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Optimism as resilience

May 01 2025
© Chris Bird © Chris Bird

Why optimism is one of the strongest forms of resilience we have. By Emma Ireland

“The fact is, it’s hard to be happy about much of anything when you are a homeless person,” says Loki from Invisible People, a nonprofit organisation advocating for homeless people, and yet so many people experiencing homelessness have more optimism and resilience than most could imagine having. Resilience as an idea manifests in many different ways, some physical, some mental, but arguably the most profound and essential form of this inner strength is the ability to remain optimistic. 

Pessimism is a privilege. Sitting in despair is not a place people experiencing homelessness can afford to be. Fundamentally, life needs hope to thrive and that’s not a privilege everyone can give up when things get hard. Christian Ketel and Samereh Abdoli, two professors in nursing, found in their research that homeless people were especially resilient as a product of the environment: it is not a static trait that we are, or are not, born with. That powerful internal compass that guides us through hardships is stronger than ever for people experiencing homelessness, they are the most resilient of us all because they have to be. 

Being optimistic and resilient isn’t about ignoring our realities, it’s a complex adaptive process that certainly doesn’t happen overnight and is not linear. Pessimism may be a privilege, but it’s not one that is so easily given up when that privilege is taken from us. It is okay not to be optimistic every day, sometimes life is hard and that shining light isn’t always easy to see in the dark. If you’re in a tough spot, you’ve likely had that light on for a long time without even knowing it. Ultimately, being optimistic is not just a coping mechanism: it is the very essence of resilience in its most potent form.

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February – March 2026 : Progress

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