Lived Experience Forum

[Mortiis]

A very tough question for a lot of people, but what does hope and optimism mean to you? What does it look like? If you had to describe it to someone, can you imagine it well enough to write the words down?

To me Hope is to remain well, without stigma, and to hope for a change. Optimism is a little harder for me to fathom thinking about - I don't believe I have quite enough hope yet to describe that one.

How bout you?

[Alessandra1992]

Hope has humour embedded in there for me, the sound of laughter is very healing for me ears and if. I can't laugh, I am fine with listening to other people laugh..Even if it listening to folks laughing on radio or watching funny show on TV.

Hope is also recognising change..no matter how small that shift in change of ways, thinking and talk or relationships is always worth celebrating!

[Mortiis]

Hope for me (or at least what has helped me somewhat) is helping others. I have stressed so much time and energy on others, but the rewards of seenig them become well have been great. I give tremendous advice to others, even though I don't give any to myself!

Odd.

[Rick]

@Mortiis 

Hi Mortis

I'll answer these bass ackwards

Optimism: an absense of cyncism. A feeling of impending progress. It's realism with a touch of expectational living. 

Hope: is a completely different animal. Hope is always present. In bad times, cloaked in chaos but present. In good times a force that is alive and dynamic, everpresent and indestructable. If God exists then Hope is a divine permanent gift not a construct of human mind.

Together they Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers, Beauty, coordination, and form. The road best travelled with one eye closed, the other squinted, slitted seeing only the journey not seeing the destination.

For me

Hope endures

Rick

[Rick]

[Alessandra1992]

Ha ha ha...love this s @Rick!!

[kato]

a very curious question indeed,

i thought i knew what both were, but then it changes to what it could be and what it might be, and how can we influence these great big words,

I find myself Lost, alot, just ask thee other forum members LOL - i am trying to find my optimism

I am currently in a really down place, and i have hope, for me my hope is that i am capable of surviving, i am strong enough to get through, the lows, strong enough to challenge the highs, and the stupidity that can bring, i have lost all my hope before, i have lost it too many times now, but in thee bleak, i seem able to climb back to thee light, it sometimes takes me a day sometimes takes me weeks, i know that when the hope is lost it is not gone i have just misplaced it for a little bit.

Hope is also for me, having this forum, to be able to express myself, to be able to write what i am going through, to know that even when i feel abandoned by life, there is always friendly and understanding people here, this forum, gives me hope, it gives me the hope to find my strength to claw my way back, and as long as it takes as often as i fall, hope endures - quote by rick.

Optimism, for me is the dark horse, how do i view optimism, is it going to sleep at night, knowing that my day tomorrow, is unplanned, and that i can do what i want to get myself out of thee hole?

is it knowing that altho, i am really struggling, mentally and physically, i can be aware that if i can produce even thee smallest part of optimism, it can change everything that i am feeling.... optimism, that next week my new psychiatrist is going to click with me, that my psychologist will help me learn how to deal with thee overwhelming doubt and horror and blame and shame that i place onmyself every day.... or is it a simple tomorrow is not here yet, so therefore optimistically it is already going to be awesome.

and thee funny thing i realise as i am writing this, barely able to type due to weird pains, that optimism breeds hope, and hope breeds optimism, for one to be optimistic, then one is seeking hope.

Thank you

i hope it makes sense

[peace]

I know that my perspective on life/living changes with the head space I am in. Or basically weather I am well or not. So when I am in a bad space no matter how I try I am unable to view anything in a positive light and as for hope.....well that is hopeless.
When I am feeling well and strong I am easily optimistic and hopeful. Yet I still have a strong victim/useless mentality which I place upon myself. I'm still working on that.