Counsellors' Corner

Be Strong, Be Empowered: What is the true meaning?

Tomorrow marks International Women’s Day, a day when we celebrate strong and empowering women, and is an opportunity to focus on the wellbeing of our students.  Often when we hear the word 'strong' we associate it with being stoic.  There is a wide belief that, to be strong, we must endure pain and hardship without showing feeling or complaint.  Often young people will come into the counselling space and be ashamed of their feelings and berate themselves for crying or having expressions of anger/fear/shame/sadness and needing to ask for help.  However, being strong can also be defined as ‘having the power to move heavy weights or perform other physically demanding tasks and being able to withstand force, pressure or wear’.  In psychological terms, strength can be viewed as having the personal power to withstand difficult emotional situations while having the power to feel the emotions and accept the behaviours that need to be enacted.  For example, when someone we adore dies, it is important for us to allow ourselves to have the physical expression of grief while still going to work/school and performing the necessary daily tasks.  

It is powerful to challenge the misconception that expression of feelings equals weakness and change it to the expression of feelings equals strength!  It is so much easier, or convenient, to avoid problems, to push feelings away, and to project our frustrations onto others.  What is more challenging is to allow yourself to experience your strong emotional state, accept these feelings, and then, in doing so, make positive changes to behaviour.  Doing so enables a direct impact to one’s overall wellbeing.

So when the statement is read: Be strong, be empowered, associate this with embracing and expressing one’s ability for strong emotions!  Enabling your young person to freely express emotions has clear benefits for physical and mental health and general wellbeing. 

Source: www.karenhallion.com

Emma Moore