We are constantly inundated with images and messages about what it means to be a woman in today's society. On the one hand, we are told that we can do anything and be anything that we want. On the other hand, we are constantly bombarded with messages about how we need to look a certain way, act a certain way, and behave in ways that are contradictory to our authentic selves. This creates a lot of stress for women, and can often lead to burnout. In this article, we will discuss how you can be empowered to create positive change in your life and break the stress cycle!

Get Patriarchy Detoxed from your Brain

One major way to start breaking the stress cycle is to get patriarchy detoxed from your brain. Patriarchy is a system of oppression that benefits men at the expense of women. It is entrenched in our culture, and we are constantly exposed to it whether we realize it or not. The good news is that you can do something about it! You can start by becoming aware of the ways that patriarchy shows up in your life, and then work on dismantling it.

This might look different for everyone but could include things like calling out sexism when you see it, refusing to participate in gender-based violence, and creating space for women's voices. Additionally, you can also support organizations and movements that are working towards ending patriarchy.

Create Space

Another way to break the patriarchal pattern of belief is by creating space. Women have been socialized for centuries to take up less space with their bodies, minds, and words. We have been conditioned to believe that we are not as important, valuable, or smart as men. This is simply untrue!

Creating space means making room for yourself and other women to exist and be heard. It can look like many different things, depending on your context and community. For example, you could create a Women's Space in your home, workplace, or neighbourhood where women can come together to share their experiences and support one another. You could also amplify the voices of women by sharing their work online or in person, and creating opportunities for them to speak publicly.

So how do we go about breaking the stress cycle? Well, it starts with recognizing that it exists! Once you become aware of the ways in which patriarchy shows up in your life, you can learn how to create space for yourself and other women. This may be challenging at first but remember: it's all about practice!

Keep in mind that this is not a linear process; there will always be times when you feel like giving up or getting discouraged. It just takes one step forward each day until eventually, those steps become leaps and bounds towards freedom from oppression.

This could mean making more time in your schedule for self-care, rest, or even just taking some time away from social media. You can start small with something like turning off notifications on your phone so that you aren't constantly bombarded with messages throughout the day. Social media speaking, it's also important to be mindful of the content you are consuming. Are you following an account that makes you feel shitty about yourself? Unfollow.

It may also help if you have an accountability partner (or therapist) who can hold you accountable when it comes to doing these things! Another way of breaking the stress cycle is through journaling about how patriarchy shows up in your life and then working towards dismantling those systems as well--this might look different for everyone but one example would be calling out sexism when seeing it happening around them instead of letting it go unchecked.

Connect with Yourself

One of the best ways to empower yourself is to connect with your authentic self. This means getting in touch with what you truly want and need, and not letting others dictate how you should live your life. It can be challenging to do this in a world that is constantly telling us what we should or shouldn't do, but it is worth it! Once you know who you are and what you want, you can start taking steps towards achieving your goals.

A small step towards connecting with what you want and need is by creating a self-care plan. This could include things like setting aside time every day to meditate or journaling regularly, which are both great ways of getting in touch with yourself! The most important thing is that it works for YOU - don't let anyone else tell you what should be on there or how often you're supposed to do these things.

Find Your Tribe

Another way to empower yourself is to build a support network, your tribe, of like-minded individuals. When we have people who believe in us and support our endeavors, it makes it much easier to achieve our goals. These people can be family members, friends, colleagues, or even strangers who have similar interests as you do.

Collective effervescence is a concept created by sociologist Émile Durkheim that explains how people can share a sense of energy and harmony when there is a shared purpose. When we come together and support each other, magic happens! This is why it's so important for women to build communities with other like-minded individuals.

If there's one thing I know about being a woman in today's world, it is that we are powerful! Anything becomes possible--even breaking down centuries-old systems like patriarchial ideologies and beliefs by simply speaking out against them publicly without shame.