8 Benefits of Having Hope
Hope is significantly correlated with superior academic and athletic performance, greater physical and psychological well-being, improved self-esteem, and enhanced interpersonal relationships (Rand & Cheavens, 2012).
Hope has the potential to enhance well-being over time. Erez & Isen (2002) found that individuals who are more hopeful and expect to be successful in achieving goals are more likely to experience a state of well-being.
Individuals with high hope are more likely to view stressful situations as challenging rather than threatening, thereby reducing the intensity and hindering the proliferation of stress (Lazarus & Launier, 1978).
Hope can be perceived as a protective factor against the development of chronic anxiety. Michael (2000) found that hope correlates significantly and negatively with anxiety, while also protecting against perceptions of vulnerability, uncontrollability, and unpredictability.
Hope is a motivational factor that helps initiate and sustain action toward long-term goals, including the flexible management of obstacles that get in the way of goal attainment. High-hope individuals can conceptualize their goals clearly; establishing goals based on their previous performances. In this way, hopeful individuals have greater control over how they will pursue goals and are intrinsically motivated to find multiple pathways to successful goal attainment (Conti, 2000).
Snyder et al. (2002) found that high-hope college students were more likely to graduate than their low-hope counterparts. Their findings indicated that students with low hope graduated at an overall 40.27% rate as compared with 56.50% of high-hope students. Additionally, low-hope students were also at greater risk of being dismissed (25%) relative to their high-hope peers (7.1%).
Hope is positively related to overall life satisfaction (Roesch & Vaughn, 2006).
Hope, with its in-built orientation toward the future, motivates individuals to maintain their positive involvement in life regardless of any limitations imposed upon them (Rideout & Montemuro, 1986).
4 Activities and Exercise Ideas
Create a Hope Map
Creating a Hope Map helps clients articulate their high expectations for the future and develop a clear view of the barriers they will need to overcome to get there.
Hope Maps assist in the process of goal striving by encouraging a focus on clear and exciting goals, pathways, and actions that will help in the pursuit of said goal, identifying and overcoming potential barriers, and maintaining motivation.
On reflection, a completed Hope Map creates a sense of confidence, energy, and excitement that comes with having multiple strategies to pursue goals.
You can download the Hope Map exercise from the Positive Psychology Toolkit.
Keep a Hope Journal
The exploration of hope can be facilitated through the self-reflective practice of journaling (Crain & Koehn, 2012). While journaling is a common practice for many, it is also an effective tool to improve wellness, foster greater self-awareness, and cultivate hope.
Writing about challenges, what gives hope, and what could potentially give hope can highlight the factors that may impede the development of a more hopeful outlook. Hope journaling should be maintained for at least two weeks and can include entries about any factors that can impact the potential to foster more hope.
Exploring Beliefs About Hope
The objective of this exercise is to begin the process of thinking about hope and what it means to have hope. Write some hope-focused questions on pieces of paper and answer at random. The following are guide questions that can be used at home, with clients, or with groups to explore the ritual of hope and evaluate different methods of expressing hope:
What does it mean to have hope?
What are the benefits of having hope?
In your opinion, what does a hopeful person look and sound like?
How have you used hope in your own life?
Are there any risks with having hope?
If a picture on your wall could remind you of hope every morning, what would that picture be?
What is the smallest possible change that could increase your hope?
Try to think about some communities or individuals that might benefit from hope.
Consider different ways of expressing hope within different communities. Do you think some methods would be more effective than others and why?
Your Internal Movie
The VIA Institute on Character suggests this simple exercise to help maximize the experience of hope when it matters the most – in everyday life. Invite clients to write a short internal movie in which a chosen goal is the protagonist.
Throughout the exercise, the visualization of barriers and obstacles that may occur during the process of achieving that goal will encourage the creation of alternative pathways around and through challenges.
3 Useful Hope Worksheets
1. Hope Rising Worksheet
This worksheet focuses on the process of establishing desirable goals and improving motivation to achieve those goals through the language of hope. By describing goals in detail clients are encouraged to create one or more possible pathways to goal attainment.
Describe your goal in as much detail as possible.
How much do you desire this goal?
Describe why you want to achieve the goal. List what is motivating you.
Imagine you have just achieved your goal. Describe how you think you will feel in this future memory.
List the pathways (actions/strategies) you can use to achieve your goal.
Describe potential barriers for each pathway you listed.
Describe a time when you achieved a goal by overcoming barriers. What were the barriers and how did you overcome them?
Choose the best pathway and describe how you will overcome the barrier.
What are two or three things that must be accomplished for you to attain your goal?
Identify people and/or resources in your community with whom you can rely as a source of support in pursuing your goal.
Describe something that motivates you (e.g., music, movie, a person). Think of how you can use this inspiration to help you to pursue your goal.
This worksheet comes from Hope Rising: How the Science of HOPE Can Change Your Life (Gwinn & Hellman, 2019).
2. The Highest Hopes, Deepest Fears
The Highest Hopes, Deepest Fears group worksheet is designed to encourage the identification and expression of hopes and fears in adolescents. This worksheet can also help to decrease feelings of isolation in adolescents when utilized within a group setting.
By expressing their hopes and fears to a partner who then relays the information to the larger group, each participant has the opportunity to experience meaningful one-on-one time with another member and an understanding of the commonality of hopes and fears.
Take some time to consider your five highest hopes and five deepest fears, and write them down.
Invite the group to partner up and share their hopes and fears, making sure they have a good understanding of what their partner means by the material written on his or her worksheet.
Encourage partners to question and explore one another’s work in a kind and gentle way.
Call members back to the group circle and ask each member to share his or her partner’s worksheet with the group.
Discussions from the group should be encouraged.
This worksheet comes from Group Exercises for Adolescents: A Manual for Therapists and School Counselors (Carrell, 2010).
3. Hope Theory Worksheet
This worksheet focuses on hope as a cognitive and emotional concept that allows one to move toward goals, enhances motivation, and facilitates the development of a plan that will be actively carried out.
Hope: What is one goal you hope to achieve in the future?
Plan & Action: What small actions can you take that will start moving you closer toward this goal?
Believe: Write down 3 short sentences that will help remind you of your capabilities, for instance, “I am capable and resourceful.”
This worksheet comes from Kate Snowise (2016) and is derived from Snyder’s Hope Theory.
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