Faith, Hope, And Optimism. What's The Difference?

If you've been keeping up with my Facebook page (No? Then click here to like it for the latest news!), then you know I posted an article for National Mental Health Day. In this article, psychologists are exploring why hope is necessary for mental health. 

Did you know there's a difference between hope and optimism?

It's not something that I ever really stopped to think about. Although I generally consider them both essential to a positive mindset, what's the difference really? Plus, how does faith fit in?

When you examine the 3 concepts, hope is more action oriented. With hope, you have a desire or goal for the future. In order to create your desired future or achieve your goals, then you'll need to take certain steps forward. Hope allows you to create tangible, action-oriented steps while maintaining a positive mindset even though obstacles occasionally pop up. Hope is considered an active coping approach to challenges. 

Optimism is slightly different. This is the belief that good things will happen more often than bad ones. With optimism, it's about a positive mindset helping you through challenges or things turning out in your favor. Although I'm a big believer in optimism, it's considered more of a passive approach compared to hope. 

Personally, I think faith is a combination of both hope and optimism. It involves a positive mindset and beliefs even though you may not see any proof in your lifetime. Faith brings in a spiritual component which adds depth and dimension to the obstacles and challenges in your life. In fact, there are several scientific studies that show those with spiritual or religious beliefs heal faster and expect positive outcomes more often than those who have no beliefs at all. 

Faith is an area where I often see my clients struggle because they haven't defined or explored their spirituality. Without the belief in something greater than themselves, they suffer because there's no hope for something better than where they are right now. 

Here's the truth: No one knows what's out there for sure. Your subconscious (AKA emotional brain), creates its own reality based on the information you feed it and believe. Without any positive spiritual beliefs, your subconscious is free to supply its own fear based beliefs and scenarios instead. An exaggerated fear of death and suffering often occurs because there's no concept of what happens next in terms of an afterlife. 

Spirituality and religion are interesting to me, and I've researched many different avenues. I find it helpful when dealing with clients from diverse spiritual backgrounds, or to introduce options to those with no spiritual beliefs at all. 

If you're in a stage where you're exploring your faith, then I recommend thinking about the following as a place to start. 

*Where were you before you were born? Did you exist in some form?

*Did you choose to be born, or were you assigned here (by the greater power of your choice)? Did you choose your parents/family or were they selected for you?

*Do you believe in past lives or reincarnation?

*Do you believe in an afterlife? If so, what happens there? What does it look like? What are you doing there?

*Do you continue to help others on earth in your afterlife, or have some sort of job/duty/ function? Are you just hanging out with loved ones?

*If you're part of a religion, are there any beliefs you disagree with or make you uncomfortable? If so, why? Are there any beliefs you love? If so, why?

*How do your current spiritual beliefs help you navigate social issues?

*How do animals or nature fit into your belief system?

Curiosity is a natural human trait and the more you define what you want, need, and expect out of life, the more in tune you become with yourself. Whatever you choose to believe, it's my wish that it gives you comfort in the midst of challenges and helps increase your sense of hope and optimism for a better future.

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April Darley N.D. is an Emotional Strength Coach specializing in helping Empaths/Highly Sensitive People (HSP's) feel better, and function better by releasing stress, anxiety, pain, and sabotaging behavior. Through the combination of coaching and emotional release techniques, you'll learn how to step into your own power, comfortably deal with life's challenges, and stay calm and balanced.