Five tips to become mentally strong
Stress affects people in different ways. For some, it rolls off quickly, and they rebound in a reasonable amount of time. For others, it “sticks” and it takes much longer to recover, if ever. This is because people’s mental resilience varies enormously, which itself is based on both genes and environment.
It’s hard to be mentally tough, especially when one is not feeling comfortable with the life they are living. The ability to break the mold and take a bold new direction requires that extra grit, daring, and spunk that only the mentally tough people have.
There are habits you can develop to improve your mental toughness. In fact, the hallmarks of mentally tough people are actually strategies that you can begin using today.
Be confident: Mentally tough people think that one’s mindset has a powerful effect on the ability to succeed. This notion isn’t just a motivational tool¸ it’s a fact. A recent study made at the University of Melbourne showed that confident people went on to earn higher wages, and eventually earn a promotion, more quickly than others did who lacked self-assuredness.
Track your thoughts and feelings in a journal: Journaling can help you understand what may have caused you to experience these challenges, and it is also a great way to relieve stress. To get started with journaling, choose a comfortable place and plan to devote about 20 minutes per day to writing. You can start by writing about how you are feeling or what you are thinking.
Balance positive and negative thinking: Positive thinking is important because when you believe that good things will happen, you tend to work towards making them come true. Negative thinking is also important, because it allows you to anticipate what could go wrong, and plan how to deal it.
Take responsibility for things you can control, accept what you can’t: It should come as no surprise that mentally strong people take responsibility for their lives, but they don’t take responsibility for everything. Instead, they accept that there are things outside of their control. The weather, the market, as well as the behavior of other people.
Take good care of yourself: Exercise, consume healthy food, rest, and relaxation will help you to develop and maintain your mental and emotional strength. By taking good care of yourself, you are sending your mind the signal that you deserve to be taken care of.
Regaining your psychological resilience can be challenging, but it’s worth trying some of these strategies, since mental pliancy is an important trait to have at any point in life.
Prepared by
LatinAmerican Post | Luisa Fernanda Paez
Copy edited by Susana Cicchetto
