Resources
Hope doesn’t magically happen. It is a choice we make. Intention and practice are required to nurture and sustain it. But that is easier said than done. Depending on what is going on in our lives and how we are feeling, hope can be a hard choice to make never mind sustain.
This page contains a variety of resources intended to help increase hope by making it easier to choose, nurture and sustain no matter our circumstances.
If you have suggestions for a resource that should be added to it, please contact me at info@ruthlesslyhopeful.com and thank you!
988 Lifeline
If you or someone you care about is experiencing a mental health crisis, dial 988 24/7 to receive free and confidential support. You can also visit 988 Lifeline to learn more and listen to stories of hope.
Mental Illness
Untreated or under-treated mental illness robs people of hope. The National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) provides a wealth of resources to people affected by mental illness. They also tirelessly advocate to end discrimination against mental illness, educate about the warning signs of mental illness and make treatment more accessible.
Many states have NAMI state organizations. Minnesota has one of the best. Visit NAMIMN to find resources, support and opportunities “to effect positive changes in the mental health system and increase the public and professional understanding of mental illness.”
Hope is the perfect answer for imperfect people.
Casey Gwinn and Dr. Chan Hellman
Know Your Score
Hope Score will help you understand the level of hope you currently are experiencing. It only takes a few minutes to complete the questionnaire. Once you get your results, you will receive suggestions for how to increase or sustain hope, depending on your score.
Trauma
Trauma diminishes or worse, robs us of hope. Many people experience trauma as children and young adults that is so great it puts them at risk of :
being the victim or perpatrator of future violence
poor physical and mental health
diminished educational and career opportunities.
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) are different forms of abuse and neglect that happen between the ages of 0 - 17 that can have a lasting affect on a person’s life. Experiences include:
physical, sexual and emotional abuse,
parent or caregiver mental illness,
the loss of a parent or caregiver to incarceration or suicide
exposure to substance abuse and family violence
In a survey of adults in 25 states, the CDC concluded that 61% of adults experienced at least one form of ACE before the age of 18. To learn more about ACEs, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Fast Facts: Preventing Adverse Childhood Experience.
Research is clear that people who experienced ACEs can overcome their negative impacts.
Research also shows that one of the best ways to work through trauma and adversity is to discuss it with someone who makes you feel safe and is empathetic.
Books
These books include stories of hope and how we can use it to not just survive but thrive even in the face of daily adversities and life’s greatest challenges.
Hope Rising: How the Science of Hope Can Change Your Life by Casey Gwinn and Dr. Chan Hellman
Making Hope Happen: Create the Future You Want for Yourself and Others by Dr. Shane Lopez
Anatomy of Hope: How People Prevail in the Face of Illness by Dr. Jerome Groopman
Almost Everything: Notes On Hope by Anne Lamott
Love Is The Way: Holding on to Hope in Troubling Times by Bishop Michael Curry with Sara Grace
I have one life and one chance to make it count for something... My faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can with whatever I have to try to make a difference.
President Jimmy Carter
Brain Health
If hope is about thinking, then we need to take care of our brains. Here are resources to help with that.
Center for Healthy Minds' vision is to create a kinder, wiser more compassionate world. Their mission is to cultivate well-being and relieve suffering through a scientific understanding of the mind. Through their research, they are trying to answer the question, “What constitutes a healthy mind?” On their site you can learn more about their research and suggestions for what you can do to improve your brain health and well-being.
Also, Dr. Richard Davidson, the Center’s founder and director is working toward a day when “mental exercise will be as much a part of our daily lives as physical exercise and personal hygiene.”
Meditation is one of the best exercises for our brains. Even meditating for only a few minutes does wonders. If you tried to meditate in the past and think you can’t do it, check out Ten Percent Happier to learn why its worth giving it another try and resources to help you get started.
Three Good Things is a practice that helps you “tune into the positive events in your life.” It is one of many science-based practices Greater Good in Action offers to help increase hope and improve well-being.
Videos
These videos highlight the science and stories of hope. They also highlight how acts of kindness spread hope.
Hope is a Strategy Dr. Shane Lopez speaking at the 2013 Gallup Education Conference
The Science and Power of Hope Dr. Chan Hellman TED Talk 2021
Hope is the Most Powerful Force in the World Somnieng Houern TedxStMarksSchool
Websites
These websites offer information and inspiration on how to live a more hopeful and meaningful life.
The Shine Hope Company believes hope is a strategy. They are “driven by the knowledge that hopelessness is learned, and hope can, and must be taught.” Their website has a ton of useful information and resources to help you start increasing or deepen your sense of hope.
End in Mind's mission is to get us all more comfortable with talking about death and dying, so we can live more fully at any stage of life. They share expert advice and use art and storytelling to inform and inspire people to have difficult conversations about death. They believe Information+Inspiration=Action.
Hope Research Center is working to create a more hopeful world. They conduct research and share what they are learning both about the science and power of hope with audiences all around the world.
Reasons to be Cheerful “is a nonprofit online magazine that is a tonic for tumultuous times.” Founded by artist and musician, David Byrne, Reasons to be Cheerful is an alternative to the 24/7 news cycle of doom and gloom. It provides evidence-based stories about the good that is happening in communities across the globe that can be replicated. Reasons to be Cheerful invites readers to be inspired about how the world can be a better place and be curious about how to get involved in making that happen.
Jim (Pouli) Pouliopoulos is a storyteller, speaker and author. He also describes himself as a happiness engineer. He co-authored the book, How to Be a Well Being: Unofficial Rules to Live Every Day, and his mission is to make people happier. To be happier, he invites all of us to:
Stop fixating on the things we can’t control and focus and take action on the things that we can.
Focus on and be grateful for what is going right in our lives every day, no matter our circumstances.
Pay attention to how we treat others.
Stop using regrets and painful experiences as reasons to beat ourselves up and wallow in negativity and use them as valuable learning experiences to do and be better.
Visit Pouli.com to learn more and find resources to be happier.
There is light in darkness, you just have to find it.
bell hooks
My journey to becoming Andy, Sam and Ellie’s mom.