07 Jul 10 Ways to Build Mental Strength So You Can Navigate Any Challenge Life Throws at You
via Prevention by Tom Ward
Navigating life’s true challenges doesn’t require being “tough.” It requires awareness, finesse, and knowing your own mind. We got experts to answer the questions we hear most about building mental strength. Use their strategies to level up your grit game.
Can you get physically stronger without leaving your mental comfort zone?
“The body can only adapt if it faces something new, and new challenges won’t always be comfortable,” says Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S., Men’s Health fitness director. So basically, no. Your mind will adapt to the discomfort, too, and you’ll boost both your mental and physical strength.
The secret: Start small. “Every week, add one to whatever goal you’re chasing,” says Samuel, “whether that means doing one more pushup rep every set, adding one more minute to your morning run, or holding a plank for one more second.”
I hate failing. Is there any way to stop obsessing about what went wrong?
Start thinking like Michael Jordan. He’s considered himself a failure: By his count, he’s missed more than 9,000 shots. “Twenty-six times, I’ve been trusted to take the game- winning shot and missed,” he’s said. “I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life.”
How did he move on? He moved forward. “Making a mistake is just a source of feedback informing you that you are off course,” says Lisa Stephen, Ph.D., a career, personal, and sports performance coach and the owner of Ignite Peak Performance in Vermont. “Use that data to focus on what to do next. Then forget the mistake. You can visualize yourself flushing it down the toilet or releasing it in a balloon. The point is to leave the mistake behind and build on what you’ve learned. You cannot perform at your best by focusing on your worst.”
Can I let go of negativity without writing a gratitude list?
Yes, by doing something for someone else. “An active approach to purging jealousy and negativity is to practice acts of kindness,” says psychiatrist Tracey Marks, M.D., of Marks Psychiatry in Georgia. Start by giving compliments and positive feedback to others. If you’re feeling especially generous, pay it forward at a coffee shop or drive-through. There’s some evidence that acts of generosity are linked to activity in brain regions responsible for happiness.
Still, if giving makes you frustrated (like, what about my needs?), try gratitude without the list, Dr. Marks says. Just spend a moment every morning thinking about what you’re grateful for…
… keep reading the full & original article HERE