{"id":2407,"date":"2020-06-22T10:32:17","date_gmt":"2020-06-22T00:32:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/gci-insights\/?p=2407"},"modified":"2020-06-22T10:32:22","modified_gmt":"2020-06-22T00:32:22","slug":"feeling-hopeless-there-are-things-you-can-do-to-create-and-maintain-hope-in-a-post-coronavirus-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/gci-insights\/2020\/06\/22\/feeling-hopeless-there-are-things-you-can-do-to-create-and-maintain-hope-in-a-post-coronavirus-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Feeling hopeless? There are things you can do to create and maintain hope in a post-coronavirus world"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Patrick O’Leary<\/a>, Amy Young<\/a>, Jennifer Boddy<\/a> and Jianqiang Liang<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This spotlight was first published on \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Today is a far cry from what we hoped for and expected from 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After Australia\u2019s disastrous summer of bushfires, the unprecedented upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic has seen serious social and economic effects for us individually and collectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of us have felt grief<\/a>. And with grief can emerge feelings of hopelessness and resignation<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We tend to lose hope when we can\u2019t see a pathway<\/a> to our goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At a time like this, it\u2019s important we rethink our goals to create and maintain hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is hope important?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Hope provides a positive vision<\/a> for the future about what\u2019s possible, motivating us to look forward. While it\u2019s an optimistic state of mind, hope can emerge from distressing and even tragic situations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research shows both mental<\/a> and physical<\/a> health deteriorate quickly when we don\u2019t have hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suicide<\/a> is closely correlated with feelings of hopelessness<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conversely, people with high levels of hope have better physical and mental health<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lot of us are probably feeling a lack of hope right now<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To have hope, it\u2019s vital we feel a sense of meaning<\/a> in our lives. Particularly during a crisis, having meaning or purpose can protect our mental health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In recent months, two things that give our life meaning \u2013 work and connections with friends and family \u2013 might have been disrupted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And while necessary to prevent the spread of COVID-19, social distancing measures<\/a> have meant many of the things we looked forward to \u2013 from holidays to going to the theatre to simply having dinner at a restaurant \u2013 were off, in favour of staying at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coronavirus restrictions have had more serious consequences for vulnerable groups. For example, some victims of domestic violence lost the safe refuge normally found in school<\/a> or the workplace<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, we\u2019re now in a recession<\/a>. Many people have lost their jobs and businesses<\/a>, and almost 1.5 million Australians<\/a> are experiencing mortgage stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All of this brings uncertainty and throws our plans into jeopardy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adjusting our goals<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To work through grief and hopelessness, we need to modify our goals to ensure they\u2019re realistic within the \u201cnew normal\u201d, and we have a clear pathway to achieving them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, you might have been saving for a big family trip. But now \u2013 due to financial challenges, or travel restrictions, or both \u2013 it will be more realistic to plan a holiday in a nearby caravan park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s important to focus not only on long-term hopes, but on the short term too. If we focus too much on the future, we can lose sight of what\u2019s achievable and important to us now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should ask ourselves, what can we reasonably do this week or next month within current restrictions?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Things that are important to us \u2013 such as family, friends and career \u2013 are unlikely to change, but we may need to find new ways to connect with loved ones or feel accomplished in our jobs. For example, we might spend more time socialising using digital technologies rather than face-to-face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We can even think about setting goals daily. How can we do something to enact our values each day? This could be as simple as a kind gesture towards a loved one or work colleague.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Navigating uncertainty<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Even as restrictions ease, we worry about the potential for virus outbreaks<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, people in financial trouble<\/a> won\u2019t simply recover overnight, and may face added stress at the prospect of the government ending its support programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And people who have experienced mental health problems<\/a> during the pandemic will need ongoing support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fear can get in the way<\/a> of identifying pathways to achieving our hopes. So to nurture hope we must recognise, acknowledge and address our fears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If this all feels like a lot, setting a goal such as going for walk during the day can give us space to reflect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further, research shows engaging in mindfulness meditation<\/a> and focusing on the present can reduce our stress and increase our sense of hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sharing hope<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sharing your hopes with trusted others<\/a> means you\u2019re supported not only to dream of exciting things, but also to make these things happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re actually programmed to share in each others\u2019 hopes and dreams. Vicarious hope<\/a> is the desire for something positive to happen to someone else. It switches our attention to how our actions might contribute to other people\u2019s hopes as well as our own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHope interventions<\/a>\u201d, whereby community and social services offer programs with the aim of improving people\u2019s hope, can enhance well-being and reduce depression<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the uncertainty associated with COVID-19, over recent months we\u2019ve seen communities around the world generating hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Europe, people played music on their balconies<\/a> and collectively applauded<\/a> health-care workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here in Australia, volunteers established kindness armies<\/a> to support vulnerable<\/a> members of the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This speaks to a social world which feels an ongoing responsibility to focus on hope<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout\u00a0history<\/a>, hope has risen\u00a0from ruins<\/a>. Out of this pandemic, too, we can be hopeful and\u00a0even dream of a better world<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\"The\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Patrick O’Leary, Amy Young, Jennifer Boddy and Jianqiang Liang This spotlight was first published on Today is a far cry from what we hoped for and expected from 2020. After Australia\u2019s disastrous summer of bushfires, the unprecedented upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic has seen serious social and economic effects for us individually and collectively.Continue reading “Feeling hopeless? There are things you can do to create and maintain hope in a post-coronavirus world”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74,"featured_media":2408,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[101,102,108,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2407","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-covid-19","category-mental-health","category-public-health","category-spotlights"],"acf":[],"modified_by":"Keiran Hardy","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/gci-insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2020\/06\/shutterstock_793940824.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paNLK1-CP","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2567,"url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/gci-insights\/2021\/10\/12\/prevalence-of-psychiatric-disorders-for-indigenous-australians-a-population-based-birth-cohort-study\/","url_meta":{"origin":2407,"position":0},"title":"Prevalence of psychiatric disorders for Indigenous Australians: a population-based birth cohort study","author":"Keiran Hardy","date":"October 12, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"By James Ogilvie, Stacy Tzoumakis, Troy Allard, Carleen Thompson, Anna Stewart This brief is based on the following paper: Ogilvie, J. 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The Attitudes to Authority During COVID-19 Survey: Technical Report. Griffith Criminology Institute. Brisbane: Griffith University. 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