Why Hope isn’t a Waste of Time (And Why I Named My Podcast ‘Hope’): Living for the Hope of it All
Isn’t 'Hope' just a waste of time, or even a cause of suffering? When I was at my sickest with Long Covid, I could have fallen into the trap of believing that. But today, as Season 4 of the Long Covid Hope Podcast launches, I want to share why keeping hope alive was essential to my recovery, and why it might be for yours, too. Let’s take a moment to reflect on the term ‘hope’. What even is ‘hope’? Why did I name my podcast, the ‘Long Covid Hope Podcast’? Isn’t ‘Hope’ just a waste of time, or even a cause of suffering?? Join me for a brief - but hopeful! - meditation on what hope means to me.
Firstly, let me provide a little background. Back when I was my most ill with Long Covid is when I also discovered recovery stories. I found Raelan Agle’s Youtube channel, after hearing her speak on Lorrie Rivers’ Holistic Health Summit back in Spring 2021. Finding recovery stories from ME/CFS, which I had recently been diagnosed as having alongside Long Covid, was hugely eye-opening to me, and very inspiring. I used these recovery stories to glean tips and information - because if this one person had managed to overcome these health challenges - then surely I could as well. I decided to focus my attention entirely on the voices of those who did recover - or recover to a manageable degree - instead of voices that were telling me that recovery simply isn’t possible (grrrr - I’m looking at you, Chronic Fatigue Clinic!)
And then when I finally felt fully recovered from Long Covid myself after a gruelling two years, I decided to create a podcast that told the more hopeful stories of those with Long Covid - told by the true experts: the long haulers who had lived experince of the condition. I was fed up of listening to doctors and professionals who thought they understood what it was like - and very rarely actually did. I also wanted a place where, yes, full recovery stories could be told, but it wasn’t just about full recovery, but also getting to a good, stable place living with Long Covid. It was a particularly dark time back in Autumn 2022 and as I did my weekly Yoga for Long Covid Zoom class, I spoke to so many long haulers who were losing sight of having any hope. I knew that I had a different perspective - and also knew of many long haulers who did as well. So the Long Covid Hope Podcast was born. My full story in detail is Episode 1 of Season 1 here in case you want the full story.
But why chose ‘hope’? Because hope is a feeling, and hope is essential to our survival. I’m also convinced that my ‘keeping hope alive’ stance was essential to my recovery process. Throughout the chronic illness journey, I felt like I had to recover - for my daughter. I had to keep the hope alive. Someone said to me recently that Buddhists believe that hope is a form of suffering, which got me concerned, so I did a little digging, and it turns out that wasn’t quite right. Buddhists talk about the importance of ‘practical hope’. Here’s a great article I found if you are interested in exploring this notion. This podcast is all about finding ways in which to keep the hope alive - to keep smiling, to admire life’s glimmers rather than triggers, and make the most of a difficult situation.
The Practical Power of Hope (it’s not ‘Hopium’)
I'm never telling anyone that 'hope' is the cure-all. You cannot simply think yourself out of a chronic health condition. But having even a 1% grain of optimism that things can change is urgently important because:
It Calms the Nervous System: That spark of optimism is what is needed to move you out of fight or flight.
It Enables Healing: By getting into the parasympathetic state, you can truly listen to your body and pace effectively, which is where healing can actually begin.
It’s Practical: As I discovered through my research into Buddhism, the key is to embrace 'practical hope,' which is about finding ways to keep smiling and admiring life’s glimmers rather than its triggers.
And lastly, this is the moment I confess that it may all be based upon a Taylor Swift lyric! “Living for the hope of it all” is a line from ‘august’ on the album, Folklore, that came out in 2020 right as the pandemic was raging, and my own Long Covid journey was in full swing. I must have listened to the Folklore album about a thousand times during my Long Covid era. It provided a really lovely warm support during such a dark time. “Living for the hope of it all” repeats again and again towards the end of the song, and became a bit of a mantra for me during such a dark time.
Thanks for reading to the end of my very first blog post! Take care - and wherever you are and whatever you are up against, please: keep the hope alive :-)
— Sarah
