WELCOME & MONTHLY THEME
August invites us to explore hope as a realistic, learnable mindset—not a demand to ignore what is hard or pretend everything is fine. Hope can make room for pain while still helping us identify what is possible and take the next step.
This month, the Washington State Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is highlighting The Science of Hope through live EAP orientations, a four-part Wellness Wednesday series, and curated resources designed to help you build realistic optimism, strengthen future-mindedness, practice gratitude through challenges, and create everyday habits that support hope.
EVENTS & WEBINARS
Get to know the full range of confidential, no-cost EAP services and how to use them. Two live virtual orientations are available in August:
- EAP Orientation for Employees — Learn what services are available, who is eligible, how confidentiality works, and how to access counseling, coaching, legal and financial consultations, and Work/Life resources.
- EAP Orientation for Leaders — Explore services for managers, supervisors, and HR professionals, including leadership consultations, employee referrals, workplace conflict support, critical incident response, and tools for supporting workplace well-being.
- View August orientation details and register
WELLNESS WEDNESDAY SERIES: THE SCIENCE OF HOPE
Hope is not the same as wishful thinking or forced positivity. This four-part series explores practical, evidence-informed ways to validate difficult feelings, stay grounded in reality, and move toward what matters. Sessions are offered every Wednesday at noon and again at 4 p.m. Pacific time.
- August 5 — Optimism vs. Toxic Positivity: Validate feelings and stay realistic.
- August 12 — Future-Mindedness as a Well-Being Tool: Anchor to what is ahead.
- August 19 — Gratitude for Growth, Not Just Good Times: Learn from hard moments.
- August 26 — Practical Hope-Building Habits: Use small actions to build steady hope.
- View and register for all August live events and webinars
WORK/LIFE RESOURCES
Everyday challenges can affect our ability to look ahead with confidence. EAP’s Work/Life resources offer practical support for family care, finances, legal questions, daily living, and more—so you can spend less energy searching for answers and more energy taking your next step. Explore EAP Work/Life resources.
In August, the EAP Work/Life site is offering tools and resources to help you learn more about finding digital balance: learn how to set clear boundaries with technology to improve focus, cultivate wellbeing, and enjoy more meaningful, real-life moments and connections. Starting August 18th, view our on-demand seminar “Connected Not Consumed: Digital Wellness Strategies”: login using your organization’s Work/Life Access Code: EWU
MONTHLY RESOURCES: THE SCIENCE OF HOPE
Realistic Hope at Work
Featured Resource: For Hope to Inspire, It Has to Be Grounded in Organizational Reality
Hope at work is most useful when it is connected to honest information, meaningful choices, and actions people can take. This resource explores how leaders can build credible hope without minimizing uncertainty or overpromising outcomes.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
- Three Ways to Feel More Hopeful as an Educator
- The Quiet Erosion of Hope at Work—and What Organizations Can Do About It
- Toxic Positivity at Work: Signs and 10 Tips to Manage It
- How Much Workplace Positivity Is Too Much?
- How Gratitude Can Reduce Your Stress at Work
HOPE, FUTURE-MINDEDNESS, AND REALISTIC OPTIMISM
Featured Resource: How Hope Helps Us Build a Meaningful Life
Hope can help us imagine meaningful possibilities and identify pathways toward them. This resource looks at how hope supports purpose, resilience, and forward movement—even when the future is uncertain.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
- Eight Ways You Can Feel More Hopeful—Even in Dark Times
- A Practical Guide to Hopeful Skepticism
- How to Find Hope When You’re Feeling Cynical
- Hope Is Not the Same as Optimism
- Future-Mindedness
- The Science and Power of Hope (video, 20 minutes)
GRATITUDE FOR GROWTH
Featured Resource: How Gratitude Can Help You Through Hard Times
Gratitude does not require us to label a painful experience as good. Practiced thoughtfully, it can help us notice support, learning, and moments of meaning while still honoring what is difficult.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
- Gratitude: What It Is, Why Practice It, and How to Cultivate It
- Facing Difficulty with Gratitude (video, 4 minutes)
- Four Ways Gratitude Helps You with Difficult Feelings
- How to Use Strategic Gratitude to Tackle Your Biggest Challenges
- Ten Tips for Raising Grateful Kids
TRUSTED ORGANIZATIONS AND RESOURCES
- NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness
- Mental Health America
- Child Mind Institute
- The Jed Foundation
- The Trevor Project
- PFLAG
- Workplace Strategies for Mental Health
- LGBT National Help Center
- Human Rights Campaign
- It Gets Better
- ADDitude Magazine
- National Immigration Law Center
CLOSING REFLECTION
Hope does not ask us to deny what is hard. It helps us stay connected to what matters, recognize where we still have choices, and take one realistic step at a time. This month, consider what helps hope feel credible for you—and what small action could help you move toward the future you want to build.
Need support? Visit eap.wa.gov for confidential counseling, webinars, tools, resources, and more.
