Finding the Power Within l Tips on Happiness l Ways to Empower Yourself

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The battery has no more life left and this sums up how you're feeling as you look into an emotional abyss. Maybe there is a depression, a deep loss or a personal failure. When we feel undervalued in any area of our lives, it impacts our self-esteem and confidence. Be honest with yourself and notice recent habits. Are you drinking or smoking more? Are you not coping with stress like you used to? If so, you have a power outage. Your timeline might be mired with lots trials or maybe you have coasted for some time. But now, you've hit rock bottom. There is a blessing and a lesson hidden. Radio host Steve Harvey once said, "If you let the adversity crumble you, you will lay there and wallow in the failure, but life is 10 percent what happened and 90 percent what you're going to do about it." In this case, there is something that you can do about it. Consider these 6 ideas on tapping into the power within.

Create Better Habits

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Habits all start out as small goals and then they become a pattern. Everyone is capable of developing these patterns. They can be good or they can be counteractive. Do you know that you can trick the brain into developing better habits? Once your mind starts practicing a new habit it starts building a foundation. If you want to begin making healthier habits concerning your mental well-being, start to appraise the root cause of the tension. Let's say that anxiety at work is crippling your health and spilling into the home life. Start to reboot during the week when stress continues to mount. This can be taking small breaks by reading a book or taking a walk during lunch. You can create a habit of transitioning from work to home by taking a longer route or by going to the gym. All habits start small and then they can become life-changing.

Find Courage

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Courage is not something we are given at birth, we need to face trials to build this characteristic. Is this a defining moment for you? If so, pray and find the courage to outlast the tribulations and angst. Joy in the midst of life challenges and examinations strengthens our faith. But worrying about tomorrow is borrowing trouble from tomorrow and spending it on today. Psalm 62:5 said, “Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him.” Be encouraged that God has already given you the tools that you need to succeed. Know that there are many people who struggled with fierce opposition. Courage comes with a price and can be painful as there will be moments that we will fail. Yet, like any person doing battle, we need to rise again because there is no other alternative.

Encourage Yourself

Even the most seasoned soldiers become fatigued from war and they need to reflect on past wins to get their heads straight. Allow God’s previously fulfilled promises to renew your hope. In this case, you need to affirm yourself with encouragement because of the personal war that's brewing. Think of when life was hard before and how you came through. The events probably made your stronger. When there is this constant pressure to keep moving forward regardless if a situation is monumental or not, we become burned out from life. The American Psychological Association reported that you need more than willpower. “Those whose willpower was depleted by self-control tasks showed decreased activity in the anterior cingulate cortex, a brain region involved in cognition. When your willpower has been tested, your brain may actually function differently." You need more than willpower to drive through trials, so start observing past victories.

Dream Again

You might think we are nuts, but here it goes. You need to start dreaming again. When things get stale we tend to focus on what worked before. If it is not working, change it! You know the saying if the door is not opening, find a window? The point is to change course when things are not unfolding for you. Start thinking of other ways to solve the problem and ways to create a different version of your dream. Make time to find out what you really want in life. What is important to you? Be honest with yourself. When we lose the ability to dream, we lose our hope and once this happens, power becomes lost. If what you're doing is not working, toss it aside. Start making new goals in your career and in your personal life.

Find Support

Solitude can be great but when you are bottoming out, people provide the added support. This step is hard if you're dealing with depression of any kind. Reach out to someone who can help. Text people for prayer and be real with them. Cast down anything that will take your emotions into a dark place. There is something special about people who have a positive energy. They walk into a room and just make you feel better. Make this a mission to be around people like this because solitude that's out of balance can be destructive to the spirit and to the mind. Proverbs 13:20 shared the following about the company that we keep. "He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm."

Reject the Past

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You are not the past. You are not your past failures. You are not how your boss or how your spouse treats you. These things don't have to define the path for the rest of your life. Acknowledge what you have right now and look into what is positive. The fact you are reading this lets us know that there is a drive to come out of your circumstances and find the light. Follow that light, not your feelings because emotions are up and down every day. Choose to believe God’s promises and know that you are valued. Find a Scripture and plug into God's power. Let Nehemiah 8:10 get you started. "Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength." This doesn't need to be just pretty words, but can be used a foundation.