Unlocking Your Inner Strength

The MentalVerse
6 min readSep 8, 2023

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Photo by Mor Shani on Unsplash

According to dictionary.com, inner strength is known as mental power or endurance, such as willpower, courage, self-confidence, or self-discipline.

We all have inner strengths. It is the power that allows us to overcome challenges, achieve our goals, and live our best lives. However, many of us fail to tap into our inner strength because we are unaware of it or we don’t know how to access it. This article will explore the concept of inner strength and provide you with some tips on how to unlock it. And so, will be discussing the following areas:

  • What is inner strength?
  • Why is it necessary?
  • How to identify your inner strength
  • How to access your inner strength
  • How to use your inner strength to overcome challenges.

When we say inner strength, what does it mean?

Inner strength is the power that comes from within. It is the ability to face life challenges, overcome obstacles, and achieve your goals. It is also the ability to bounce back from setbacks and keep going. Inner strength is not something that you are born with or without. It is something that you can develop and grow over time.

Inner strength is a deep, unstoppable belief in yourself. Inner strength is a powerful force that can help you achieve your goals and live a happy and fulfilling life.

Psychologists use the term “inner strength” to describe the broad range of mental and emotional resources i.e. behaviors, skills, and attitudes that keep you stable and adaptable in your society. is the ability to face challenges and overcome adversity. It is a combination of physical, mental, and emotional resilience.

Resilient people can bounce back from setbacks and move forward with their lives.

Why is inner strength necessary?

Inner strengths are essential to a happy, productive, and loving life. Inner strength is necessary for several reasons. it helps you to:

  • Deal with stress and anxiety
  • Overcome challenges
  • Achieve your goals
  • Build healthy relationships and
  • Live a happy and fulfilling life
  • It creates inner peace
  • It helps you know yourselves well and make healthy decisions
  • It allows you self-compassion, accept yourself for who you are, and choose to love yourself unconditionally no matter the setbacks you may face.
  • Inner strength creates confidence, it gives you the power to know that you are worthy of being loved and valued.

How does one identify their inner strength?

The first step to unlocking your inner strength is to first be able to identify it. The process of identifying one’s inner strength requires that you ask yourself the ”three (3) W”. i.e.:

  1. What are you good at?: You need to sit down to reflect on the skills, behaviours, or attitudes that you are sure you are good at.
  2. What challenges have you overcome in the past?: Sometimes, we have channeled our inner strength towards some of the challenges we would have overcome in the past. Analyzing the skills, ways, and manner in which you were able to overcome past challenges, is a pointer to identifying your inner strength.
  3. What are you passionate about?: Everyone has a passion for one thing or another, so finding out what you have passion for helps you to identify your inner strength. For example, a boy who is passionate about sports will be able to channel his inner strength towards that area than any other place.

You see, once you have been able to give answers to those questions, you can then start to build on them. Surely, there are many ways to do this, such as:

  • Setting goals and working toward them: As much as you all have inner strengths that lie with you, these strengths can only be manifested when we set down goals and work on achieving such goals. Inner strength comes into play in an action.
  • Take on new challenges: Taking on new challenges and tests will require you, to give your all. This propels you to seek in-depth within you for strength to complete these challenges.
  • Learning new things: This will help sharpen your belief system and strengthen your resilience.
  • Surrounding yourself with positive people: Oftentimes, the people you surround yourself with modifies your thinking, beliefs, knowledge, and idea about something. Being around positive people helps strengthen your willpower and purposefulness.
  • Practicing self-care: This is a deliberate act of checking in with yourself and reflecting on how you are doing physically, mentally, and emotionally. Engaging in self-care regularly could help you put your best foot forward.

“When we are regularly taking care of ourselves, we are better able to react to the things that go on in our lives. “It’s something we do to maintain positive well-being.”_ Dr. Marni Amsellem, Ph.D.(a licensed psychologist based in the greater New York metropolitan area).

How then do you access your inner strength?

When you are faced with challenges of life or an event. it can be difficult to access your inner strength. However, there are a few things you can do to help you tap into and access it:

  • Believe in yourself: The first thing is to believe in yourself. If you believe that you can overcome the challenge, you are more likely to succeed.
  • Take a deep breath and relax your body: Make sure you are getting enough sleep, eating healthy foods, and exercising regularly. Taking care of your physical and mental health will give you the energy and stamina you need to face challenges.
  • Treat yourself with love and compassion: Taking the time to appreciate the good things in your life can help you focus on the positive and feel more grateful. Take some time to reflect on every area of your life, not reacting immediately to the present. It helps you to love yourself better and activate your inner strength. Step away from the situation and do something that you enjoy.
  • Focus on your goal: When you set goals that are challenging but achievable, you feel a sense of accomplishment and progress. So, focus on that goal as this can boost your inner strength.
  • Remind yourself of your strengths and abilities: Reminding yourself of the strengths and abilities that you possess has a big impact on your self-esteem and confidence. Practice positive self-talk by focusing on your strengths, and your accomplishments. Let go of self-victimizing thoughts and visualize yourself overcoming the challenge.
  • Take action and don’t give up: Don’t give up. When faced with challenges, it is important to persevere. Don’t give up on your goals or yourself. Keep moving forward and eventually, you will succeed.
  • Read books about people who have overcome their crises.
  • Keep an open notebook of your thoughts, feelings, and ideas of life, yourself, or others.
  • Seek guidance from people in your life who have strong resilience: Surround yourself with positive people. The people you spend time with can have an impact on your mood and outlook on life. Surround yourself with positive people who will support you, encourage you, and seek guidance from them on how they are staying positive to challenges in their lives. Talking to a friend, family member, therapist, or counselor can be helpful when you are going through a difficult time. Talking about your feelings can help you process them and feel better.

So, if you can access your inner strength, How then do you use your inner strength to overcome challenges?

Once you have unlocked your inner strength, you can use it to overcome any challenge that comes your way. Here are a few examples:

  • If you are feeling stressed, you can use your inner strength to calm down and focus on the task at hand.
  • If you are facing a difficult obstacle, you can use your inner strength to persevere and find a way around it.
  • If you are trying to achieve a goal, you can use your inner strength to stay motivated and keep going.

Unlocking your inner strength takes time and effort, but it is worth it. When you have inner strength, you are better equipped to face the challenges of life. It is a journey, not a destination. It is something that you work on every day. By following these tips, I am sure you will be able to tap into your inner strength and overcome any challenge that comes your way.

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