The pandemic has left some of us feeling like a shell of our previous selves, stripping us of the confidence we once had. You may be feeling overwhelmed with the nag of domestic chores, the pressures of social media and comparing yourself to others, or even the burden of unemployment.
If you are struggling, don't fret. There are steps you can take to regain your confidence and feel empowered once again. Read on to discover great tips and online resources to help you regain your inner strength.
Find and Meet Others Who Share Your Interests
If feeling alone or unseen sounds familiar to you, then joining a group may benefit you greatly. Being a part of something, whether that's a hobby group, club, or society, will give you a sense of belonging, as well as help you to feel empowered.
Joining a group of people who your interests will help you to meet like-minded friends, and either uncover or recover passions or skills buried within.
Make New Friends on MeetUp
MeetUp is a great place to join a group to meet people, make friends, find support, and explore your interests. You can find thousands of events occurring daily, both online and in person, giving you ultimate flexibility in how and when you can meet people.
You can search for social events by interest–for example, if you love cycling, you can search for nearby cycling groups and events. If you’re a writer, there's a plethora of writing groups and creative bods waiting to meet, support, and inspire you.
You're likely to find a group for any hobby or interest you can think of. If there isn’t, you can create your own group and encourage other members to join!
MeetUp is free to register, and has communities for you to join all over the world, making it a great place to meet new friends wherever you are.
Learn Something New to Boost Your Confidence
When your car has a problem, your plug needs changing, or if there’s a problem in the plumbing works, do you grab a friend, partner, or parent to fix things for you? Gaining the skill to tackle these issues yourself can give a real sense of independence and boost both confidence and the feeling of empowerment.
From DIY to learning new languages, there's plenty of online resources to find and master new talents.
Learn a New Skill From YouTube or WikiHow
There are so many free tutorials online to help you learn new skills, from how to cook a new dish or type of cuisine to mastering the guitar or piano, and from how to do simple DIY to building your own tiny home.
If you enjoy learning from videos which are often presented by engaging and entertaining individuals, start with YouTube. Here you can find straight forward “how to” videos on basically anything.
For those who prefer to follow diagrams or read instructions, WikiHow is a brilliant resource for all your “how to” questions, with results providing a mix of clear instructions, images, and sometimes video tutorials.
Improve Your Creative Skills on SkillShare
Looking to pick up a creative hobby? Check out online learning hub, SkillShare. You will find a huge range of courses from creative writing and illustration, to film, photography, and animation.
SkillShare is a subscription-based service, but you can sign up for a seven-day free trial to get a taste of the site and the various courses available before you commit to paying.
Pick Up a New Language on Duolingo
A money-saving option for new language learners is the popular Duolingo app, where you can pick up a variety of languages from Spanish, French, or German, to Japanese and Greek from its 30+ strong database.
Available on desktop, Android, and iOS, Duolingo bases its learning through daily activities and games, making it a fun way to pick up a new language.
Download: Duolingo for Android | iOS (Free)
Get Taught a New Language with Preply
If you'd prefer to learn a new language online with the help of a teacher, Preply gives you the option to pick from over 99 languages and receive one-to-one tuition from a tutor of your choosing.
Download: Preply for Android | iOS (Free)
Learn How to Code
If you’re looking to pick up the basics of coding, you can find free online coding courses on websites such as Codecademy and General Assembly. Learning to code is a great way to improve your logic and problem-solving skills, which will ultimately give you a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment.
If you’re really getting to grips with the basic free courses, you also have the option to sign up for the premium versions to gain further skills.
Get Your Serotonin Boost With Group Exercise or Fitness
Exercise has a big influence over our mood and wellbeing. Even short walks or gentle exercise sessions can increase our energy, elevate our mood, and reduce stress.
Not only can exercise boost your self-esteem and reduce anxiety and depression, taking part in group exercise can give you that sense of belonging and purpose. On top of that, setting yourself an achievable goal within fitness can help give that boost of confidence which is tied to your self-esteem and feeling of empowerment.
Sign Up For an Exercise Challenge
No matter what your fitness goal is, or what your fitness level is, there are plenty of challenges to find online.
If you like or want to try running, signing up for a 5K, 10K, or more organized fun run will give you something to work towards, improve on, and ultimately reach as a goal.
Run Across America is a website born out of the pandemic, which aims to bring together individuals at running events which raise money for causes such as Feeding America. Or, if you're keen to organize your own running event, then RunSignup is a great website for creating both virtual and in-person running events.
For those who like to cycle, swim and run, find your nearest Triathlon at TriFind.
Work Through a Challenge Together on ToughMudder
Looking for a bigger challenge? Long-standing Tough Mudder has events for exercise beginners to athletes, including the Tough Mudder Classic Obstacle run.
Participants make their way through 10 miles of mud-soaked obstacles (a total of 25 challenges), without any timer. You're encouraged to help your teammates and other muddy strangers, making it a hugely collaborative and fun event.
You Can Do This
Getting your inner strength back and feeling empowered in the post-pandemic world is achievable. The key is not to put too much pressure on yourself, reach out to your online community or connect with others in person, and–most importantly–have fun with it all.