We're experiencing chronic stress, which blocks our ability to hope. Here's why: the amygdala, the brain's alarm center, reacts with fight, flight, or freeze (Akil & Nestler, 2023; LeDoux, 1996). This reaction can save our lives in an emergency. When we're in a crosswalk and see a car speeding toward us, we can react by stopping or jumping out of the way.
We've long misunderstood hope in the workplace. We've treated it as wishful thinking-a nice-to-have feeling that emerges when things are going well. But research from psychologist C.R. Snyder reveals something far more powerful: Hope is a cognitive process with three essential components: goals (what we want to achieve), pathways (our ability to identify routes to those goals), and agency (our belief that we can pursue those paths). This isn't passive optimism; it's an active strategy for navigating uncertainty and driving meaningful change.
And, I'm grateful for my work - for being able to bring music, something beautiful, into the worlds of those who are truly suffering and provide some reprieve that helps in a small way. That brings some comfort, and maybe even some joy during a joyless time. I'm grateful that I get to connect with them through the healing power of music.
Women in fertility treatment often feel they can't catch a break; the issues keep stacking up, cycle after cycle, complication after complication, diagnosis after diagnosis. It can feel like jumping through one hoop only to find three more waiting. Living in a state of fight or flight becomes the norm. What makes it even harder is that this pressure builds quietly over time.
I grew up believing courage was about heroes jumping off mountains and running into burning buildings, 300 Spartan warriors standing against the invading Persian army-the kind of thing that is celebrated in epic poems and Hollywood blockbusters. But life has taught me something different. Courage does not just have to look spectacular. In fact, much more often, courage lives in the everyday.
As I started writing this, folks were heading to the polls for the first time in a long, terrible year. Hyperbole somehow failed us when the White House was (is still being) destroyed. Plus, everyone's Social Security numbers were stolen, the world's biggest anti-vaxxer wants to ban Tylenol, and SNAP benefits were frozen for the first time. Yeah, it's been that kinda year. Pandora's box has been opened and all the maladies therein have been unleashed.
When things go wrong in our lives, we can experience stress, feeling a constant sense of threat that keeps us from solving our problems. In an emergency, this stress reaction can save our lives. The alarm center in our brains responds to a threat with the survival reaction of fight, flight, or freeze, causing us to take immediate action (LeDoux, 1996).
Optimism lives in a curious in-between space. It isn't an outcome so much as an expectation about one. Yet optimism and pessimism each have immediate consequences for mental health. When we expect good things, daily life feels safer and more enjoyable. Persistent pessimism, on the other hand, breeds emptiness and depression. As a psychiatrist, I often meet people who undermine their own positive feelings.
First and foremost, please be kind to yourself. I do not need to know much about you, dear reader, to know that you are likely struggling with something: regret, guilt, sadness, anger, or pain. The reason I know this is because these experiences are universal to us all. Please treat yourself with kindness as you navigate these challenges because it makes the journey more bearable.
"Well, you don't like to think about your mortality, but I was so fortunate to have some great people that sent me in the right direction. I got to be part of a trial that was propitious. It really worked. It's called PD-1 (therapy), and it really, really, really worked."
In the wake of politically driven changes diminishing DEI efforts, it is crucial to focus on resilience and the potential for recovery in higher education.
"How you put the star on the cutting room floor? / No wonder every shot you take is always hella subpar / I was taught to stay humble, the meek shall inherit the earth / but being meek won't bring my meals / Now run my check, I know my worth."
Gethan Dickâs dystopia begins at Elephant and Castle in London, revealing underlying truths and the fragility of civilization amidst a relentless pandemic and societal decay.
When discussing her indomitable spirit, Deborah Szekely noted, 'Optimism against all odds is how things get done in this topsy-turvy world,' which epitomizes her approach to life and philanthropy.
