Hope is a powerful remedy in mitigating feelings of depression, anxiety, despair, and worry. In the presence of hope, stress is also alleviated. Take the case of someone like Kendell or Christy with a chronic illness and disease. Since they had hope, they were able to realign their perspectives and move past what otherwise would have been some very psychologically debilitating barriers. In doing so, they were able to use hope as an antidote to the worry and fear that could have otherwise consumed them and rendered them powerless. The power and the gift in hope, is that it allows us to adjust how we view ourselves. In doing so, hope helps us achieve goals beyond what we even imagined was our capacity. Hope also offers the benefit of positive expectation. That expectation turns into an optimism that allows new pathways to form.
Thoughts of hope start off initially as a mindset that creates a psychological and physiological paradigm shift—a psychological adjustment in your thoughts. Just that small alteration allows for new neuronal pathways in your brain to form. When one starts to experience this feeling of hope, the brain generates and releases different chemicals. It begins on its own, but eventually creates a domino effect that leads into positive emotions. Such emotions might include courage, confidence, motivation, and happiness. This emotional cascade can eventually lead to a feeling of self-efficacy. Armed with these positive emotions, a collaboration of coping strategies begins to form.
We all know that negative emotions can be destructive to our mental health. Our brain can literally cause a physiological reaction if there is a constant focus on sickness. Consequently, sickness is what we get. The psychology behind this is well studied and verified. So, it would be correct to conclude that hope can and does impact our health in the positive. When we focus on getting better, these positive thoughts and actions ultimately determine our success. The gift that hope gives us is the gift of possibility, and with that there is endless potential.
The Neuropsychology of Hope
In addition to our thoughts contributing to our feelings, neuroscientists continue to make new discoveries about the functionality of the human brain, revealing a deeper understanding between the mind and body connection. They offer valid explanations about how our brain and body respond to positive and negative emotions. Feelings associated with high hope and optimism jumpstart our decision making and problem-solving abilities which start in our frontal lobe, where our executive functioning network is located. In turn, these thoughts and feelings of hope stimulate the immune system, which motivates us to action. These feelings of hope calm down our sympathetic response (stress response) in the body, the limbic system, and our prefrontal cortex.
