“We are in control of our own attitude,” began Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community Health and Human Services Prevention and Intervention Health Educator Melanie Nosie, LMSW. On March 25, Nosie facilitated a webinar regarding a topic we all can work on, self-empowerment. 

Recently, the Community Health webinars have seen an increase in both attendance and especially the participation. Attributing it to the Community’s feedback to the webinars, Nosie reiterated that the classes are meant for everyone involved, including herself, to “just have a conversation.”

In fact, the self-empowerment webinar came to be a reality due a suggestion Nosie received from a class attendee. Continuing to build genuine connections in the Community, Nosie had no problem conducting research regarding self-empowerment, stating, “I think we all could use a little bit of self-empowerment.”

Self-empowerment relies on our ability to self-heal. It acts as the foundation for which you can build a fulfilling life on. Essentially, self-empowerment helps by keeping you move forward. 

Without self-empowerment, our physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing are negatively impacted. By taking control of our lives and building a healthy mindset, we are able to commit to growing, learning and embracing our own unique individuality. 

When Nosie asked the webinar participants what self-empowerment looks like to them, the answers showcased a variety of the different ways we all implement. Answers such as: staying positive, keeping myself accountable, setting boundaries, practicing medication, and more began to pour into the webinar’s chat discussion. 

Knowing our true selves is essential towards improving our ability to self-empower. “When we complain, we don’t get anywhere,” said Nosie. “We don’t come up with solutions. If anything, we just stay frustrated. Building a positive mindset is up to us and helps us become more open to change.”

Though this may be easier said than done, Nosie suggested building a more positive mindset by creating smaller steps to achieve goals over time. Nosie compared it to running a marathon. 

“When someone has a goal of completing a marathon, you set a goal of running 1 mile, and then 5, and soon 8. Several weeks later, you’ll be ready for that marathon. When we break things up into small steps and achieve them one by one, it’s exhilarating, and we push ourselves a little further. Later, we might look back and say, ‘That wasn’t so tough, I can do more.’” 

Creating opportunities to celebrate goals and achievements is just one of the many ways we can refine our ability of self-empowerment. 

Nosie continued, “When people can regulate their emotions, often times they learn more. They can use setbacks as opportunities for growth. They can experience all emotions but have the ability to turn it around. We don’t have control of every aspect of our lives, self-empowerment influences what we do what our choices.”

As the webinar wrapped up, Nosie reassured attendees that improving our ability to self-empower is a journey and not something that is to be taken lightly. “All we have is the ability control ourselves. We can’t make anybody else think this or do that. They don’t have power over you, it’s up to us as individuals. We have to be in control of our minds and hearts.”