Do you often find yourself struggling to see any meaning or purpose in your day-to-day activities? At certain moments, hope might seem like a vague word with perhaps little to no relevance to your life. In the light of the above, let’s stay motivated with this message by Rick Warren:

“What gives me the most hope every day is God’s grace; knowing that his grace is going to give me the strength for whatever I face, knowing that nothing is a surprise to God.”

Here are 3 Ways to remain Hopeful

Give yourself some credit – acknowledge your successes

When life has gotten you on the ropes and you feel beaten down, it’s difficult to see your past successes. If you’re feeling like you’re not good at anything, I’m here to tell you you’re wrong. You have plenty of success stories and accomplishments. All you have to do is tear down the wall of hopelessness and bring them out. The best way to turn this feeling around is to make a list of all your strengths and accomplishments. Do you get up and go to work every day? Give yourself a point. Do you have someone in your life you consider a friend? Give yourself another point. Someone who loves you? More points. Did you survive giving birth to a baby? Give yourself 1000 points. You get the idea. Make a list of all your successes and congratulate yourself. Giving yourself some love is one of the best ways to turn things around and strengthen your skills in being more hopeful.

Build Relationships

We are the average of the five people we associate with. If you’re surrounded by people who are depressed and unmotivated, they will squeeze that last bit of hope out of you. Instead surround yourself with supportive and capable people. Hang around with those who help you feel good and encourage you to be your best. Nurture a network of friends who share your interests and goals. Look to join communities of people who strive to be more helpful. Become a role model for others. If you begin acting in a hopeful manner, even if you are feeling down, you will actually become hopeful in the process.

Take Care of Yourself

When we feel hopeless our natural instinct is to crawl into bed with a blanket over our head. But assuming you are an otherwise healthy human being, you need to get out of bed and start doing something. First, start by exercising. It doesn’t matter what you do, but get moving. Take a walk – do anything – but get your body moving. Try to get at least 20 minutes of some form of moderate exercise every day. Next, eat healthy foods. Stay away from junk foods and fast food. Make healthy, natural food choices and you will begin to see major changes in your outlook. Drink water. Did you know most of the time we eat because we think we’re hungry when we’re actually just thirsty? Drink more water and you won’t eat as much. That idea alone should give you hope. Get some rest. Turn off the television, your mobile phone, the tablet, video games…and start to go to sleep earlier each day. Relax. Listen to music you enjoy. Light a candle. Take a bath. Breathe deeply.

Versuasion Pakistan – Fareeha Robert