The feeling of empowerment is often an overlooked and vague definition. To me, it is hard to even put in to words when you are feeling empowered. I decided to turn to my go-to ladies and ask them what they thought it meant to feel empowered, or in general what the word empowerment means to them.
-“To feel motivated towards doing good acts and feeling good about who you are as a person in a positive way.” – HK ’20
– ” To have a drive to accomplish goals that you set.”- ML ’18
– “Empowerment is a feeling that you are capable and able whether it is internal drive, a drive from a higher power, or those that surround you. It can be a positive sense of direction.” DG ’18
” In a positive way, empowerment can mean to be strong, resilient, to perservere and be a leader, but in negative ways it could mean to have control or enforcement over other cultures or populations.” JC ’18
You may be in what I like to call an ’empowerment rut,’ or in other words, you are feeling a lack of empowerment in your life right now. During our college years, it is so hard to get caught up in the motions of our every day lives that we forget to remember what inspires, motivates, and empowers us to be the person we set out to be. Here are some helpful guidelines to push you to feel empowered!
1. Find a Passion
With the responsibilities young adults face today in our world, it is crucial to dig deep and figure out what you are passionate about, or get back to what you used to be passionate about. During your free time, instead of getting into a new Netflix show, do something that you love to do outside of school. Do you love taking photos? How about playing an instrument? Getting outdoors and exploring new hiking areas is always a fun activity! For me, my passion is writing. It’s funny because people always ask what I love to do outside of school, and sometimes when I say writing, they look at me strange. Not because that’s a strange hobby, but because I focus on writing all day every day in school. The difference is this writing is for fun! It is supposed to be light-hearted and a way to express myself, not an academic paper.
2. Dive Into a Good Book!
Reading is good for the soul. It is sad that people don’t consider reading to be fun, because we do so much of it in our curriculums that when we have free time, we don’t want to read any more! However, finding a book that is an interesting read can take your mind off of your daily stressors and leave you with a clear mind so you can achieve your goals. A little trick: if you are looking to feel empowered, go to the book store and peruse the self-help section. There are so many inspiring reads, and it will help motivate you.
3. Take Control of your Mental Health
Often times, we think taking care of our physical health is more important. Beyond that, we think that just by taking care of our phsyical health, our mental health will automatically be taken care of as well. I hate to break the news to you, but most times, this is not the case. One way to achieve your mental health goals is by creating a list. Little by little, set out to achieve some of these goals. Have you always wanted to meditate? Do you want to start journaling every night? What about taking a break from social media? All of these are great ways to help you feel empowered, just by taking control of your mental health. Last semester, I was feeling incredibly overwhelmed with life and I decided to take a few days away from social media. Although it was only for a few days, it helped me clear my mind immensely. I felt a better sense of focus. Our generation is attached to social media. We love putting every aspect of our lives on display for people to see. I again was starting to feel overwhelmed a few days ago, so I deleted my social media temporarily. I will say, I am already seeing a difference within myself. I feel like my mental health is in my control, just by making that small adjustment.
4. Take Control of your Physical Health
Linked with taking control of your mental health, taking control of your physical health is equally as important. This doesn’t mean you need to go extra crazy and work out every single day for a month straight. It means you can start out with something as simple as maintaining a healthier diet. Have you been lacking in eating your veggies? By taking control of what you are putting in your body, you will start to feel much better, and you will see yourself having more confidence. Have you had some good workouts, but it hasn’t been consistent? Make a plan to get at least 30 minutes of exercise a day. You don’t have to even go to the gym! Take a walk on the beach, it will be effective physically and it will clear your mind.
As they say, it is all about the little things in life. You don’t need to make drastic changes in your life to help you feel empowered! Start with small adjustments, and I promise you before you know it, you will feel the positivity radiate off of you and onto others.