Feeling empowered and positive doesn’t come easy to everyone. It’s especially hard if we’ve had a challenging day, full of stressful moments like running late, being stuck in traffic, making small mistakes at work. It’s easy to let moments and days like this get you down, however, you can become more positive and practice by making small changes in your day.
These small changes can help you gain from negative experiences, and become more empowered by them.
Here’s 9 quick tips to help you on your way to feeling empowered, even on the most stressful day:
1. Don’t do anything
Yes, the first tip on this list is to simply ‘do nothing. That is, to take a few minutes each day to not focus on anything else except yourself, and to give yourself some undivided and positive attention. Take up to 15 minutes to be quiet, away from noise and distractions and connect with yourself, listening to your wants and needs. Knowing what you truly need in order to take care of yourself can be very empowering.
2. Help others
Once your own needs are taken care of, you can start to look outwards for ways you can help other people. Thinking about yourself always can be a little disempowering, and people tend to be more empowered by helping others out when they can. Take some time to think about what you’ve done to help others and to make someone else feel better. When your relationships are strengthened, you’ll feel much better about yourself and feel more connected to others.
3. Fake it till you make it
You can use your imagination to boost your feelings of empowerment. A quick tip is to imagine yourself as someone self-confident and empowered, this could be someone you know or someone completely fictional! Whenever you need to feel empowered, imagine yourself as this person. Over time, you'll naturally take on those positive and self-empowered traits, and you won’t need to fake it anymore.
4. Cross things off your to-do list
If you’re feeling stressed and overwhelmed by the weight of just everything you need to get done in one day, write all the tasks down, even the little ones. Being able to cross something off your list - even if it’s as simple as ‘brush teeth’ will give you a little boost of confidence as your goal is achieved. This will help you to feel more empowered to cross some of the bigger tasks off your list.
5. Regular Exercise
Engaging in regular exercise will help you to raise your endorphin levels naturally. Try and pick something you know you like, so you will be more motivated to do it regularly. Just seven minutes of moving your body can help you feel fresh, focused and present.
6. Give to a worthy cause
Helping others can also extend to giving help to a worthy cause. Volunteering is a great way to empower yourself, and it also is proven to have both physical and mental benefits. Volunteering to a cause you care about can even help to lower your blood pressure and help you live longer! However if you’re time-poor, you can donate to a charity you admire, to give yourself that feeling of empowerment and positivity in helping others.
7. Stop comparing yourself
Comparing yourself to your peers can do harmful things to your sense of self-empowerment. Why? Because you’re not focusing on yourself and the positive things that make you ‘you’. Once you start understanding that comparison is futile, because we are all so different, you’ll feel more self empowered. There’s no one else like you, so there’s no comparison!
8. Make yourself some nourishing food
Taking the time to provide your body with something filling and nourishing is a great way to boost your self-esteem. When you eat junk food with no nutritional value, you can feel tired and powerless, with a lack of energy. Making and eating something that's truly nourishing can
Make you feel more energetic, and feel empowered that you’ve provided something beneficial for your body.
9. Learn when to give up
A big source of feeling unempowered is spending time and effort on something that just isn’t working, whether it’s a project, relationship or a job. If you find yourself in a fruitless endeavour, it could be the kindest thing to yourself to just give up. Focus on what you have to gain from letting go, rather than what you’d lose- whether it’s more time, or less stress, to help you decide if it’s worth powering through.
By Amy Cavill
If you’re looking to feel empowered through yoga, take a look at this week’s classes. These are 5 consecutive intermediate classes from expert teacher Jackie Casal Mahrou, to empower you in the Empowerment Flow Program: Self-Confidence Overhaul. These rigorous flows will have you not only sweating and getting stronger, but also increase your feelings of confidence, willpower, and belief in yourself. Enjoy becoming empowered!