5-Minute Hope Builder

Time needed: 5 minutes (90-90-120 seconds)

Setting: When feeling stuck or discouraged

Purpose: Cultivating realistic hope through pathways thinking

Hope Seeds (90 seconds)

What: Identify small area where you want change:

- Name one tiny improvement you’d like

- Imagine yourself experiencing that improvement

- Notice what becomes possible with this change

- Let yourself feel pull toward possibility

Notice: Where hope shows up in body, any resistance to hoping, what feels genuinely possible

Why: Grounds hope in specifics, reduces overwhelming futures, builds achievable vision

Pathways Finding (90 seconds)

What: For your hoped-for change:

- List three small steps that could lead there

- Identify one resource you already have

- Name one person who might support you

- Choose tiniest step you could take today

Notice: How having pathways affects hope, what feels within reach, where agency emerges

Why: Transforms hope into action, builds confidence, creates realistic roadmap

Past Hope Evidence (120 seconds)

What: Recall previous hopeful moments:

- Remember time you hoped and it worked out

- Recall challenge you’ve already overcome

- Notice strengths you used then

- Connect past resilience to current hope

Notice: Your capacity for hope, evidence of your resilience, what helped before

Why: Builds hope from experience, counters hopelessness, activates proven strategies

Closing: Place hand on heart, say “Hope is possible”

Notice: Quality of hope now versus beginning

Why: Anchors hopeful state

Tips:

- Keep hopes small and specific

- Focus on realistic pathways

- Build from past evidence

- Allow hope to grow gradually

- Take one tiny action