I'm not going to cry, I said to myself for what seemed like the umpteenth time, trying to assure myself that all would be well when all in front of me was exactly the opposite of that, the bills kept piling up, I had a sick child to take care for and the economy of my country isn't of any help at all, to make it worst my spouse was barely managing to support with his almost collapsing source of income, Oh yes, I had to bear all of the burdens, be the strong woman that builds her home and hold things together even when my strength was failing me, for the first time in my life, I got diagnosed with high blood pressure after having constant headache and back aches for weeks, I knew it was due to stress from working more hours, but I couldn't help it, it seemed like the weight of the world was upon my shoulders, I let it out and allowed a better emotion take over- Hope!

I guess it is true that in the life of every human, there is always a time when we are put to a test. Whether it is life difficulties, world issues, or the very problems everyone comes across, something in our lives can cause the light of hope to dim. However, that is where hope assumes its greatest importance because that is when hope is most needed. But how does one preserve it when the surrounding environment appears to be an inhospitable environment against the very feeling of hope? I can't say I'm a master at constantly keeping hope alive, because no matter how hard we try, we can't always have control over some challenges that come our way, but from experience, and having taken the faith in hope in several challenges that seemed hopeless in the past and today is a story of the past, this knowledge keeps me hopeful no matter what may come my way.

First, we need to really understand what hope means, optimism and wishful thinking aren't hope, what hope means is having the drive to move past your challenges, either by devising possible solutions which obviously you have to work to achieve, or moving past what you have no control over rather than allow depression take that place of hope In you. Hope is active, not passive. It's not about waiting for things to get better, but about believing in the possibility of improvement and working towards it.

How I Keep My Hope Alive

You see some of my challenges which I started this post with, at first I gave in to depression, but did it change anything? No! Rather things got worse, imagine having a sick child admitted to the hospital with accumulating bills, with no sign of improvement yet, I never gave up even when negative advice was thrown at me, which was so bad I can't even type them here, the circumstances were beyond me, rather than continue dwelling on with sad thoughts flooding my mind, I started focusing on my positivity, yes, no matter how bad things are, there is a possibility that it could have been worst when I thought about how worst It could have gotten, my child was still alive, even though weak, there is hope, I developed a grateful heart, counting my blessings amid adversities, knowing that with time, the bills can be settled, and also passing that positivity to my child through a smile instead of a sad face, though it was tough going through that moment, but today I look back, my daughter is hale and healthy, hope came through.

The feeling resulting from gratitude has an impact on our brain. In every situation in life, no matter how bad, there is always something to be grateful for, friends and family, accomplishments, or even the sunlight, the breath you have, do you know people pay for the same oxygen you get freely, the condition I was then was supposed to make me feel down, but instead it made me grateful, and I made sure to spread that feeling of gratefulness to parents of children who were in the same ward as my child. It does wonders, you can start by simply taking the time to list these positives and perhaps writing them down can change your outlook and feed hope.

A healthy relationship with family and friends is another essential source of hope. Telling our problems to our close friends or relatives is helpful not only because they can comfort us in our downtimes but also because they can give us good advice. My mum is my hope giver any day any time, growing up, I hardly knew when she was down even till date, because she is a preacher of "when there is life, there is hope always, so make sure to connect with like people that helps motivate you always.

There must have been a time in your life when everything seemed hopeless, but somehow you survived, learn from your past experience, just like I'm sharing with you with some trials from my past and even presently, what did you do to pull through? Knowing that you have faced a challenge and conquered before, gives you more confidence to face the ones at your front.

Also, change the perspective of perceiving every obstacle as a threat, instead, perceive them as chances for growth.
How do you feel when you pamper yourself? Good, right? Self-care is one of the most important aspects of hope preservation in both physical and mental health. In my stress, I forgot about myself, never cared how I looked, and even aged than my actual age due to the loss of hope, until I got diagnosed with high b.p, guess what cured me, A good sleep the lack of hope does more harm than good to our health, so stay hopeful.

The #Julyinleo monthly topics, day 11 inspired this post, do check it out and be inspired

Image 1 is edited with canva
Images 2 and 3 are mine

Thank you for reading.❤❤

Stay Hopeful!