message of hope and whole person wellbeing - including the intentional practice of hope.?

Although I’m cognizant and have personally experienced the many benefits of practicing gratitude, as time passes by and I collect life experiences I have become more interested in the practice of hope. When do I feel more hopeful? Is it possible to intentionally become a more hopeful person? Would practicing hope make us more aware of the possibilities available to us?

Imagining the future and visualizing a desired outcome is extremely powerful - after all, our brains cannot easily distinguish an imagined versus a real event. What would your future self do today to support a better version of you? (This is not meant to be easy, as we will likely need to behave differently in order to achieve better results). One of my favorite concepts in James Clear’s book Atomic Habits is the idea of detaching ourselves from our preconceived identities and rather focusing on who we want to be. In other words, when changing habits you need to be comfortable with changing your identity. And the surest way to change your identity is by taking action. Every time you engage in the desired behavior you are casting a vote for your new identity… Fortunately, there is no need to be perfect - you only need to collect more votes for your new identity.

As the seasons turn and we watch Nature reexperiencing fall in order to be born again, I am reminded of the incredible power of hope in transforming our lives. While dreaming of a brighter future, we help set the foundation for a better tomorrow for everyone. Wishing you and your family a season filled with hope and gratitude!

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