Hope is not a strategy?
“Hope can be more effective at stress management than mindfulness”.
This assertion caught me off guard.
The mindfulness industry has been front and center of advice for managing stress for 20 years.
Personally, I know that cardiovascular exercise (fast walking and the occasional 5km run in my case) helps me burn off stress and balance my mind.
Given that the pressures of work and real life immerse us all under the influence of adrenaline, this idea about “hope” seemed like an odd claim.
“It can be easy to think of hope as a weak feeling — at worst, a useless attempt at optimism”.
Nietzsche, claimed it was “the worst of all evils because it prolongs the torments of man.”
But new research shifts the the perspective on hope from merely a cognitive process related to goal attainment to recognizing it as a vital emotional experience that enriches life.
Hmmmm . . . .
”More than other emotions”, the study found, “hope causes us to experience life as meaningful, even after painful events. In fact, hope requires negative experiences in order to be activated; it’s a timely emotion after all”.
Studies that have found that people who cultivate and hold hope are more likely to recover from anxiety, OCD, or social anxiety disorder. These have also shown it’s a more effective stress-management tool than mindfulness.
But what exactly is “Hope”?
It’s a word we all use, but . . . .
I am known for the mantra that “Hope is not a Strategy” so these new findings may destroy my whole equilibrium . . 😉
But, it turns out that “Hope is not a wish, rather hope is about taking action to achieve goals”.
The authors suggest focusing on the little things such as appreciating small moments of success and capitalizing on even small opportunities, which can create a feeling of momentum. Sounds a lot like the “aggregation of marginal gains” philosophy . . .
This seems like a more actionable version of the age-old, but nebulous, notion of positive thinking and the more recent term “growth mindset“.
This “growth mindset” could be called an “I can” way of thinking.
It’s not about seeking fame or fortune or being top dog. Instead, it’s about having a positive attitude about our potential when confronted with challenges, then putting in the work to overcome. It’s a “nothing good comes easy” mindset melded with “I can get there” determination, according to the authors.
“Individuals who believe their talents can be developed (through hard work, good strategies, and input from others) have a growth mindset,” wrote Carol Dweck, PhD, a professor of psychology at Stanford University at the forefront of this movement.
The authors also explain that hope is a practice; hence why it doesn’t always come naturally. But doing the work of cultivating hope seems scientifically proven to help us make sense of this strange world.
It seems that hope has more impact than the emotions of amusement, contentment, excitement and happiness . . .
Maybe, I need to change my mantra to “wishing is not a strategy”.
It seems that hope, when defined as “intention + action to achieve goals“ IS a strategy.
If it generates some positive brain chemicals in the process, that seems like a win to me.
Deborah Kops wrote about the “X Factor” (execution) here . . .
Hope is not a strategy . . . (well, that depends on how you define “hope” . . .)
Thanks for reading . . .