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7 Little Things You Can Do to Empower Yourself

Try these easy, intuitive tricks to feel powerful

By Jackie Dishner and Grandparents.com

(This article previously appeared on Grandparents.com.)

My yoga instructor gave my class a great piece of advice recently when she told us the story of how her normally short commute to work was made long by an accident on the side of the road. Traffic didn’t move for an hour. She was going to be late for work.

But she didn't ask herself: "Why is this happening to me?" Instead, she chose to avoid that agitation by asking a more empowering, peaceful question: "Why is this happening for me?"

Changing that one phrase, from "to me" to "for me," quieted her mind. Instead of feeling anxious, she let herself relax for the rest of the slow drive. During challenging moments, such as being stuck in traffic, she told us, if we can focus on what we gain from the experience rather than on what we lose, we become less reactive and more proactive.

You don’t have to know yoga to empower yourself with these seven simple things:

1. Focus On Others

“Focusing on yourself all the time, on your problems, your worries, is disempowering,” says Scottsdale, Ariz. grandmother and retired therapist Sharon Cotter, whose grandson Ryan inspired the creation of Ryan House, a nonprofit that provides respite, palliative and end-of-life care to children with life-threatening conditions.

“People do better if they focus on others,” Cotter says. “Take a moment each day to think about what you’ve done to make others feel better, even if it’s something as simple as sending a text of encouragement to a friend.” If you focus on strengthening your relationships, she says, you feel better about yourself and more connected to the world.

(MORE: Volunteering: One Way to Find Work After 50)

2. Use Your Imagination

Dr. Simon Rego, director of psychology training, Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York City, says you can use your imagination to boost confidence. “Think of someone you admire for his or her self-confidence and imagine being that person in situations in which you want to be more self-confident,” he says, “Over time and practice, you may not need to imagine anymore.” You’ll have picked up the patterns and habits of this person’s confident manner and claim them for yourself automatically.

3. Make a To-Do List

Learning martial arts is the No. 1 piece of advice martial arts instructor Mary Clare Bland would offer, believing it to be the “single best system” for self-empowerment. But if taking up Tae Kwan Doe seems daunting, she suggests making a to-do list every day, or at the beginning of every week. Completing the tasks on the list is the same as achieving a new goal, she says. “Done repeatedly, this will build confidence and self-esteem,” notes Bland.

4. Use Your Natural Talents

As a confidence-building strategy, holistic health coach Georgianne Holland encourages recognizing your inherent talents and taking advantage of those natural skills or the things you’ve always been good at and complimented on, such as organizing, singing or cooking. "Adults are notorious for playing down their natural strengths, rather than using them to the fullest [in a new career]," she says.

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If something is easy for us, notes Holland, we think it has less value when, in fact, it's the opposite. We can use our natural talents not only to forge a new career (organizing coach), but also to help a nonprofit (sing at a benefit), or a bereaved friend in need (cook a hot meal). “When we flex our natural strengths, we can feel empowered on a dragging day, as well as support others…This exchange of energy is uplifting for everyone,” she says.

5. Change Your Passwords

Another easy strategy, says personal fitness trainer Kusha Karvandi, is to change your computer passwords to a motivational mantra. For example, Better3veryD@y. “The repetition of typing this password in for various things throughout the day will influence your subconscious mind to take more positive action,” Karvandi says.

(MORE: 11 Best Apps for a Fresh Start This Fall)

6. Give Yourself A Massage

Borrow from the healing practice of India, Ayurveda, and take 10 minutes every day to give yourself a body massage, suggests Merel Martens, a yoga instructor from India. Massage your head, face, shoulders, arms, body, legs and feet. “So often we want to change something about ourselves: gain or lose weight, have longer or shorter legs. By giving yourself a massage, you are giving attention to yourself and your body, learning to appreciate it as it is…Loving yourself is highly empowering,” she says.

7. Exercise Daily

Take a daily walk or bike ride. Exercise, says Dr. Jennifer Burns of the Bienetre Center in Phoenix, Ariz., “helps raise the good endorphins naturally.” Pick something you enjoy so you will want to do it regularly and clearly see progress from your efforts. “When you know that you can do something well, this also helps boost confidence,” she says.

(MORE: DIY Personal Training: Your Money Saving Guide)

Jackie Dishner Read More
By Grandparents.com

Grandparents.com is a lifestyle website, social media community & peer group that unites & connects America's 70 million Grandparents to the best information and premier products & services just for them. Our goal is to promote well-being and give timely information on what really matters to you, from health and money to family and relationships to travel and retirement.

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