This thought-invoking angle on hope, is a heartfelt article written by a special guest author, who is near and dear to my own heart. In What Power Resides in this One Word? Hope, Taylor S. Aubrey delivers a powerful message about the importance of attaining and maintaining hope in our everyday lives. This piece is especially geared toward offering a new perspective on hope, to anyone struggling with mental anguish.
Dedicated to a beautiful beacon of hope: Fly on the wings of a hummingbird Nonny!
“Hope“
Hope. A relatively small word, only four letters; we tend to use it in our everyday conversations. But is it possible that we have overlooked the value within this small, yet significant word?
“Hope:” Many of us may not yet have considered the full depth of its meaning. Perhaps this is especially true in people with mental disadvantages.
American mental health is in decline (according to Plan Street Blogs). One in 5 Americans currently struggle to manage their own mental health on a daily basis. And in recent years, the nation’s suicide rate has tragically been on the climb.
According to Mental Health America, nearly 53 million adults in the United States struggle with at least one mental illness. And about half of these same adults are battling their mental illness without treatment!
What’s more, adults aren’t the only ones whose mental health is suffering! Perhaps the most vulnerable and susceptible to the dangers of this largely unseen struggle are our children. Unfortunately, 10.6% of Americans under the age of 18 years, currently suffer from major depression. But there is hope.
Though millions are fighting this same battle, it often feels as though no one else even knows (or cares) about our internal war! We who struggle are fighting to simply make it from one day to the next! And sometimes it’s hard to even make it through minute by minute!
With a glaring lack of much-needed understanding and support from society (which we may tend to view as “the outside world” rather than a world we’re an important part of) we are left to fight this battle for ourselves.
We shoulder an all-in, cumbersome mindset that leaves us with so much heartache! Hope may be difficult to maintain when it sometimes feels like the “brighter side” of things somehow remains just out of reach.
Many dark thoughts might accompany our attempts to overcome our internal (and external struggles). I too have found my own ways of coping with depression.
For instance, the thought of just “ending it,” is never entirely off the table, since that thought can arise again. But it is no secret that, as humans, we have a capacity which affords us choices. Let’s acknowledge that without hope for our futures, we could make the choice to take our own life, but then what?
What will we do after that? What could we do after that!?
To end our existence would cut short our potential for greatness!
To do so would mean we’d have just given up our only opportunity to have better tomorrows! Gone with our hope would be our chance to work things out! Gone would be our chance to stick around long enough to see it when it gets better (no matter what “it” is)!
And you know what? When we decide to continue trying to better ourselves, we keep our opportunity to see how this all “pans out!”
But let’s be realistic, sometimes the best news may seem to be simply that we can’t fall off the floor! That’s because, when we hit “rock bottom,” we are unable to get any “lower.” So, this leaves us with our only other fighting choice: to rise up.
Even at our lowest, we are able to have hope; to use positive self-talk and behavioral cognition, to guide ourselves safely through! And when we choose to persevere in the face of our difficulties, then like the mighty phoenix, we rise again!
We rise up from the ashes of our fiery personal war. We rise to the occasion, and we take ourselves to the metaphorical starting line, once again.
“Get In, or Get Over It“
A great woman once said, “Get in, or get over it.” This is a phrase that requires some unpacking:
Sometimes life knocks us down, and much of the time it seems life knocks us down time-and-time-again. When we enter a depressive state (perhaps due to a lack of hope) we often lack the know-how to ask for help. Thus, we can make the choice to “lie down” and let life pass us by. Or, we can gather ourselves enough to wipe the tears off our cheeks, and press on! Depression (if unchecked) is much like a coffin–that is, once you are in, it’s forever. So, essentially, we can either, “Get in” and let our depression beat us, or we can make the choice to “Get over it,” and move forward with life!
As harsh and heartless as the notion may first strike us, when presented with this rather uncompromising suggestion, we may soon realize something: We do not have to choose what our next move will be. We get to choose!
If we decide to fight for ourselves, and not let mental illness overtake us, then we are going to have to fight with hope on our side, and like our life depends on it! Because, it does! And we must understand, “wars” like these are likely never going to be won overnight!
There will be days we cry, and days we laugh. There will be days that we can’t even seem to get out of bed! But there will be days that are so grand, we can hardly wait to wake up and start the day! These are the days that build up our reserves of hope!
Our choice to fight against our mental barriers is a victory in itself! For, as long as we choose to continue our fight, only then do we not let mental anguish win!
Illnesses such as cancer can be readily detected using modern medical diagnostic imaging. However, mental illness is not often so easily discernable. Still, mental illness is just the same as any other terminal illness, in that its symptoms lead to prematurely lost lives every day!
So, let us earnestly reflect. Why have we ever allowed ourselves to erroneously view mental illness distorted by a stigma that we’ve not attached to other illnesses?
For our own sakes, and for the sake of our children, this stigma must end!
We now have a “mountain” to climb. And while we know it’s not going to be easy, we also know our “journey up the mountain” will teach us how to cope with those unsettling emotions that used to leave us sinking ever farther into dark feelings and irrational thoughts.
When we make the decision to “climb our mountain,” we are making the unwavering choice to fight for ourselves, and to fight for our lives! In this fight, we may often serve as our own best leader; exhibiting strength, determination, and courage from the inside, outward!
And, we must meet ourselves with a growing supply of patience (and even humor) as we will undoubtedly become our own greatest advocate in hope–learning as we go!
We know depression and mental illness can take so much from us! But now, we also know that we are not alone in this struggle! And we realize having hope means we must never give in!
Our choice to fight is not only for ourselves, but also for one another; and for our youth, who also struggle.
We can apply tactics, like positive self-talk and analyzing (rather than avoiding) our own internal conflicts, to create a sort of roadmap, to help the next person who’ll choose to “climb their own personal mountain.”
After all, we’ve come to understand that having a solid support system is key! And in becoming an active beacon in another’s support system, we thereby redouble our own efforts at overcoming our own ailments.
We’ve all heard that, “When it rains, it pours.” But instead of taking a backseat to this “storm,” we have now chosen that we will weather through! And, you know sometimes we may just have to “dance in the rain,” when we want to “have our dance!” And with hope, we are okay with that!
We know that when a storm passes, we will see the light we’ve been seeking all along. And with this dawning light of a new day, we know we have given ourselves the opportunity to let our feelings of sadness wash away, as has the passing rain.
More of life’s “storms” will undoubtedly come rolling in. But next time, we will be better prepared to take them on more fearlessly! Courageously, we may even jump in, head first!
Realistically, we cannot always be fortunate enough to have what we’d deem “good days,” but, from this, let us derive the understanding that we also cannot be unfortunate enough to always have “bad days!”
By purposefully changing our mindset today, we actively seek a higher understanding of ourselves, our interactions, and our own human potential.
And by making the choice to fight for one more day–that is, by choosing to “Get over it,” we hold on, just a little more tightly to our possibility for better tomorrows.
We preserve our possibility to experience brighter skies, and more smiles. We have found value in something that grows from deep within our soul.
It is a thing that is oftentimes misunderstood and too often undervalued. It is simple and pure, as it offers us a helpful beacon, through any tumultuous storm.
At times, we recognize its infinite importance, and it is so precious to us that we tend to carefully tuck it away. It follows us through good times, while it carries us through bad times.
And sometimes, we may even forget that it’s there at all. A relatively small word, only four letters:
“Hope.”
Author: Taylor S. Aubrey
Copyeditor: Chrystal T. Nelson, M.A.
An inspiring read for sure. Thanks for wording this in a way that anyone can understand and relate to.
Thank you for the support! Always glad to help.
Very inspiring Taylor! You’re a great writer.