During Mental Health Month in October 2022, we were completely overwhelmed by the amount of support and the responses from our community. We know how important hope is to mental health recovery, but when we put the call out for others to share their stories of hope, we had no idea that this would be the response.

We want to pay respect to each and every submission we had during our #BeingHopeful campaign, so we have decided to place them here for all to see and visit when they need to be inspired and have a little more hope in their life:

Michael shared his favourite quote with us from the poem, ‘The Tides’ by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. This quote is an important reminder that your fortunes can always change.

 

Music can lift us up and give us hope! Which is exactly what community member, Renata shared with us!

“What makes me feel hopeful, or what represents hope to me, is…P!nk’s Cover Me in Sunshine. It is apt that I heard this song for the first time while in hospital. The reason why is, it’s uplifting and sends a message of positivity.”

Sometimes hope can come from the way we interact with others – and the simple act of listening can inspire hope. This is something community member, Beate can relate to and shared with us:

“I want to be heard and understood by the way you reply to my story. If you don’t respond the right way. I will close down and suffer for longer. So please hear me and be with me. It is all I ask.”

Michael, a member of GROW mental wellbeing programs shared one of GROW’s principles of hope below:

Candice who has shared her story of finding hope in her experiences and what this means to her:

“During my recovery journey there have been some key sayings/quotes that have really spoken to me. I love this one by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross. 

 

I have sadly had times in my life where I’ve been so enveloped by depression, I couldn’t see a way forward. I still have my ups and downs with my health and wellbeing. I have moments when I think “why did that happen to me?” “why did I have to go through that?” But, reading this quote from Elizabeth Kubler-Ross reminds me that my struggles and suffering have also given me such strength, resilience and a different perspective on life. Reflecting on the really hard times I’ve endured, makes me have so much gratitude for all the small and big things life has to offer.”

Hope can be so many things to so many people. Thank you to community member Suzan who shared exactly what hope means to her when she said,

“HOPE for me is one of trust rather than expectation. I take care of my here & now with self care, boundaries, clarity & smiles and look forward towards my personal vision with a sense of knowing. I have no doubt it will happen. When is irrelevant for me. I focus on love, kindness & respect and love, peace & gratitude without attachment, judgement or resistance. HOPE is a beautiful 4 letter words.” 

Music has been linked to emotional and mental wellbeing – and that includes hope! Community member, Michael shared his story of hope here:

“The thing that makes me hopeful or best represents hope to me is… MUSIC because for a little while there I was experiencing difficulties listening to lyric-based music. Even classical music at one stage due to my experience of a mental health condition. I don’t really watch television and spend my time now listening to music. I couldn’t thrive without it… Here are some of the songs that bring me hope and prompt reflection:

We received this hopeful image from community member, Mark. It’s an excellent representation that hope can be found in the unlikeliest of places if you’re willing to look – and once you find it, it will grow in all sorts of conditions! That’s what we love about hope, you can never really get rid of it!

 

A big thank you to Emily, a member of our community who shared what represents hope to her through this image. And the reason why is… it highlights the hope in small improvements.”

Peer workers play an incredible role in inspiring hope in those who may be struggling with their mental health. Community member, Karen shared her approach to hope and what it means to her:

We’ve noticed many of our community members who are able to resonate hope with creativity. Whether that’s art, music, or in this case both! Thank you to the community member who anonymously shared their story below:

“What makes me feel hopeful, or what represents hope to me, is…”Art & music play a huge part in my recovery journey, so I combined the two to produce an art piece which contains lyrics from four songs that resonate with me and instil hope. And the reason why is because I spent most of 2020 in hospital, and being able to produce art and listen to these four songs in particular (over and over sometimes) are what kept me going”

Hope can come from many different places and community member Jenny shared the quote that inspires hope for her the most from Alexander Graham:

“When one door closes, another opens.”

Community member, Lyndissi shares a beautiful piece of writing on what hope is, and what the intention is to them. Read the contribution here.

 

Community member Giselle shared a lovely insight into hope for her, and one thing we can definitely agree on is that hope definitely provides a platform on which to build recovery.

“The thing that makes makes me feel hopeful or that captures a sense of hope for me is… (photo, video, music, picture, experience, etc) And the reason why is… Hope is a choice: it can be the end result of determination and persistence amongst pressing odds against your wellbeing, coming from your surroundings and circumstances, or from your own intrinsic challenges (whether mental health related or physical health related).

Hope is not losing the drive to find a way to cope despite what is harming you, instead of giving up. Hope, to me, is a combination of characteristics that you either muster within yourself, or get from external supports, that give you that little something to push through what can seem like insurmountable, overwhelming, never-ending challenge. Hope is hard to find. But, when you do, it gives you a new perspective, and platform on which to build recovery. As elusive as hope can be at times, the most important thing to aim for, is not to lose it somewhere along your journey. Keep hope close, practice it – its a life skill. Hope to all, and all to hope, in your journey.”

A big shout out to community member Michelle. It’s incredibly brave to share your story, hopes, and dreams with others. And we hope this braveness inspires you as well:

“I hope to lead a life society deems ‘normal’, well as close as I can get. I’m a 44yr old female, who’s single with no children or partner and no job. I have no friends and am an outcast to my family. All because I have a mental illness. I have Bipolar. If you met me in the street for a conversation you wouldn’t think anything the wiser. I’m articulate, funny, kind and average looking.

When my mental illness affects me I turn inward, get depressed and self-isolate so not many people see my down times. Except my flatmate who isn’t judgemental and keeps to himself. That’s my current flatmate but others have been quite rough to deal with. Unfortunately to add to my mental illness I’m what’s known as a ‘yes’ person. I will do everything to please you but lately I’ve realised that’s detrimental to my mental health and have tried to be more assertive. Because of this I’ve lost what friends I had and my parents have stopped talking to me. But that’s all fine because I have hope.

My one joy in life, other than my two fur babies is to create art. Sewing, painting, crafts, pretty much anything I can create and be proud of. My hope and dream is to one day open an art studio where I can teach art classes to people with disabilities and mental health challenges like myself. I want to help them create something they can take home, be proud of and show the world. This dream will also help me with an income, a way to afford to live by myself, help me to meet new people and give me purpose to life. To live an almost normal life. Lol There are many obstacles in my way but by sharing my hopes and dreams with you I’m putting it out into the universe creating a pathway to follow. So thanks for listening and maybe we can sit down for an art class together one day. Cheers and have a wonderful day.”

Being able to find hope in nature, and things that are accessible to us every single day can be an excellent way to never feel without hope! Community member, Helen shared how she’s looking to nature to find hope, by saying,

“What makes me feel hopeful, or what represents hope to me, are blossoms. The reason why is that each blossom has the potential of perfume, nectar, food for insects and birds, fruit, and bounty.”

 

A big thank you to everyone who submitted, contributed and took part in our #BeingHopeful campaign! We hope it continues to inspire you as much as it has inspired us.