We all know those individuals who seem to hold on to hope as an invisible lifeline from day to day, like a tether to an always changing sky. When the storms roll in, and they always do, these bright-eyed individuals grasp ever more fiercely to the lifeline, knowing it will pull them to safe ground and clear skies.

We’re baffled by their wide-eyed optimism, futuremindedness, and hope in the unseen. We wonder if their hope comes from spiritual connection, religious beliefs, personality, genetics, or even if it is authentic. It can seem unfathomable to the pragmatic among us to hear someone who is coping with illness, loss, family or financial challenges sound so hopeful.

It may be surprising to learn that hope is a muscle we can strengthen…

Many of us struggle with a more draining sense of hopelessness, where opportunities for a better future, even a better day, seem elusive and riddled with fear that being hopeful will lead to more disappointment and distress. We don’t give ourselves permission to hope for fear of the backlash of a harsher reality. It may be surprising to learn that hope is a muscle we can strengthen, and more hope actually correlates with more resiliency.

In The Anatomy of Hope, Dr. Jerome Groopman distinguishes between thinking positively, or false hope, and what he calls true hope. He says, “Hope is the elevating feeling we experience when we see — in the mind’s eye — a path to a better future. Hope acknowledges the significant obstacles and deep pitfalls along that path. True hope has no room for delusion.”

“True hope has no room for delusion.”

For his patients, Groopman writes, true hope has proved as important as any medication or procedure he can provide. A rational scientist and surgeon, skeptical at first and disparaging of those whose wishful thinking models claimed a measurable impact on health and disease, Groopman asserts the potent and palpable effects that hopefulness has on psychology and physiology. Hope is energizing, he asserts, with its own authentic biology.

Since Groopman published his book in 2004, he has become a hope-seeker in his patients. Research studies detail the biology of hope; we know that a shift in mindset has the power to alter neurochemistry. Belief and expectation can block physical pain by releasing pain-reducing and pleasure-inducing biochemicals, which mimic the effects of morphine. We’ve measured how hope can positively affect fundamental processes like respiration, circulation and motor function. Hope is the first domino in the long link of organic chain reactions where each improvement makes the next more likely.

In short, hopeful people are happier.

Beyond being physically healthier, hopeful people tend to be more content, better able to cope with stress, trauma and disappointment. They are better endowed with social ties than their lower-hope counterparts. In short, hopeful people are happier. Higher-hope caregivers show higher satisfaction with life and experience less of a sense of burden. Caregivers who score higher on measures of hope show fewer depressive symptoms, even if the people they care for are depressed.

The good news for those of us who are less hopeful: There’s hope! If you never thought you too could be more hopeful, here’s proof that possibilities abound.

Here are some ways in which you can build up your hope muscle:

Take a moment to imagine a future in which you are bringing your best self forward and everything is happening as you wish. Visualize this in a way that is both pleasing and realistic. Then consider your personal strengths and how you will use them to make that image a reality.

List all the bad things that ever happened to you, and then find at least two positive memories for each bad one. If you can’t do this in written form, do it orally.

When facing adversity, focus on how you overcame a similar adversity in the past.

Mentally rehearse your next anticipated challenge. Know what obstacles you might face and have a plan for how you will respond.

Document three past accomplishments in detail, and let them inspire your future.

Surround yourself with optimistic and future-minded friends and family, particularly when you face a setback. Avoid negative thinkers.

For the next challenging task, day, or experience, identify what would work best for you, thinking your way into the best possible action or way of thinking.

When negative thinking is rampant, become aware of it by saying to yourself, “I’m on a roll of negative thinking.” Instead of focusing on the thoughts themselves, focus on the thinking itself. This can help shift the mind. Then ask yourself, “Are there more hopeful ways of thinking right now?” Be a scientist and explore the possibilities of alternative ways of thinking.

If you are dealing with a life-threatening illness and each day is filled with fear and uncertainty, take some time each morning to decide how today could go better than the one before. What one achievable thing would make it feel better?

Read inspiring books, listen to inspiring music/lyrics, and watch inspiring movies.