LOOKING FORWARD TO THE FUTURE AND WAYS TO FIND HOPE
Having something to look forward to is essential. Knowing that something good is definitely going to happen is an important mental health strategy. It’s not necessary for it to be a major event. It could be anticipating a certain time of day, obtaining a desired item, attending an event, tasting a special dish, or having a few minutes to yourself or with a special person.
Having something to look forward to can be a powerful anti-depressant. If feeling hopeless and believing there is nothing worthwhile ahead are important factors in depression, so it is necessary for a person to have something to live a life and look forward in a positive direction.
Genuine therapeutic interventions for depression include expressing interest, communicating support, and providing something to look forward to. It’s beneficial to maintain a calendar of events to look forward to in terms of mental health. Those who are proactive in their planning are less prone to depression and stress. They have a good sense of what’s to come. Of course, everyone’s definition of “something to look forward to” is unique. In order to look forward towards a bright and positive future, it is necessary to follow certain ways through which you can find hope in your life and move on. Certain ways through which we can find hope are as follows:
1. Change your outlook and your goals
At times, it can be difficult to maintain a positive outlook in the wake of the day’s events. Even if you don’t see immediate results, cognitive neuroscientist Tali Sharot says that you can gradually begin to change your brain. “Optimism changes subjective reality” Expectations shape our perceptions of the world. But it also alters the nature of reality as we know it. Self-fulfilling prophecy, in other words.
2. Understand that your life can take any turn you want it to
Do you find it difficult to look forward to the future because it is so predetermined? Choose option #1: accept your fate (and while you’re at it, pick out an inscription for your tombstone). Option #2: Be open to the possibilities that exist for everyone, regardless of age.
3. When things get tough, try to find some meaning in it all
In the minds of some, cynicism is more than a passing mood; it’s a way of life shaped by trying, even brutal, times. According to author Andrew Solomon, even bad things can turn out good in the end. For him, the path to finding meaning begins with avoiding and withstanding. The childhood bullying and emotional torment of Solomon was transformed into a life of helping others tell their own stories of growth.
4. Take the time to hear what someone else has to say
This week, make a point of asking someone like a family member, a friend, or even a stranger to tell you a story about a significant time in their life. Pay attention carefully and consciously. “It can sometimes feel like you’re walking on holy ground” when you hear a story about the love, wisdom, and courage that fill our most significant moments, says Isay.
5. Go back to where you started
In the midst of all the chaos, how can you find your own centre? Gilbert advises you to identify the thing or things in the world that you adore more than yourself. “That could be creativity, family, invention, adventure, faith, service, or raising corgis.”
6. Make your world a little more spectacular by incorporating a little wow
It may seem counterintuitive to be upbeat in the face of so many major issues, such as wars and armed conflicts, climate change, and the persistence of deadly diseases. However, rather than letting yourself be dragged down, you should look up instead as in up at the sky. As a result, drones buzz over Africa, delivering blood and plasma to remote villages that are difficult to reach with traditional transportation methods.
7. Keep in mind the basic goodness of people.
Mary Latham shared the story with her mother, who was undergoing treatment for a second round of cancer. Her mother said that: “There will always be terrible tragedies and terrible things that happen in our lives, but there is always going to be more good, and you just have to look for it.”
8. Put yourself in your demise’s shoes (yes, really)
According to Chang “To maintain perspective and remember that life is brief and tender, it's critical in today's world of increasing distractions. One of the most uplifting things you can do is prepare for your death by thinking about all the things you can accomplish right now.”
References
Cutruzzula, K. (2018, April 3). How to be more hopeful. Retrieved from ideas.ted.com: https://ideas.ted.com/how-to-be-more-hopeful/
Murray, M. (2008, March 11). The joy in little things to look forward to. Retrieved from The
Irish Times: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/the-joy-in-little-things-to-look-
forward-to-1.902236