Empowering Yourself During the Pandemic

The pandemic is no longer something foreign to life in many countries. As we have felt, the pandemic sweeping the world has had extraordinary effects. So much has been lost and so many habits have changed. Human beings can only plan as beautifully as possible and can only make efforts within their individual abilities. The pandemic has indeed brought many negative things, but whatever happens in this world, it is inseparable from the wisdom we will gain from it. In a condition like this pandemic, it is not the time to depend on others; on the contrary, we must empower ourselves so as to be useful in the midst of this still-rampant pandemic. The pandemic makes it seem as if we must step out of our comfort zone, but we need to think that leaving the comfort zone is not always about adversity. Adversity exists only in imagination, but in real life we are all able to achieve success, because life has no meaning without struggle.

            Being in the comfort zone feels very familiar and safe, without danger, but nothing interesting  happens in it. The definition of leaving the comfort zone can be understood as an effort to improve oneself, an effort to develop, even renew and add to, the abilities we have. Leaving the comfort zone will push us to deepen our knowledge of what we want and what we seek in life. Leaving the comfort zone is also a step to upgrade oneself. It is closely related to the term self-empowerment or self empowerment which is a concept of utilising one's own potential in order to increase productivity in life.

            A person will make positive decisions when they believe that those decisions are meaningful to them and in line with the values and goals of their life. Self empowerment or empowering oneself is not merely a person's feeling, but a real action expressed through a person's behaviour and life choices. There are several self empowerment steps we can take during the pandemic, among them: the very first step is getting to know ourselves; think about the strengths and weaknesses within us and in our surroundings. Recognise how we think and how we solve problems, and we even need to recognise the types of skills we have. In addition, we must recognise the quality of our friendships and also recognise the culture around us. Use all of that information as the initial foundation for self empowerment.

            The second step is to follow and direct ourselves towards the values and life principles that are meaningful to us. Everyone surely has different values and principles; now is the time to reflect on the values that feel important to us. How? We can think about what kind of situation leaves our heart satisfied and fulfilled. Principles in life can also be gained from figures we admire out there. Today there are very many media for finding inspiration, and during this pandemic there are very many jobs as an Influencer (someone who can influence society), which means the available media can be used to find principles through Influencers. Once we have values and life principles, we will know what steps we must take to reach the goals we want. All of these steps will mean nothing without being accompanied by self-confidence, because the two are very closely linked.

            The third step is to hone our skills and keep practising continuously. One of the many lessons we can take from the pandemic period is that we spend a lot of time at home. With more time available than before, at home we can do all kinds of activities we want, such as learning to cook, learning to grow plants, making interesting YouTube content, joining online training everywhere that will expand our circle of friends, and volunteering in various media that inspire others. This is the right time to give ourselves the opportunity to develop our skills.

            A person with high self empowerment has a low level of anxiety and will stay far from stress, and conversely, if a person has low self empowerment, that person is easily anxious and easily overcome by stress. The importance of self empowerment during this pandemic is that we can face the various situations and environmental conditions that often hinder us from reaching our dreams. Therefore, in the midst of this pandemic, let us rise together to empower ourselves, starting by measuring the strength within each of us.