It's always been easy to want to give up. I only say that because not trying sometimes feels like too much work. And often, we are incapable of believing we are as strong as we truly are. We need the reassurance from others to make us feel one tenth of the strength we actually have. But why do we feel this way? And once we do realize this sad truth, how do we access the strength we have? Here a 6 tips to do exactly that.
1. Write out your struggles.
Pull out your notebook, diary, journal, camera, phone--whatever it may be-- and make a list of it is that you don't feel strong enough to do. Whether it's something big that's been weighing you down or little things that you're constantly brought back to, write them down. You can write them down in order of weight if that makes it easier.
2. Talk it out.
Tell someone about how you're feeling. If you really feel you can't do it alone, use your support system to help you get you on your feet and started on the right track. Tell them what's been bothering you, and tell them you just need them to be there for you to help push you back up in case you fall (which you will). And speaking of falling...
3. Accept you will stumble on your way up.
Don't categorize two steps back as a full-on fall. You are a work in progress, and you will fall backwards a couple of times before you fully manage your own strength. It's a learning process, and mistakes may happen. But with mistakes, we learn to deal with them and prepare for future ones. You will become stronger as these mistakes pass.
4. Believe in yourself more than you ever have.
You will not be able to embrace your strength until you believe that you have it. Erase the words "weak" and "can't" from your vocabulary. As Gina Rodriguez says, "I can and I will." You have to give yourself a chance. You can do this if you choose to believe you can. We all have strength in us, we just have to choose the right ways to find it.
5. Erase bad habits that make you feel weak or like you can't do it.
Have people and memories in your world that make you feel strong. As much as old friendships and romances may make you feel nostalgia for what was good, often enough nostalgia makes you believe things were much better than they actually were. You don't need those people or those times to keep you going. You are alive are you are growing. There is an abundance of new experiences awaiting you. Don't hold onto moments that will only hold you back from growing.
6. Maintain that strength you've garnered through healthy, happy habits.
Once you have found that strength and discovered what makes you the best you, continue to repeat these steps when you feel yourself falling again. Keep up with activities and thoughts and make them into habits. These habits will keep you happy and stronger than you ever thought you could be. You will have realized that this strength has been hiding within you for so long that you're confused as to how you managed to keep it hidden! And doesn't that feeling just top the feeling of giving up?
