If someone were to ask you how you would define the word, "strength," how would you respond? Is strength something abstract or is it something feasible that we hold a piece of everyday in our hands when we live our daily lives?

I have learned the hard way that strength is more than the things mentioned and is also something that you find in yourself when going through rough times.

If I were to draw what strength might look like if it was a person, I believe that I can make a pretty decent drawing. Not because I'm a good artist, but because I have been on the other side and know what it is like to carry strength on my shoulders when going through a rough time.

There have been quite a few storms and mountains that I have tried to cross over in my life. My anorexia, for one, was the first time I realized what having inner-strength can look like. Being anorexic, it was hard to feel "strong" within myself. I was always struggling to eat and losing all the energy I had in myself, both physically and mentally. Being able to find my inner-strength ultimately helped me recover and also find myself and who I am through a hard battle with the illness.

Growing up in an Asian household, I have gotten used to my parents telling me that I had to be "strong" and be able to support myself and the life I was given. My parents instilled a deep sense of responsibility with the word "strength." This led to me becoming accustomed to the interchangeability between the two words and their meanings. Although separate, I became used to thinking of being "strong" as one of the responsibilities I was supposed to have.

But the truth is, the word "strength" doesn't have one definition. It can mean so many different things to so many different people. Each person has their own reminder and their own set of memories of how they found their inner-strength. Anyone is capable of finding their own inner-strength. The ingredients are time, resilience, and a sprinkle of self-trust and self-worth.

Be confident in who you are- A good way to decipher yourself in a positive way is to feel confident about yourself. If you are constantly putting yourself down with negative comments about yourself and self-loathing, it will be difficult to feel strong in yourself and who you are. Start with the little things, such as by waking up each morning and thinking of one thing you like about yourself when you look at yourself in the mirror. Each thing you do to make yourself feel better about who you are, is also one step closer to finding your inner-strength

Keep a journal and record the achievements or little bursts of strength you had-It can be literal Post-It notes, as long as it keeps track of the improvement you are making towards finding a stronger you underneath your current version of yourself. Decorate it with things that remind you of strength, whether it's a sport you have played in high school or a picture of a person that helps you feel strong.

Make small goals and try to accomplish them-It doesn't have to be something too extreme, such as running 7 miles at 6AM, but it can be something that challenges yourself to do more than you usually do. Something like cleaning/organizing your closet and your plans for the week or trying to reconnect with a group of people you might have gotten distant from, might be a good starting point. Make sure to make each new goal a bit more challenging as the older ones are accomplished.