Reclaim Your Power When You Feel Powerless

We’ve become accustomed to frightening news, from war and mass violence to terrifying natural disasters and a global pandemic.

Following a tragedy, we’re taught to quickly pick up and get on with our lives, but on a subconscious level we still feel the terror.

It’s easy to hide in a bar, numb out with the internet or turn off the news and pretend like nothing happened. But if you avoid your fear it will subconsciously haunt you. It’s important to move through our emotions and heal them.

How to reclaim your power when you feel powerless

There’s no right or wrong way to handle our feelings, though there are tools that can help. Outlined below are a few steps for working through your fear to reclaim your power when you feel powerless.

Step 1: Get honest about your fear

It’s healthy to admit that you’re afraid. When you honestly acknowledge your fear you release the tension of holding onto it.

Share your fear with a loved one, write about it in a journal, or share your experience with a therapist or a support group.

Openly admitting your feelings is a crucial step toward working through your fear.

If you’re up for it, I encourage you to share your feelings in the comments below. Share your truth and know that your honesty will help another reader. We’re all in this together.

Step 2: Breathe through your feelings

The next step is to identify where you carry your fear in your body. Maybe you can feel it in your throat, your chest or your stomach.

Sit for a moment of stillness and sense where your fear is held in your body.

Then breathe deeply into the space where your fear is held. Continue to breathe into the tension and on the exhale release it.

Continue this cycle of breath until you feel the tension release.

Your breath is the greatest tool for releasing fear in your body.

Step 3: Connect with others

Connecting with others’ positive, peaceful energy is the best way to reclaim your power when you feel powerless. Some ways to do this:

• Reach out to friends you trust and whose presence makes you feel good
• Volunteer with a nonprofit organization you love
• Offer to help your neighbors, for example, baby-sitting someone’s child or picking up groceries for an elderly person
• Get involved in a positive online community like my Miracle Membership.

When you feel powerless and you’re not sure what to do, ask yourself, “How can I be of service to someone else?” You will quickly feel energized, connected and inspired.