Hope involves the perception that one's goals can be met, and the mental flexibility to find a pathway to reach the desired goal. Simply put, it is the willpower and planning abilities that help us achieve the desired status. Hope carries both the motivational and problem solving components, and because of that, hopeful thinking provides a special advantage for people when things get tough.

To many, life is full of uncertainties and may be blocked by impediments of sorts in many instances. Under those circumstances, hopeful thinking is beneficial as it compels us to seek alternative routes to overcome the hurdles. In fact, hope has been linked to better performance outcomes and more satisfactory adjustment to health problems in many psychological studies.

Hopeful thinking is not something difficult to learn. We set out our goals and move towards them everyday, but most of us may not be consciously aware of the process. In psychology literature, effective goal setting is found to be essential in building hope. Research suggests that to be hopeful, the targets set out have to be challenging and yet obtainable. Very often people lose hope because their goals are too vague, or that they have not divided their long-term goals into more accessible sub-goals.

On other occasions, people may be discouraged when they get stuck in the pursuit of goals. An officer who failed an operation, for example, may lose self-confidence and blame himself for the failure. In those circumstances, constantly reviewing how far one has not achieved may not be helpful. It may be beneficial attending to what one has learnt and let the present be the focus of his/her attention. An important tip to hopeful thinking is to appreciate that we are not static, and feel that the process of learning is pleasurable.

Stress management workshops

The PSG will organise a series of stress management workshops to be conducted in Chinese.

* Date (choose one): (1) July 6 (2) September 14

* Time: 8.45 am - 12.30 pm (Participants are requested to arrive 15 minutes early)

* Venue: Police Sports and Recreation Club Sportsman Bar

* Reservation: PSG (2866-6207)

Thirty places for each session will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Seek advice and help from the Psychological Services Group:

HQ, Hong Kong Island and Marine: 2866-6206 (5/F, 111 Leighton Road, Causeway Bay); Kowloon and the New Territories: 2735-3739 (22/F, Ocean Building, 80 Shanghai Street, Kowloon).

PEN: psg@police.gov.hk