There comes a time in our lives where we all have to deal with challenging times that are a real test for our mental strength. Whether it’s a dead-end job, a difficult family member, a struggling relationship or an overcritical boss, we will encounter a challenging situation that requires us to develop mental strength to find a new perspective and successfully get through a tough situation.
Mental strength is a complex concept that includes resilience, emotional intelligence, mental toughness, grit, self-control and mindfulness. Developing mental strength will make all the difference in being able to overcome any obstacle that comes our way or crumbling at even the slightest challenge or frustration of everyday life.
If we are able to successfully cope with difficult situations and emotions, we are much more likely to reach our goals and live a happy, satisfying life. But how can we develop mental strength and balance positive and negative emotions, feelings and thoughts?
Here are our TOP 10 tips to develop mental strength and get through any challenge or obstacle.
#1 See Things Objectively
The truth is, nothing is good or bad, but our perception and thinking makes it so. The way we see a situation can either help or harm us, which means that we more often than not respond emotionally and project negativity onto a situation when one key component of being mentally strong and getting through a challenge is to see things objectively. It is important to be able to look past our emotions and first impressions of a situation in order to see things clearly and create an innovative solution to get through.
#2 Establish Goals
It is in our brain’s nature to reach for goals and achieve them. And we are not just talking about a big goal like wanting to lose 50 pounds. The same applies to short-term goals that are much more manageable like wanting to stay focused on work for 30 minutes without checking our phone or not responding to emails the second we get them. The thing is that the more we are able to achieve short-term goals, the more confidence we gain to recognize that we have the ability to succeed and achieve mental toughness to get through anything and reach our biggest, wildest dreams.
#3 Tolerate Discomfort for the Bigger Picture
Discomfort makes us look for unhealthy shortcuts and instant gratification rather than the bigger picture. It makes us look for a solution that relieves immediate emotional distress rather than addressing and dealing with the problem at hand. However, those short-term solutions only create bigger long-term problems. So in order to be able to develop mental strength, it is important to learn how to tolerate short-term discomfort and see the bigger picture instead.
#4 Be Realistically Optimistic
While we are not telling you to put on rose-colored glasses and put a positive spin on everything, we are asking you to be realistically optimistic and find the good in every situation. Instead of letting a mistake or failure get you upset and make you feel hopeless, take the opportunity to find a creative solution and with that grow and develop mental strength. Come up with plan A, B and C and realize that there are always several ways to get through a tough situation if you don’t let your emotions cloud your judgment.
#5 Live in the Present
Being present, which means letting go of the past and not worrying about the future, allows us to experience things as they really are. Whether or not you develop a formal meditation practice, being mentally strong means that you are mindful and attentive in the way you engage with the world. The idea is to bring your focus and attention to the one thing that is in front of you right this very moment without bringing your baggage to the situation and with that you can evaluate the situation more clearly and develop emotional stability, improve mental clarity and reduce stress and anxiety.
#6 Be Persistent
Perseverance – or grit – is a fundamental quality of mentally strong people who can successfully overcome failure and hardship. Perseverance means that we have the passion and stamina to stick with our plan for the future every single day – for years if necessary – to make our future a reality and make our dreams come true. If you develop persistence, you have the ability to overcome any obstacle and get to where you want to go.
#7 Do One Hard Thing Every Day
Developing mental strength doesn’t happen by chance, it happens when we purposefully challenge ourselves every single day. Of course what’s challenging to you may not be challenging to someone else and the other way around, so you need to figure out where your boundaries lie and then pick something slightly outside your comfort zone. Take a small step every single day and make it your mission to push yourself to be better today than you were yesterday on a daily basis.
#8 Learn to Say No
The harder it is for you to say no, the more likely you are to get easily overwhelmed, be stressed out, experience burnout or even become depressed. However, the more you learn to say no to things you don’t want to do or don’t have the time to do, the stronger you will become mentally as saying no has been linked to higher self-esteem. And it’s not just about saying no to others, but to yourself as well. Learn to exert self-control, delay gratification and avoid impulse behavior that can cause you harm and you will boost your mental strength tremendously.
#9 Develop Emotional Intelligence
A major cornerstone of mental strength is emotional intelligence. It is impossible to be mentally strong, if you don’t fully understand and tolerate negative emotions because tests to your mental strength are ultimately tests to your emotional intelligence. And don’t worry, emotional intelligence is a flexible skill that can be improved with effort and understanding. Learn to accurately identify your emotions as they happen and how to deal with them, rather than pushing them aside and letting them take over your life.
#10 Embrace Change
Being mentally strong means that we are flexible and have the ability to constantly adapt to change. We all know that change is inevitable and the amazing opportunity to learn and grow so let go of fear of change as this fear is paralyzing and a major obstacle to achieving happiness and success. Look for change that is just about to happen and create an action plan for when those changes occur. Have an open mind and open arms for change, recognize it, capitalize on it and use it to your advantage to be mentally strong and capable of achieving anything you want.
Being mentally strong is not an innate quality that is reserved for a select few. It is something that everybody can achieve and enjoy. If we don’t dwell on the past, see challenges as an opportunity for growth and develop tactics to overcome adversity over and over again, we can cultivate mental strength and achieve happiness and success.
WORK OUT YOUR MENTAL MUSCLE AND THRIVE
Joschi & Monika
#BoldNaked
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