As uncertain as our perfectly imperfect lives can be, there are plenty of ways you can build yourself up to prepare for any challenge that comes your way. Resilience, grit, and determination all come from inner strength, so by increasing your inner strength, you can generate all of the skills and traits you need to deal with anything, including self-awareness, self-confidence, and empowering yourself to succeed. Let’s look at seven key strategies that you, a powerful woman, can increase your inner strength.
Key Strategy #1: Nurture Self-Compassion
Self-compassion is all about treating yourself with understanding and kindness, and learning how to accept yourself as you are. This is particularly important during life’s most difficult times, whether you’re dealing with change or failure.
Women hold themselves to a high standard and are often their own worst critics. You can nurture self-compassion to develop a more supportive relationship with yourself. You aren’t a perfect person, and you don’t have to be because your flaws make you the unique person you are. Show yourself the same compassion you would show your most beloved friend.
If you’re interested in learning more about self-compassion and being a little easier on yourself, check out these blog posts:
Living True: Identifying and Conquering Barriers to Authenticity
The Masks We Wear When We Hide Our True Selves
Key Strategy #2: Set and Keep Boundaries
Boundaries are a must—they are the only way to protect your energy and preserve your well-being. They’re also an important aspect of maintaining healthy, respectful relationships.
Women often feel pressured to go out of their way and deny their own wants and needs to please others, which means sacrificing those boundaries. Boundaries, however, honor your needs. So, be clear and confident, establish your limits, and maintain those boundaries. By doing so, you build inner strength, show yourself respect, and practice self-care.
Want to learn more about setting and keeping boundaries? Check out these blog posts:
Beyond Boundaries: Navigating Life with Courage and Clarity
Set Boundaries and Protect Yourself Emotionally
Key Strategy #3: Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness is an important skill to learn. It’s key for every situation, but it’s particularly vital when you’re working on developing more inner strength. So, mindfulness is about being in the present without judging yourself or getting caught up in your emotions and thoughts.
For women, practicing mindfulness is an effective way to find clarity and cultivate resilience, inner peace, and inner strength. Whatever the challenges you may be facing, mindfulness is an everyday practice you can use to further intentionality.
Meditation is the most common mindfulness practice, but you can also practice it through yoga or deep breathing. The key is paying attention to your thoughts and emotions, but simply experiencing them without judging or reacting.
Are you ready to learn more about mindfulness? Check out these posts for ways to combine journaling and mindfulness to help you reach your goals and boost your self-improvement:
Journaling to Practice Mindfulness
Journaling Boosts Your Mindfulness, Goal Achievement, Communication, and Creativity
Key Strategy #4: Cultivate Personal Resilience
How well do you bounce back after dealing with a setback? If you face a challenge with flexibility, you typically bounce back quickly. To reach that point and make it your default reaction, you must cultivate resilience – the capacity to withstand and recover quickly from difficulties. Unfortunately, the easiest way to do that is to endure and power through setbacks.
The good news is that if you break out of your comfort zone more often, you will give yourself a chance to deal with setbacks. You can also improve your problem-solving skills, which will help you manage setbacks more effectively when they do come up. Combined with the self-compassion skills and mindfulness you’ve been working on; you’re putting yourself in a positive position to become a more resilient person.
Check out the posts linked below to learn even more about resilience and it’s importance in self-development:
Stories of Resilience: A Guide to Rekindle Your Spark
Resilience in the Face of Adversity: A Journey to Self-Discovery
Key Strategy #5: Be Vulnerable
While many people see weakness as a vulnerability, it’s a strength that allows you to embrace your authentic self.
Women often feel under intense pressure to look strong because if they show their emotions and vulnerability they will be dismissed as over-emotional, hysterical, weak, or inadequate. That’s a valid fear because it’s the reality for so many women and it has been for a long time. However, learning to embrace your vulnerabilities is key to nurturing inner strength and developing resilience.
So, be open about your experiences and thoughts. Be honest about your feelings. You may be judged, you may be rejected, but at least you’re being authentic.
Despite modern society’s view that to be vulnerable is synonymous with being weak, vulnerability provides a sense of belonging and is essential to the human experience – check out these blog posts for a different view of being vulnerable:
What It Means to Live Your Truth
Befriend Fear: Transforming Anxiety into Authenticity
Don’t Let Fear Hold You Back – Use these Books to Reenergize Your Audacious Life
Key Strategy #6: Be Self-Reflective
There are no negative side effects from examining your beliefs, emotions, thoughts, and behaviors if you approach the process with curiosity and care. Self-reflection leads to deeper levels of self-awareness, and for women, it’s a great way to get insights into growth areas, strengths, and weaknesses. Self-reflection is a useful tool to aid personal growth and improve your decision-making process.
You can self-reflect through journaling, but you can also sit in quiet reflection or try meditation. Don’t be afraid to ask yourself tough questions and think deeply about them before you come up with your answers. When you discover limiting beliefs, you need to challenge them and understand their root.
Knowing yourself and your values is a foundation of self-improvement, and you are the only one who can reflect deeply on your innermost self and your foundational values. Check out these blog posts to help you learn more about yourself and what’s important to you:
From Values to Convictions: A Guide to True Authenticity
Unlocking Your True Essence: Pathways to Deeper Self-Knowledge
Key Strategy #7: Embrace Support
Humans need supportive connections; they are essential for nurturing inner strength and cultivating resilience. So, make time for your friends and family, accept their encouragement, follow their guidance, and seek their perspective when dealing with difficult times.
Inner strength is an important trait to develop and building that will be an ongoing journey of growth, discovery, and empowerment. Take the advice from above to build your own inner resources to navigate any challenge life may throw your way.
Modern society doesn’t always encourage admitting that we need help, and can make it difficult to ask for support. Check out these articles on the blog about seeking and providing support for yourself:
You Cannot Be Your Real Self Without Personal Development
Reclaim Your Life: Overcome External Controls and Build Inner Confidence
