There are moments when the future feels like a dark room with no door. You might not believe things can ever get better. That feeling is heavy — but it doesn’t mean the end. It means you’re exhausted. Hope can’t be forced, but it can return, slowly, piece by piece.

When we lose hope, our bodies release more stress hormones, making the world look even grayer. But even tiny positive moments — light, music, a kind word — can wake up dopamine again. The brain can relearn hope, just like it once learned fear.

Feeling hopeless doesn’t mean you’ve given up — it means something has been too heavy for too long, and you need help carrying it.

Alma’s tips:

Start where you are. Do one small thing — open a window, take a shower, call someone. Little actions are like matches in the dark — enough to remind your body that life is still moving. And talk. You don’t need answers — just someone to listen. Hope isn’t something you find in the future; it starts here, in the breath you’re taking right now. You’re still here — and that means something in you hasn’t stopped fighting.