Holding Onto Hope in Troubled Times

I am going to facilitate this online discussion and practice series with Christel Gopin, the Associate Director of the Center for World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution, George Mason University in the Autumn of 2026.

The series is based on Hope Theory that focuses on three interlinked components: 

  1. Goals Thinking – The setting of authentic goals.
  2. Pathways Thinking – The capacity to develop specific and alternative strategies to reach those goals.
  3. Agency Thinking –The ability to initiate and sustain the motivation for using those strategies.

Agenda

Introduction: 07/10/26

In this session, we will introduce the background and objectives of this practice series and different understandings of hope. We are also going to introduce the main concepts, theories and competencies that can help you hold onto hope.  

 

3 Sessions on Goals Thinking on 14/10/26; 21/10/26; 28/10/26

Objective: To develop 2-3 personal authentic goals.

  1. Developing Authentic Goals for Your Future

In this session, we will explore, how setting goals can nurture hope through changing abstract aspirations into achievable goals helping provide a sense of purpose, direction and control. We will also illustrate, how envisioning can help us imagine our future possibilities and goals.

  1. Practising Gratitude to Value What You Already Have

In this session, we will address, how negative bias impacts our everyday lives. We will also explore, how practising gratitude can help us focus on, what is already present and going well in our lives and how these connect to our future goals.

  1. Using Mindful Hope to Ensure Goals Stay Authentic

In this session, we will explore how mindful hope can help us stay grounded in the present while fostering an open-minded, compassionate and realistic vision for our future. We will also illustrate, how we can use mindfulness to acknowledge our emotions and feelings and helping ensure our goals remain authentic.

 

2 Sessions on Pathways Thinking on 04/11/26; 11/11/26

Objective: To develop a map of pathways to achieve our personal goals.

  1. Developing a Hope Map of Potential Pathways

In this session, we will explore. how we can develop our own hope maps that illustrate alternative ways of achieving our goals. Hope maps help us think creatively about how we can reach our goals and how we can divide our pathways into step-by-step actions.

  1. Refining the Hope Map to Consider Potential Obstacles and Barriers

In this session, we will identify potential obstacles and barriers we might encounter on the journeys to achieving our goals. We will also think about how we can create alternative pathways to overcome or circumvent them.

 

5 Sessions on Agency Thinking on 18/11/26; 25/11/26; 02/12/26; 09/12/26; 16/12/26

Objective: To identify practices that will help us sustain our motivation.

  1. Using Positive Visualisation to Enhance Hope

In this session, we will explore visualisation and its many benefits such as supporting positive and optimistic thinking and reducing anxiety and hopelessness. Visualisation is a mental technique that focuses on creating positive mental images of overcoming obstacles, recovering from setbacks and achieving future goals.

  1. Nurturing a Positive Mindset

In this session, we will explore how we can develop a positive mindset that can help us stay motivated and resilient. We will focus on, how we can use cognitive reframing to challenge and change our negative beliefs. We will also illustrate how taking small meaningful actions strengthens our sense of agency, rewires our mindset and builds momentum.

  1. Looking After Yourself

Self-care helps us sustain the energy, motivation and resilience needed to pursue our goals. In this session, we will illustrate the connections between hope and wellbeing and identify some of the signs that your hope might be diminishing. We will also explore practical self-care strategies that strengthen our agency and resilience and support you in developing you own hope and wellbeing plan.

  1. Replacing Doom-scrolling with Hope Scrolling

In this session, we will explore how we can move from doom-scrolling which is the compulsive consumption of negative, depressing and distressing news to hope scrolling. Hope scrolling is the conscious and intentional use of social media to focus on positive, uplifting and supportive content to reduce stress and increase hope. We will also explore what it means to be a hope dealer and how you can become one yourself.

  1. Surrounding Yourself with a Supportive Network

In this session, we will focus on the connections between hope and a supportive network. We will identify practical ways to strengthen and expand your own support network and explore how you can build hope around you.