Hope, agency and focusing on what we can influence in uncertain times
Hope can feel fragile right now. For many of my clients, including those in leadership roles, it is not optimism that is missing but energy. When the world feels unstable, unjust or overwhelming, motivation for change can quietly drain away. Why try, when so much feels beyond our influence is a common question I am being asked.
Psychology reminds us that hope is not blind positivity. It is rooted in agency. It is the felt sense that our actions still matter, even when outcomes are uncertain.
One of the biggest threats to hope is perceived lack of control. Continuous exposure to global crises, social unrest and economic uncertainty keeps the nervous system in a state of alert. The brain struggles to distinguish between what is happening to us directly and what we are witnessing. Over time, this can lead to helplessness, disengagement or emotional fatigue rather than meaningful action.
This matters for individuals and for leaders. When people feel powerless, they withdraw effort. When leaders feel overwhelmed, strategy narrows and decision-making becomes reactive. Here’s how I can help.
A helpful psychological distinction is between concern and influence. We can care deeply about many things. We cannot act effectively on all of them. Hope strengthens when attention returns to realistic agency.
For individuals, this might look like asking:
What is within my control today?
Where can my energy make a difference?
How can I act in line with my values, even in small ways?
For leaders, the questions often shift slightly:
What can I influence within my team or organisation right now?
How do my responses shape the emotional climate for others?
Where can clarity, steadiness or care make the biggest impact?
Research on locus of control shows that when people experience some degree of influence over their environment, motivation and wellbeing increase. This does not require fixing everything. It requires focusing effort where it can land. I help my clients to respond in such a way their efforts land optimally, and are not wasted.
There is also a widespread myth that self care or emotional awareness is self-indulgent during challenging times. In reality, depleted individuals and depleted leaders struggle to sustain change. Most of my clients come to me depleted in this way, to some degree. I help them to build psychological resilience, through cycles of engagement and recovery, not constant pressure.
We need to remember that hope is not denying reality. It is staying resourced enough to respond to it.
In times like these, hope becomes a practice rather than a feeling. It is cultivated by repeatedly anchoring attention in what we can influence, modelling grounded action for others, and remembering that small, consistent choices still shape outcomes.
Remember, our thoughts shape both our experience of the world, and how we show up in the world. How we show up in the world, influences our impact, both for ourselves and others. Let’s choose to think in hopeful terms.
If you or your team are struggling with finding the energy to focus on what truly matters, I’d love to hear from you. Together we can carve a programme of work that optimally harnesses the energy you have, to create the kinds of success that matter to you.