If there’s a town parade within a reasonable driving distance of my house, I’m going. I am a sucker for parades. I bring tissues, because I cry, messily, every time.
Parades give me hope, because they elevate people who do good things — a volunteer E.M.T. squad, a troop of Girl Scouts, firefighters. Being part of a supportive group on the sidelines feels hopeful, too.
I’ve been seeking out more inspirational events after reading a new book by Caitlin Moran, the author of “How to Be a Woman” and “How to Build a Girl.” Her new book, out next month, is called “How to Be Hopeful: A Year of Attempting to Feel Less Awful About the World.”
Moran started writing it after realizing that she had reached “peak despair,” thanks to a relentless news cycle and too much doomscrolling.
So, she spent a year looking for realistic ways to cultivate a sense of hope, which she writes “can be a radical act of rebellion against the fear and anxiety of modern life.” Research suggests that feelings of hope are also good for us. They are linked to a longer life span, fewer sleep problems and greater psychological well-being.
Here are four things that Moran recommends doing to make us all feel more hopeful.
Pick up some trash
Twice a week, Morgan heads out in her London neighborhood with her dog, Luna, and fills bags with rubbish, using a litter picker with a claw grip.
This ritual is in line with advice often given by Jamil Zaki, the director of the Stanford Social Neuroscience Laboratory.
“I tell people to think globally and hope locally, focusing on actions within their community where they can see the difference they are making,” said Dr. Zaki, who wrote the book “Hope for Cynics: The Surprising Science of Human Goodness.” Part of building hope, he added, “is seeing the difference between the world you’re in and the world you want.”
Picking up trash, Moran told me, is “incredibly satisfying,” as it combines helping the environment, mindfulness and the joy of decluttering on a large scale. And when you see the evidence, of, say, a party in the park, “you get the gossip of what’s been going on in your neighborhood,” she said.
I love any sort of new way to change up my walks, so I just ordered a litter picker.
Read the local paper
One regular habit that Moran has adopted, as have I, is reading a community newspaper.
Many of the news items are positive, she said: a charity run, the opening of a new bakery. I just learned that my local Rotary Club hosts a free repair cafe to fix broken items and keep them out of landfills.
And while a local paper isn’t a retreat from distressing news, she said, there are typically stories of recovery and resilience, like people collecting donations when there’s been a local disaster.
“And because it’s your news, from your world,” Moran said, “you can see that even if something bad occurs, the community still functions.”
Curate a “joyous and wholesome” social media feed
“Whatever we think we are, our algorithms know the truth,” Moran said. She calls our social media algorithms “our existential receipts.”
After clicking on one too many links that exposed her to violent imagery, she curated her feed to be “100 percent joyous and wholesome.”
To do the same, you can unfollow accounts or mark them “not interested.” You can also use the “sensitive content control” on Instagram and refresh your “for you” feed on TikTok to start over.
Now Moran’s feed, she said, is full of content such as how to make a hedge that sparrows will love and the handiwork of a man called “Nate the hoof guy,” who methodically cleans diseased cow hooves (in a soothing way).
Give blood
If you are able, donating blood makes you feel hopeful and connected to other people, Moran said.
“You give blood, the people take that packet out the room and the next time it sees the daylight is on what might be the worst day of someone’s life,” she said.
And one day, she added, “someone might send you their blood and their love on a day when you need it.”
Dr. Zaki said that this feeling “is consistent with what’s known as ‘warm glow giving.’” It’s the idea, he explained, that people act kindly in part because it boosts the giver’s sense of purpose, well-being and meaning.
Moran told me that she “always sobs” after a donation. “I’ll think, ‘Wow, this is about the most profound thing you can do today,’” she said, adding, “That’s as good as it gets.”
The right mind-set affects your workout habits. Here’s how to adopt a new one.
Experts say that the mentality you bring to exercise really matters. Simply adjusting yours can be an important step toward turning yourself into a consistent exerciser.
Read the article: How to Embrace a Fitness Mind-Set
A chatbot helped a woman taper off a lifesaving drug, with devastating consequences.
Bowen Wan was on medication that kept her severe epilepsy under control. When she started to worry about the drug’s effects on her thinking, she followed a regimen created by ChatGPT to taper the dose. Had she consulted her neurologist, he would have warned her of the danger of this plan.
Read the article: She Worried About Cutting Her Medication Dose. ChatGPT Told Her to Push On.
The Week in Well
Here are some stories you don’t want to miss:
-
More women are seeking out weight rooms of their own. Read the story.
-
Your sleep habits may point to a specific type of depression. Learn the details.
-
An experimental vaccine offers hope for cancer patients. Here’s what the science says.
-
How much do you know about sugar? Take our quiz.
Let’s keep the conversation going. Follow Well on Instagram, or write to us at [email protected]. And check out last week’s newsletter about the 5 essential letters you should write.
The post How to Feel Hopeful When Everything Is Falling Apart appeared first on New York Times.
