The Hope Cycle

As the season of love winds down, it’s a good time to reflect on how building and maintaining healthy relationships can foster personal growth and improve overall quality of life.

Healthy connections with peers, family and educators can enhance mental health, academic performance and well-being. But, knowing how to build and nurture those relationships is not always an intuitive process.

That’s where hope and resilience come into play. And there’s no one better to explain the positive effects of this dynamic duo than University of Houston doctoral student Elijah Murphy.

Murphy, a clinical psychology doctoral candidate, has been featured in peer-reviewed journals and psychology texts, with several manuscripts under review. His work focuses on promoting well-being in marginalized communities by developing culturally competent mental health interventions that consider the effects of culture, identity and stigma.

We spoke with Murphy about the health implications of hope and its impact on well-being.

“Hope is a cool thing. Sometimes people think, ‘Oh, you’re just being blindly optimistic,’” Murphy said. “But in psychology, we define hope through goal-setting.”

Murphy describes hope as a changeable trait rooted in two beliefs: the ability to think of different pathways to reach a goal and the motivation to use those pathways to achieve it.

Hope has been linked to reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression while improving overall well-being, including subjective, social and psychological wellness.

So, where do you start?

Murphy advises asking, “What is most important?” For those struggling with anxiety and depression, particularly in social settings, he emphasizes that hope is changeable.

“The way I see it is this: If I can set achievable goals, think of different ways to reach them, and use those paths, ultimately, I will reach my goal,” Murphy said.

His work on hope encourages a growth mindset toward mental health and relationships.

But is hope the key to all social connectedness?

The short answer is no. Every relationship comes with challenges, often not due to any one person’s fault, but because everyone operates from their own frame of reference.

Murphy advises not to fight against external factors but instead to focus on what is within one’s control and restart the hope and goal-setting cycle when needed.

A growth mindset — essentially resilience — allows people to adapt.

“If there’s a hurdle, I’m going to jump over it. I’m sure most people can relate to facing obstacles in relationships,” Murphy said.

So, roll with the punches, Coogs. But most importantly, have hope and resilience.