Many people understand how we can build up physical strength, but there is a lot of uncertainty about the steps we need to take to gain emotional and mental strength. Although there are a lot of exercises that will help you become mentally strong, here are three main secrets to help you achieve your goal:
- Talk to yourself like a trusted friend.
Experts at the Neuro Imaging Laboratory report that people have around 70,000 thoughts a day. That ensures that you have 70,000 chances either to make yourself stronger or to break yourself down.
Your emotions have a tremendous impact on how you feel and behave. In reality, the inner monolog appears to become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Thinking stuff like, “I’m never going to be recruited for this job,” or, “Nobody really listens to me,” will alter your actions in a way that makes those assumptions come true.
Work to swap unnecessarily optimistic feelings with more positive ones. Whenever you find yourself saying things like, “I’m a failure and I’m never going to be worth something,” note that your feelings aren’t actually valid.
Tell yourself, “What am I going to do to a friend who said something for himself or herself?” And then give some caring and gentle words to yourself.
- Take charge of your emotions.
Allowing your thoughts to dominate your life will drain your intellectual energy. Although there is nothing wrong with being in a bad mood sometimes, remaining trapped in a depressive rut can be a slippery slope: depression can lead to self-pity, rage can turn to frustration, and slight anxiety can become a paralyzing terror.
A lot of issues result from our ability to escape the pain. For example, people who fear disappointment frequently postpone new tasks in an attempt to hold their anxiety at bay. However, reducing social distress is typically a short-term approach that leads to long-term issues.
Acquire insight into how the feelings are influencing life. Decide that you should be in control of your feelings, and they won’t control you. Face awkward emotions head-on and take care of your affairs. The more you practice tolerating pain, the more confidence you develop in your abilities to tackle new obstacles.
- Make productive choices.
It’s difficult to feel emotionally secure when you indulge in self-destructive actions that sabotage your best efforts. Yet, most people have a few unproductive habits that they frequently engage in.
All of these poor practices appear to be minor — complaining the manager, holding the own sympathy party, or wanting to appease everyone — but they can wreak havoc with the emotional health. If you engage in these negative habits, even with your positive ones, your actions would be counter-productive.
You will have a finite amount of time and resources in your life. Devoting your time to activities that emotionally capable people don’t do will wear you out and slow down your advancement toward your goals.
