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We’ve been taught not to get our hopes up as a form of protection, yet hope unlocks possibility.

Hope is a powerful, evidence-based practice that changes how we think, feel, and show up.

The world needs people who dare to get their hopes up and help others do the same.

People often say, “Don’t get your hopes up.” “Be realistic.” “Don’t get carried away.”

In many places and spaces throughout our lives, we’re subtly encouraged to lower our expectations, to brace ourselves, and protect ourselves from possible disappointment. Most of the time, people aren’t trying to limit us. They’re trying to protect us. Protect us from uncertainty, from big feelings, from the sting of things being outside of our control. But people getting their hopes up is exactly what this world needs more of. And yet, many of us hesitate because getting our hopes up doesn’t always feel safe.

When It Feels Safer to Expect the Worst

When everything feels uncertain, expecting the worst can start to feel safer than imagining what’s possible. We put up artificial guardrails. We armour ourselves. Our thinking narrows, rigidity increases, we miss opportunities, and disconnection and fear grow. We limit our growth. And with so much pain, ill-being, relentless challenge, and darkness in the world right now, it can be tempting to turn inward, shut down, or protect ourselves by caring less.

Yet from a psychological perspective, we know that when the brain predicts threat, attention narrows. When the brain predicts possibility, attention widens. It increases flexibility, reveals opportunity, and strengthens connection.........

© Psychology Today