Understand what it means to be emotionally resilient. Being emotionally and mentally strong, or resilient, means adapting well to things like stress, trauma, adversity, or tragedy. What it does mean is that you learn to rebuild or "bounce back" from these experiences. Learn about emotional regulation. Learning to manage your emotions is another important part of becoming emotionally and mentally strong. You may not be able to control what life throws at you, but you always have a choice about how you react.
Identify specific areas that you would like to change. Before you can build up your mental and emotional strength, you will need to take an inventory of your strengths and challenges to determine what you would like to change.
Make a list of as many of your strengths and challenges as you can think of. Once you have finished your list, figure out how to turn each of your challenges into a goal that you can work towards. For example, you might have included on your list of challenges that you have difficulty asserting your needs. If you want to work on this issue, you would say that your goal is to become more assertive. Acknowledge your strengths. In addition to identifying areas for change, you should take time to celebrate your strengths.
Read through the list of your strengths and congratulate yourself for these positive traits. Giving yourself a little pat on the back now and then will help you to stay focused on your positive qualities and help build up your mental and emotional strength. Consider your past experiences. The reason why you might be feeling like you lack mental or emotional strength may be linked to something that happened to you in the past.
Whether this thing happened just a few months ago or when you were very young, it may be affecting your mental and emotional strength. Research has shown that children who are abused, neglected, or otherwise endangered are more likely have emotional and mental issues, which may cause them to abuse drugs or attempt suicide. Consider how and why those experiences may have affected you the way that they have. You may need to talk to a therapist about your childhood experiences in order to fully understand them, deal with them, and move on.
Determine if you have an addiction that requires treatment. An addiction to drugs, alcohol, sex, or something else may be damaging your mental and emotional strength.
If you think that you are addicted to something, seek help to get rid of your bad habits. You may require treatment if your addiction is severe. Talk to a therapist or a doctor if you think that an addiction may be damaging your mental and emotional strength.
Track your thoughts and feelings in a journal. Journaling can help you to understand what may have caused you to experience these challenges, and it is also a great way to relieve stress. You can start by writing about how you are feeling or what you are thinking, or you can use a prompt. Consider talking to a therapist. Without help, it may be hard to figure out why you feel you are struggling and determine the best way to deal with your feelings. A licensed mental health professional can help you to understand your feelings and help you work through them.
Keep in mind that feeling mentally and emotionally fragile may be part of an underlying mental health condition that requires treatment. Talking to a therapist can help you understand what is going on and decide on the best course of action. Method 2. Stay away from vices that disturb your mental peace. If you're toying with your mental health by drinking, doing drugs, stealing, lying, and so on, you're detracting from your ability to be emotionally and mentally strong. Start phasing these vices out of your life, or at least limit them so they don't control your behavior and emotions.
If you have an addiction, get help. Take good care of yourself. Exercise, 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 signals that you deserve to be taken care of. Make sure that you are devoting enough time to meeting your basic needs for exercise, food, sleep, and relaxation. Aim for 30 minutes of exercise per day. Eat a balanced diet of healthy whole foods like fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins.
Get eight hours of sleep per night. Set aside at least 15 minutes per day to practice yoga, do deep breathing exercises, or meditate. Drink plenty of water, at least eight glasses a day, more if you are exercising and sweating. Enrich your mind. Challenge yourself to keep learning all the time. You'll get mentally stronger and wiser the more knowledge you accrue. Don't let yourself get stuck in a rut, either mental or physical. Be curious, aware, and informed about the world.
Read books, watch good films, go to concerts, go to plays, watch ballets, and take in art in some form. Make your own art. Write, paint, make music, do sculpture, knit — anything that stimulates your creative side. Learn new skills.
Branch out in the kitchen, do some DIY projects around the home, plant a garden, learn how to drive a manual car, learn how to fish, train to run a 5K. Talk to people. Have deep conversations that go beyond small talk. Learn people's histories and share your own. Work on your spiritual side. Many people gain strength from paying attention to their spirituality.
Then I read this article. My dad sent me the link a few weeks ago and it completely changed my outlook on my situation. I just started rehab last week and my life is finally getting back to normal. And I believe that it was because of this article.
Thank you so much for the inspirtation. Thank you for your kind words and best wishes to you. Pingback: What does it mean to be mentally strong?
Insightful Counsel. Thanks for sharing, as I found it to be most impactful. Heard Rush Limbaugh read these on his radio show yesterday. Great points to consider and implement in life. Kind of reminds me of self-actualization. Thanks for the comprehensive list. Often, it requires professional help and guidance. I always believed that a person cannot control how they feel, but they can channel what they do to respond. I have my degree and 59 hours grad work though, and read a lot.
So, naturally, I have studied anxiety depression. YOu have trained you mind unknowingly to think negative thoughts. Here is something that really works! Yes, there is relief for you. When you wake up in the morning, even before you open your eyes, think of 3 things in your life that make it good and worth living for….. Then, be conscious of your thoughts every minute, all day through.
Then maybe add a couple of other things each day. If you have to put up a sign on your wall to be reminded, then do so! It Works! Exercise, eat right. Get a bike and get out there. I see people attempting to apply your list to trauma survivors. What are your thoughts? Mental strength and mental illness are separate issues. I know plenty of mentally strong people who have PTSD. Excellent post Amy. Lack of accountability and personal ownership are at the center of the entitlement mentality.
Mentally strong people possess both of these traits and therefore are usually very well adjusted. Excellent points, sometimes problems arise when one meets individuals who have no intention of accepting these concepts. Might you consider taking some of the above 13 things, and addressing ways that people could work to achieve them? Thanks Jon. Amy, an excellent post. This should be required reading for anyone who wants to be successful in any venture — professional and personal.
We all have to fight the gravity of falling into these 13 traps. Thanks for sharing! Thanks Dave! Your email address will not be published. Running gives me lots of opportunities to practice my skills. My brain always tells me to quit. It tries to convince me my legs are too tired to keep going, or it looks for a million excuses to stop.
Running and lifting weights let me challenge those thoughts. It also boosts my mood and reminds me that no matter what else is going on around me, I can always choose to take care of myself. As a therapist, I know labeling an emotion can be a powerful exercise.
And I automatically feel a little more empowered to take action. When I catch myself putting something off or wanting to back out of something out of fear, I give myself a good pep talk. At other times, I think about what some of my favorite people would say to me in those difficult moments.
A quick conversation with myself can give me the courage and motivation I need to move forward. And some things send my nervous system into complete overdrive because my anxiety skyrockets. Paying attention to my breathing calms me down. And once I feel a little calmer, I can begin to problem-solve in a healthy way. And what story do I want to tell?
And that often helps me push through the discomfort. Instead, those moments are opportunities to do something that could help build more mental strength. Learn the best ways to manage stress and negativity in your life. There is a big difference here. People and teams that exhibit authentic mental fortitude, practice the fine art of debriefing — or after-action reviews as we call them in the military. Debriefing wins is as important as debriefing losses. Extract valuable insights and move on.
Mental and physical wellness are critical for living life beyond your comfort zone. Not to mention, exercise can be a powerful tool for developing mental toughness. When I began training for the SEAL program prior to joining the Navy, I knew that many elements were out of my control and sphere of influence. My physical preparedness was one thing I had total control over, so I punished myself relentlessly at high altitude in the mountains of Colorado as a method for preparing both mind and body.
And guess what? It worked. This goes back to the emotional intelligence trait of self-awareness. My partner was Picabo Street, the world-famous Olympic gold medal skier. I was astonished at how intensely she desired constructive feedback — constantly pursuing perfection. In fact, they pity them. Interacting with toxic people in our personal and professional lives is just part of life.
When mentally tough people do interact with toxic people, they do so with their emotions in check. Mental toughness is not an innate quality bestowed upon a select few. It can be achieved and enjoyed by all but requires intentional practice.
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