We all need to hold onto hope – especially now. It’s currently a challenging time for many and it can be a struggle to feel positive and upbeat. The news can be really dispiriting with the reports of needless deaths, wars, accidents, illness, fires and floods. Many are dealing with redundancies, rising costs of living and homelessness. Increasingly, it can all feel too overwhelming – we grieve over not having a simpler and easier life.

It’s in the small things where we can find hope and happiness, even amidst all of the turmoil and uncertainty. Small gestures of kindness, brief moments of connection and signs of care make a big difference. They can exist in a brief ‘hello’ or smile as you pass someone on the street. It’s a small effort strangers make to acknowledge others and show you you are not alone in the world. It’s also a reminder that our individual existence matters and through small connections, together we can make a difference.

Small social niceties and gestures cost nothing but can be invaluable to another; they are creators of hope and reminders of the goodness of others. They have the power to take us out of our bubbles of solitude and feelings of individual existence.

Creating hope and positivity is a shared endeavour. Reach out to others; offer out to others; ask of others; give to others; speak with others. Acknowledge your struggles with humility – don’t let anger, frustration or a bleak heart close you down. Laugh with a friend; share a hug with a loved one; listen to some happy music; or just appreciate the warmth of the sun on your skin. Feel your heart lift and continue to hold onto hope. Make your days feel easier by filling them with these small moments and know that tomorrow will feel more hopeful. Remember that with others you can bear what life throws your way and that we can struggle and still be kind.