Three Ways Hope Empowers Healthy Habits

Imagine you are driving to a new place during a storm. Despite the scary and challenging ride, you expect to arrive safely at your destination. That expectation is hope. Hope is believing in success when it is not predictable. Here are three ways hope helps us to adopt healthy habits that protect us from diseases and improve our quality of life.

Hope motivates action. We often know what is best for us – exercise, a better diet, more sleep, less anxiety, less stress, less alcohol, etc. However, the path to achieving these outcomes may seem complicated, and we expect to fail. On the contrary, when we are hopeful, we are motivated to take action regardless of uncertainties. We begin to perform research, set plans, and seek help. “A journey begun is half done,” is a proverb that highlights the significance of starting goals. Hope facilitates the first steps of lifestyle changes, which is a leap in the right direction. 

Hope encourages resilience. Plans will change, and obstacles will appear as you work to improve your diet and lifestyle. Ups and downs are normal parts of change.  During a setback, hope facilitates you to look past the gloom and expect success. It helps you reframe the setback as learning instead of failure. For example, rather than give up on cooking healthy meals because your first attempts were unpalatable, you look for ways to improve taste or try making other dishes. Hope shields your motivation and makes you resilient.

Hope fosters creative solutions. When you believe you will eat better, exercise regularly, sleep more, worry less, or limit alcohol use, your mind is open to possibilities. When you lose hope, you withdraw from finding solutions. For example, if you exercised at the gym before the pandemic, gym closures threw off your workout routine. However, if you expect to stay fit without going to the gym, you can generate creative solutions like participating in online workout classes, using gallon bottles for weights, and fulfilling your cardio goals by walking, running, or biking.

Hope empowers us to persevere during tough and uncertain times in all areas of life. It is the silver lining in the sky that reminds us there is sunshine behind the clouds.

Would you like to know where you can find hope? Read the follow-up blog, 3 Places to Find Hope.

Bebe Wilkinson is the owner of Succeed LLC. She is a Lifestyle Medicine Coach and a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach.