You are not alone if you’ve felt you’ve lost control of your life during the last two years.

A global pandemic will do that to you.

You could be feeling powerless at work; struggling to take charge of the house; having trouble keeping up your fitness routine or just experiencing an ongoing period of feeling low. Whatever it looks like for you, having one or more parts of your life out of balance makes keeping on top of everything else really hard.

While the pandemic isn’t over yet, there are ways that you can feel more empowered and regain some much-needed control over your life. Sometimes just changing up one thing is enough to make a difference to how you feel and how you view the world around you.

5 steps to feeling more empowered

1. Find your passion and embrace it

If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s the importance of the little things in life.

During the lockdowns, we had to turn to different activities. Some of us embraced the sourdough craze while others found joy in embroidery, scrapbooking or going for daily walks. It was also a time of reflection where some of us discovered that the current direction of our life wasn’t bringing us real joy.

One way to feel more empowered in life is to find your passion and embrace it. This might be exploring a new career opportunity, an old hobby, a fresh start in sport or volunteering in your community. Whatever it is, your passion should motivate, inspire and bring joy to your life. Once you find it, don’t let it go!

 2. Be kind to yourself (aka cut yourself some slack)

If you feel under pressure in daily life, it’s time to look at the expectations you’re placing on yourself. We are usually our own worst critics - our high expectations of ourselves often directly contribute to our high stress levels.

As much as we’d love to control everything in life, we can’t, and we have to be okay with that. It’s also important that we accept we are human and can only do so much. Instead of focusing on the balls you think you are dropping, step back and appreciate all the things you are handing like a boss.

Cut yourself some slack. Review your expectations and be kind to yourself, especially on those days when everything seems to be falling apart.

 3. Embrace opportunities for growth

Another way to feel empowered in life is to change the way you view mistakes.

Most of us see errors and mistakes as things to avoid at all costs but they are inevitable in life and play a vital role in how we live and learn. Kids are encouraged to learn from their mistakes all the time - just because you are older doesn’t mean you can’t too!

When you make a mistake (we all do!) the best way to feel empowered is to own it. Look at it as an opportunity to learn and grow. Instead of trying to avoid thinking about it or rushing to a solution, review what went wrong and consider what you could improve to do better next time. See it as an opportunity for growth and embrace it.

 4. Don’t focus on problems (look for solutions)

When we feel overwhelmed, it’s easy to get stuck on the problems that got us there in the first place. As humans, we tend to dwell on the negatives rather than the positives in life, which can add to our feelings of helplessness and disempowerment.

However, switching up your thinking to focus more on coming up with solutions can help you feel more empowered.

When confronted with a problem, instead of focusing on how it’s affecting you, look at ways to move past it. Changing up your thinking won’t magically solve it, but it will help you come to a solution sooner, as you’ll be in a more positive headspace. And, even if a solution isn’t in reach just yet, you’ll feel more in control than you did before.

 5. Start with small actions (just get started)

The simplest way to feel more empowered in life is to take action, however small. If you’ve been considering a new morning routine or looking at meal planning to simplify your life, stop thinking about it and give it a go.

It only takes one small win to help you regain some control in life. And that little win gives you an extra push to keep going. Then the momentum builds, and you find yourself living your best life, whatever that looks like for you.

Starting with one small action is all it takes. So, set the alarm for that morning walk, say yes to that meetup with a potential new friend and get ready to take charge of your life!

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