Hope Wins During Prolonged Periods of Stress

Mindfulness practices have been touted as a therapeutic tool to address stress, anxiety, depression, PTSD, chronic pain, and a whole host of other mental health issues. Numerous studies support many of these claims. But is it the best coping mechanism for people who are suffering from prolonged periods of stress and trauma? According to researchers at North Carolina State University, mindfulness is not the best tool to deal with prolonged stress. Their study suggests that hope might be more beneficial than mindfulness at helping people cope with prolonged stress.

Mindfulness is a practice designed to train one’s mind to focus on the present moment without judgment of what is happening in the moment. But, as one of the co-authors of the study pointed out, it can be hard to be mindful when you are experiencing extreme stress. You don’t necessarily want to focus on the experience you’re going through. Hope offers an alternative.

In the study, the researchers compared the effectiveness of mindfulness and hope as methods to deal with the stress of the COVID pandemic. After doing extensive interviews with the 247 study participants and then using statistical techniques to identify relationships between hope, mindfulness, and outcomes related to the well-being of the participants, the researches found that hope was associated with people being happy and mindfulness was not.

The researchers were sure to point out that mindfulness can be an effective practice to improve mental health in ordinary circumstances. But it is essential during prolonged or chronic stress to have hope for a brighter future.

Hope can feel difficult to access, though, when you are in the middle of prolonged stress or even despair. How can you cultivate an attitude of hope during these times? Chan Helman, a psychologist and founding director of the Hope Research Center, says that hope can be taught and nurtured. Hellman says that the opposite of hope is not pessimism, but rather apathy and loss of motivation. Hope is about taking action.

Here are some actions that you can take to develop an attitude of hope:

1. Give yourself permission to be hopeful. We have all been given the advice not to get our hopes up. Hellman says that is terrible advice. It’s okay to be hopeful, even if you might end up being disappointed by the way things turn out. A hopeful attitude will make a positive result more likely.
2. Set at least one meaningful goal that will move you toward a better way of feeling.
3. Reach out for encouragement from people in your life who have positive attitudes and can offer you encouragement. Let them give you a gentle pat on the back or a kick in the behind. These are our cheerleaders.
4. Look for success stories from people who are experiencing what you are going through. This helps you to realize that a better future is attainable.
5. Visualize yourself in the better place you want to be. This will help to move to a positive mindset. Our mindset can positively influence our physical, mental, and emotional experience.