HOW TO BE MENTALLY STRONG
HOW TO BE MENTALLY STRONG
The wealthiest and the most successful people are mentally strong. They understand that emotions play a driving factor in everyday life decisions. You need to be mentally strong at work to do the right things and grow in your career. In life, you need mental toughness to sail through the hardship life throws at you. Many people end up sabotaging themselves by letting minor issues affect their mindset. Over the years, I have realized that knowing how to grow mentally strong is Knowing how not to worry about things you can’t control, and clearing your mind off can make you a better person and keep you happy. Learning how to grow mentally strong helps you in various aspects of your life.
15 tips to help you learn how to be mentally strong a tough.
1. Pause for 5 seconds before replying when angry.
Anger as an emotion can drive a human being to unexpected reactions. Have you faced a situation where you said something and regretted,” why did I say that?” Anger can trigger an unnecessary comment or action which can ruin relationships. What you do or say in a fit of rage can be held against you forever. At times the damage is beyond repair too.
When you are angry, your brain short circuits the decision-making process causing a sudden reaction. You lose control over your logical thought for a few moments when you turn angry. Pausing for 5 seconds help you regain your composure, and your brain starts working normally. Your thoughts apply logic and reason because you’re mentally stable. Those 5 seconds can prevent unnecessary actions or hurtful statements. Your journey towards learning how to be strong-minded involves being able to control impulsive reactions.
2. Stop blaming others and circumstances
When things go wrong, blaming another person or the situation helps you boost your ego. If you do so, you overlook a fault in yourself. You might assume you do not blame others but we all do in simple ways we do not realize. For example, let’s say you have a co-worker whom you don’t get along with. you believe his lack of support hampers your growth. Do you think the situation is completely the co-worker’s problem? Guess what? Your co-worker doesn’t get along with you because of some of your behavior too. Have you tried to build a better rapport with him/her? did you ask him/her how their weekend went? By blaming your co-worker, you fail to look at your flaws. When you blame and criticize others you are avoiding some truth about yourself. For every single problem, you can find an area where you could have done better. Yes, every single one, no exceptions. This applies to work and in life.
3. Accept mistakes
Sometimes when a problem occurs, you realize halfway through that you were at fault too. But your ego prevents you from accepting your fault. accepting your mistakes turns the situation into a healthy talk where you can talk about fixing the problem. Accepting a mistake without any drama is a trait common among mentally strong people.
4. Question your own belief and ideas.
Take a moment to ask yourself if you are defending your belief by turning a blind eye to facts. For example, once you support a sports team, you will remain an avid fan forever. You support them irrespective of their actions. as a fan, this is the right thing to do. You might also turn a blind eye to their flaws. You find a way to justify their actions even if they were incorrect. Such actions may not mean anything when it comes to your favorite sports. but you exhibit similar behavior about your ideas too. Another example is if you believe buying a certain stock is a good investment you justify the belief even if you find data that proves otherwise. such behavior is called confirmation bias.
5. Practice active listening
When two people talk both keep thinking about what to say next. During this thought, you miss listening to the other person’s point of view. Even if you do you fail to process it enough. Listening to understand others differs significantly from only listening. Whenever you have a conversation with a person, focus all your attention on what the other person has to say, not what you must say next. If you need time to frame your words, pause a few seconds before responding. You will notice wise people taking a few seconds before responding. When you listen actively, not only you do understand the other person better, but you also come across as a skillful communicator.
6. Appreciate people
By taking a moment to thank people, you not only make the other person feel better but you also feel good about yourself. There is no need for a long conversation or lengthy email to appreciate somebody. You can thank people on more subtle occasions. Appreciating a waiter with a smile will make his day. Thanking any servicemen or women will cheer them up.
7. Stop making unnecessary remarks
By making uncalled remarks, you spread poisonous negativity not only for the other person but also for yourself. Such remarks can only hurt a person. If you have something to say about a person have a conversation with the person and explain what you think humbly.
8. Stop contradicting the opinion of others.
There are genuine situations where you need to disagree with another person. More, than half the time we contradict to seem superior. We try to prove our ideas because we believe our opinion is right and the other person is wrong. Instead of contradicting you can explain your point of view only if the statements impact you in a kind manner. You can both have an opinion and agree to disagree.
9. Read more
Reading books exposes you to the lives of others. You understand what they went through, the mistakes they committed, and the tricks that guided them to success. Taking a leaf out of their book helps you understand the world better, avoid mistakes, grow mature and improve as a person.
10. Be comfortable saying I don’t know
How many times when people asked us something we had no clue about and we ended up saying yes? Be honest. We pretend to know something we don’t. we feel ashamed to admit that we do not know because it makes us look inferior and hurts our ego. Sometimes we even hesitate to admit that we do not know when the topic is around our area of expertise. Never pretend to know things if you don’t. you will lose an opportunity to learn something, Saying I don’t know shows how confident and humble you are.
11. Make tough decisions
When you face a difficult problem, you tend to not take any action instead of making a tough decision. For example, if you hate your job and switching to a different job is difficult you prefer not to take any action. You do not want to put in the effort and as a result, you accept living with the job you hate. To get the best out of life you need to make bold decisions. You cannot learn how to be mentally strong and fearless until you make bold decisions.
Spending 15-30 mins a day thinking
We make mistakes every day and learn new things. Take a minute each day to reflect on yourself.
Ø What can I improve as a person.?
Ø What mistakes do I make often?
Ø How could I grow in my career?
Ø How do I live the life of my dreams?
Ø How can I become mentally stronger?
Spend time only to think positively and generate ideas. Do not use those minutes to blame yourself or worry about the problems you have.
12. Balance emotions and logic
We make an emotional decision when we should have applied logic and a logical decision when we should have considered emotion. One must know where to apply logic and when to consider emotion.
13. Accept that you need to improve
You and I tend to overestimate our abilities. Our ego prompts us to think we have already done our best. When we make mistakes, we blame the circumstances but when things go right pat ourselves on the back for our awesome. An improvement is a lifetime journey than a destination. Accepting ignorance is a common attribute of the strong-minded. We should accept that we need to do better and try to improve every day.
14. Stay away from gossip
Gossip is the way of complaining, blaming, and exhibiting jealousy. When you have a personal grudge against someone bringing up the topic of gossip about the person helps you feel better. Sometimes you do not start the gossip but a friend or a co-worker does. All I can humbly request if someone tries to involve you in gossip ask them” why are you telling me this? Most people will leave you alone because they will have no reply.
Learning how to grow mentally strong is a slow journey and the results might take a little time to be visible. Trust the process and enjoy the journey. You will turn emotionally strong and independent over the due course of time.
Different people will provide different tips on how to be mentally strong. While the exact tip might vary, the content remains the same. I hope these tips will be of some help to my brothers and sisters.
