How to Empower Yourself: 15 Steps (with Pictures)

2025 Author: Jason Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2025-01-23 12:04

Self-empowerment is the belief that you have the ability to take control of your life. People who don't feel empowered may have low self-esteem, feel unmotivated to pursue their goals, and stop trying to find happiness in their lives. You can empower yourself through emotional and physical activity so that you feel more in touch with the way you affect the environment.

Step

Part 1 of 3: Meeting Basic Needs

Step 1. Make sure you have basic needs that include food, water, shelter, and work

Meeting these basic needs can provide the certainty needed to take control of life. If these needs are not met, try contacting your local social and/or labor department to get started.

Step 2. Take a walk

Sports and activities are important human needs. If possible, walk or exercise outdoors where you can get some sunshine, connect with nature, and interact with other people.

Step 3. Think about how much sleep you spend on a regular basis

If you estimate you sleep less than 7 hours a week, revise your schedule to fit this important need. People who are well rested will experience less stress and feel happier.

Step 4. Make a plan for interacting with other people

Call friends or family, plan dinner with a friend, or meet new people at community activities. Social interaction is a basic need and can increase self-confidence.

• If meeting new people is difficult, start small. Look up local community activities in the local newspaper or have a video conversation via Skype with a close friend who lives elsewhere. Try to schedule something at the same time each week so that it becomes a regular part of your life.

  

• Your goal is to establish a social support system that can help you when you feel helpless. If you already have close friends and family, take advantage of that and reach out to them for help.

  

Part 2 of 3: Realizing the Current Situation

Step 1. Find the good stuff

Think about events in the past that made you feel helpless. Try to find ways to find out what past events have improved an aspect of your life.

• Accepting that life is full of mistakes and changes is part of being empowered. Uncertainty about the future is normal and the ability to correct mistakes and failures is an important step to mental recovery and self-empowerment.

  

• Good things for example are meeting important people in life, spending time doing something you love, studying yourself, trying a new job, or moving to a new place you like.

  

Step 2. Stop using the words “can't”

This is the definition of helplessness, because it states that you do not have the ability to change or do something. Replace the words “can't” with “won't” or “don't want to” to show that you have a choice in how you interact with the world.

Step 3. Try to use positive words

It can be a goal, a feeling you want to achieve or a sentence that makes you happy. Repeat these words whenever you start thinking or talking about negative things.

• For example, read and repeat quotes about self-empowerment.
• Stephen King said, “You can, you must, and if you are brave enough to start, then you will.”
• Mother Theresa said, “Don't wait for the leader; do it yourself, person by person.”
• Look for other quotes online. Visit

Step 4. Get started with the “Happiness Project group

” Look for the Happiness Project group initiated by Gretchen Rubin in your local library, if any. This group helps its members with each other to identify the emotions that keep them from being happy and make resolutions to improve their lives.

• Look for the Happiness Project group in your area by visiting the originator's website. Visit the site
• You can also start at home by making a list of things you are grateful for. Write down something every day for which you are grateful.

Step 5. Take a class

Learning something new by studying at a government training institute, learning center, or library is a cheap and powerful way to change your perspective on the world. Education is a powerful tool for building self-confidence, as it provides more opportunities for you.

• For example, take the time to study computers, learn how to calculate your own taxes, grow edible plants, create a website, learn how to ski, learn how to identify birds, or become an amateur photographer. This step can empower you at work or increase the attractiveness you see in the world.

  

Step 6. Try meditating

Taking deep breaths and focusing on the present moment can clear your mind and feel more control over your body and mind.

Part 3 of 3: Setting Goals

Step 1. Think about whether you feel weak because you have just reached a goal

People often feel depressed or helpless after completing a goal that requires a lot of effort. Give yourself time to rest for a few weeks, then set new goals.

Step 2. Make changes in your life

Decide on a small thing you want to change and make it happen. Some small decisions can be just as powerful as the big life decisions.

Good changes include commuting by walking or cycling, reducing alcohol or cigarette consumption, getting up earlier, going to bed earlier, spending less time on the internet or other means of communication, scheduling time for yourself, or trying a new recipe each week

Step 3. Get involved in athletic activities

Choose something that requires you to practice, such as running a half-marathon (running a 21.0975 kilometer marathon) or tough mudder (an endurance race through a series of challenges). Exercise teaches mental recovery because you learn to go through the pain and see the benefits.

Also, feeling strong physically can make you feel strong mentally

Step 4. Define short-term and long-term goals

Striving for something is the culmination of empowerment, because you have to feel like your actions will help you achieve something.

• Try short-term goals like exercising 5 times a week for a month or gradually increasing productivity at work.

  

• Try doing long-term goals like saving for a vacation or getting a certificate of expertise.

  

Step 5. Take the time to volunteer

Sharing with your community through charities or community organizations will help you realize the power you have to influence those around you. Schedule an hour a week or half a day each month to improve the lives of others and help them meet their basic needs.