In Part 1, we learned the meaning of empowerment and basic tools of self-understanding. Now let’s add some coping skills to your toolbox.

Developing Healthy Coping Skills  

Coping skills are learning inner techniques, tools and strategies that will teach you to cope better with life’s trials or lesson the emotional or physical symptoms of everyday life burdens.

Top 4 Coping Techniques to have in your emotional tool box:

• Anger Management: The process of learning to recognize the signs that you are becoming angry and implementing physical and mental actions to calm down and deal with the situation in positive ways. Vicki Langemo has written many articles on anger management, or there are books and websites on the subject.

• Anxiety Reduction Strategies: Panic and Anxiety are emotions to help people survive dangerous situations. Nonetheless, if these emotions become overwhelming when no immediate danger exists, these coping skills are designed to help calm down the brain and relieve the overpowering, momentary, jittery reactions of these emotions. Read “Anxiety-busting Methods” if you need extra help. Blogs coming in 2016.

• Stress Reduction Methods: A set of techniques and activities intended to help people learn to relieve their stress, reduce specific stressors, recognize the signs/triggers of the fight or flight response, and retain internal calmness during nerve-wracking circumstances. Vicki Langemo has written about Stress Reduction Approaches or will teach them during calls set up on www.supportivetalk.com.

• Self-Confidence Strengthening: Abilities and Inner tools that encourage a person to feel confident within, label their talents & strengths, feel capable of handling life in a positive way, so there is a feeling of worthiness, happiness, and find ways to have a deep sense of inner acceptance of one’s self. Self-Esteem skills are a specialty of Vicki Langemo, or there are many books and information on the web.
Learning Goal Setting and Action Plans: Goal setting is a powerful tool for visualizing your ideal future, making them specific, meaningful, attainable, relevant, and time-bound, (SMART). Once you have a plan, then you need to divide this plan into easily doable steps and turn these steps into action so that your vision becomes reality. By defining your life direction, goals, values, beliefs and priorities, a person can make a total shift in your attitude and life path. This leads to ways to transcend our problems and master our issues. Mastery is a great form of self- empowerment. For additional help in this area, try www.supportivetalk.com. Blogs coming in 2016.

This article has led you to discover your Personal Empowerment. By becoming self-aware, gaining coping skills and learning how to implement goals, this procedure gives you inner power to control your destiny, change your reality, confront the unforeseen with more confidence and attain your vision of the future. There is no magic: it takes time, hard work and knowledge, but it is achievable. There is a personal cost to hanging on to our old ways; the cost is it blocks our path to a healthier, new and different path. Take charge of your behavior and life and live to your full potential. This is true Empowerment!

For interesting ways to increase your inner knowledge, try Zen And the Art of Happiness by Chris Prentiss or Listening To Your Inner Voice by Douglas Bloch.  Other articles by this author that may be interesting are: “Empower Yourself to Move Forward in Life…Starting Today!” or “Define your Values, Focus your Life”.