3 Simple Ways to Stay Hopeful When Things Feel Uncertain
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This is an uncertain time, especially for mission-driven professionals.
Jobs and funding streams are in question. Some employers may be freezing or slowing down their hiring.
Although things seem wilder than normal, the reality is that nothing is ever certain. We just really want it to be that way: Our brains are wired to crave certainty.
Here’s what I offer in these uncertain times: Hope. Hope isn’t something you have or do not have based on external circumstances. Hope is a verb, and it propels us forward.
Here are three ways to cultivate hope when things feel uncertain:
Focus on what you can control. No matter what happens, you have the ability to choose your thoughts, attitudes and actions in response. I've been drawing comfort from this quote by Victor Frankl in Man’s Search for Meaning: “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
Regulate your nervous system. Unproductive worrying and doom scrolling put our brains in fight, flight or freeze mode. This makes it impossible to make decisions, be creative, or connect with others. Regulating your nervous system can be as simple as taking a few deep breaths. If you want to do a little more, I suggest daily meditation, movement and anything creative (these days I’m into making small watercolor paintings).
Lean into your relationships. Even if you feel like retreating, I urge you to make plans. Don’t worry alone. Spending time with people who nurture you can put you into a more hopeful mindset. And, research tells us that spending time with friends and loved ones reduces stress and helps us live longer, healthier lives.
In coaching, I help clients approach their goals with a hopeful attitude. This often means accepting that certain things — such as whether you advance in an interview process, or get promoted this year—are out of your control, but there is always something that you can do. This helps us come up with an action plan and keep moving forward.
In these uncertain times, consider hope as an anecdote. For more information, check out “How to Cultivate Hope in Dark Times” by my Positive Psychology Professor, Dan Tomasulo.