12 Powerful Habits to Increase Mental Strength and Resilience

More often than not, we face challenges that test our resilience. Whether dealing with adversity, pursuing our dreams, or simply striving for personal growth, mental strength is the foundation of success. But I’ve realized through several personal experiences that mental strength isn’t an inborn trait; it’s something that can be developed through a determined mindset.

Let’s explore the habits that can help you become better equipped to face life’s trials.

1. Embrace a Positive Mindset:

When I experience a crisis, I believe in optimism. I try to replace negative self-talk with empowering affirmations. I understand it’s difficult, but a positive mindset is the foundation of mental strength. Limit your exposure to negative news, toxic people, and self-doubt. Surround yourself with constructive influences to maintain your mental strength.

2. Face Your Fears:

Step out of your comfort zone regularly. Do what you never had the courage to try earlier; doesn’t matter if you fail or face criticism. Facing fears and embracing challenges builds resilience and confidence. Remember, courage is not the absence of fear but the ability to act in spite of it.

3. Develop Emotional Intelligence:

Be in charge of your emotions. Self-awareness is important to control emotional responses. Emotional intelligence helps you handle difficult situations with composure.

4. Set Meaningful Goals:

Set clear and realistic goals that align with your values and passions. Goals provide purpose and direction. They motivate you to stay focused and face challenges. Imagine yourself overcoming obstacles and achieving your goals. Visualization can boost confidence, self-belief, and motivation.

5. Practice Gratitude:

Acknowledge the positive aspects of your life, even the smallest ones. Gratitude helps shift your perspective and enhances mental toughness.

6. Build Resilience:

Success doesn’t mean that you never failed. It means that in spite of failing, you did not allow failure to deter you.

Your ability to bounce back from setbacks will make you resilient. Learn from your experiences and keep moving forward.

7. Nurture Healthy Relationships:

Surround yourself with supportive, positive individuals who uplift and encourage you. Healthy relationships provide emotional stability and strength. Distance yourself from toxic and negative people.

8. Prioritize Self-Care:

Your physical and mental well-being matter. Regular exercise, proper nutrition, adequate sleep, and relaxation techniques are essential for a resilient mind.

Develop mindfulness through meditation or other relaxation techniques. It will help to increase self-awareness, reduce stress, and regulate emotions. Take professional guidance, such as therapy or counseling, to address mental health issues. Seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness.

9. Learn from Adversity:

Every setback is a chance to learn and grow. Embrace failures as stepping stones toward success. Resilience is born from adversity. Seek guidance from mentors or study the lives of individuals you admire. Their experiences can provide valuable insights and motivation on your journey to mental strength.

10. Develop Problem-Solving Skills:

Instead of stressing over problems, look for solutions. Cultivate the ability to break complex issues into smaller, manageable parts and work through them systematically.

11. Cultivate Patience:

Understand that significant personal growth takes time. Patience allows you to persevere through challenges and setbacks, knowing that progress may be gradual.

12. Keep Learning:

I am a great advocate of expanding knowledge and skills. Lifelong learning keeps your mind sharp and adaptable, enhancing your ability to handle new challenges. Life is constantly evolving, so it makes sense to imbibe new lessons and adapt.

Building mental strength isn’t about avoiding hardship; it’s about confronting it head-on, recognizing that each obstacle offers a chance to grow. What makes this journey so inspiring and motivating is the personal transformation that you experience along the way.

Adopt these habits with commitment and enthusiasm, and you’ll find yourself better prepared to face life’s trials and pursue your aspirations with unshakeable resolve. So, bounce back from setbacks, chase away the blues and embark on this empowering journey today, and witness how your mental strength evolves, transforming you into the unstoppable force you were always meant to be.

Which of these habits help you to become mentally stronger? Share your thoughts with us and inspire others.

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How to Handle Criticism

A creative life cannot be sustained by approval any more than it can be destroyed by criticism.
Will Self

You often wonder why life is so unfair! You take painstaking effort to fulfill your duties both at home and at work, yet your family members at home and your boss and colleagues in the office never have a good word to say about you. Instead, you are mostly criticized on some pretext or the other.

Haven’t we all experienced this!!?? These are tough times we live in!

Criticism isn't always fair. It is up to you to use your wisdom to differentiate between the two. — Pic courtesy: Wepik.com

Criticism is a kind of evaluation or judgment, which may be either good or bad. When someone criticizes you, they are evaluating you according to a certain set of standards which they may have carved out conforming to their own beliefs and values.

Criticism may be constructive or destructive – it is up to you to use your wisdom and perceptive power to differentiate between the two. That definitely is a challenge, but you can do it with resolve.

Our first reaction to criticism is generally negative. This is because we have always believed that people who criticize us are either jealous of us or have poor judgment. In fact, they may even be lacking knowledge about the subject that they are criticizing you for!

Well, that may be true sometimes, but not all the time. There are times when people who point out your mistakes do so with good intentions. They are genuine well-wishers who want you to rectify your mistakes and make progress. So, don’t be in a hurry to discard such advice. Accept it with a calm mind and positive mindset and take corrective steps. Don’t procrastinate.

Those who offer constructive criticism do so in a gentle and encouraging manner. Their concern is not superficial. Their sole aim in giving you honest feedback about your actions or performance is to make you aware of areas of improvement. It would be a lesson well learnt. When you recognize constructive criticism, which you should, you must express gratitude to the giver for wanting you to succeed.

Destructive criticism, on the other hand, is meant to break your spirit. It is conveyed in a mocking and insulting manner. It is hurtful and malicious. Such criticism creates feelings of inferiority and inadequacy that can adversely impact your, mental state, self-esteem, self-belief and creativity. If and when you notice a pattern of destructive criticism involving a particular individual, you need to cut off any association with that individual, however close they may be.

So the idea is to identify and accept advice that is meant to uplift you and turn a deaf ear to those who are waiting for you to fail.

How do you handle criticism? Share your experiences with us.

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6 Lessons my Mother Taught me

I am a confident and secure woman because a strong woman raised me.

You gave me life
And you gave me pride
You gave me worth and value.
When the skies were cloudy
And the pathless way led nowhere
You gave me direction new.
You taught me to look beyond the ordinary
And reach for greater goals
To ensure my confidence grew.

Family plays a pivotal role in shaping your identity and who you become; and mothers play the most comprehensive role.

My mother taught me to treat everyone equally, not to surrender when faced with difficulties and how to be stable and firm. Instead of giving up at the outset, she showed me how to believe in myself and to trust my capabilities.

My mother ingrained invaluable teachings in me to tide me through the journey of life. Instead of stressing myself out trying to juggle too many things, she taught me how I should cut out the irrelevant things and keep my life in balance. Instead of allowing myself to get caught up in the nitty-gritties of life, she showed me how to back off and learn to be flexible and adapt to the situation.

There are certain meaningful lessons in life that only a mother can convey to you. You receive advice and valuable life lessons from people around you all the time, but the most impactful words are uttered by a mother. I believe the most enlightening guidance of immeasurable worth came to me from my mother – to be strong and self-reliant and to make my own choices in life.

You don’t have a handbook to guide you through life, but God gave you a mother to hold your hand every step of the way.

1. Value yourself
It is only when you appreciate and respect yourself that you can inspire others. You have a lot to offer to this world. If you want to shine your light on others, you will have to first value yourself. Use it to encourage, energize and uplift others. Recognize your own talents, abilities and uniqueness. Only then will you motivate others.
Even though your hard work is appreciated, it must not be at the cost of your health, well-being and happiness. That amounts to workaholism.
Remove all toxic influences and relationships from your life. They only serve to pull you down, drain your energy and shatter your self-esteem. Imagine your state of mind if you allow every denigrating word to affect you! Wasteful thoughts and useless gossip lead to negativity. Learn to make a distinction between constructive criticism offered with compassion and derogatory words intended to harm your self-esteem.
You are here for a purpose. Recognize it and work on it with zeal. Your contribution to this universe is immeasurable and priceless.

2. Make your own decisions
You must be self-reliant and confidently make your own decisions instead of constantly depending on someone else to make decisions for your life. No one else can judge what’s best for you. You must be the author of your own life story. Even if you make an error in judgment, it will serve as a lesson and leave you wiser. Never hesitate to start over.
Don’t get browbeaten into doing something that doesn’t feel right. Stand by your principles even if you must stand alone.
Don’t feel guilty if you have to sometimes discard advice given by friends and well-wishers. Do what your gut instinct tells you is the right thing to do. Agreeing to things only to keep peace at the expense of your own well-being is a violation of your own boundaries.

3. Never say never
When faced with obstacles, don’t give up. You are strong enough to overcome hurdles and move ahead. Don’t surrender your dreams to fear, nervousness and inaction.
Hold on to your convictions in the face of all odds. In every situation, be steadfast and resolute. Don’t just profit from the good things in life, but learn from every experience. Act with determination and resilience in every sphere of life.
A crisis in life serves to empower you and moulds your personality. It all adds up to your personal growth. You never know when the situation may change in your favour through your relentless efforts.
Embrace new ideas. Change is an inevitable aspect of life. Don’t get weighed down by past burdens. Learn to let go of anything that causes you grief.

4. Don’t be afraid
Yes, that’s true.
Don’t be afraid to speak your mind. Don’t be afraid to take a stand. Don’t be afraid to choose a career path that suits you. Above all, don’t be afraid to trust your instincts.
While the world is enticed by superficialities, artificial beauty, fake charm and meaningless words, don’t be afraid to remain simple at heart. Your clarity and consistency will enable you to do what is right rather than doing what is popular. Don’t be afraid to go against the flow.
You are adequate and have nothing to fear. You are responsible for your happiness. Make your own reality and create the life you deserve.

5. Keep your integrity
For me, the most essential quality I have imbibed from my mother is honesty and right-mindedness. I was taught early in life that maintaining probity is important even as you climb the ladder of success. When you uphold the ideals of your life, you will expect nothing less from others.
Dedicate yourself to your values and be humble. Match your words and actions. Tell the truth even if it is unpalatable. When you delude others, you delude yourself too.
Fame, glory and wealth gained by wrong means count for nothing. It is only through integrity and hard work that you must fulfill your goals. You will do a great service to society if you emerge as a role model for others.

6. Have faith in God
God is your guide, companion, protector and friend. He will always be with you through your journey of life. Whatever the circumstances you are faced with, keep faith in God. He will hold your hand and take you ashore during every storm in your life.
Be optimistic and trust in God even when you don’t understand what is happening in your life. He will bless you in abundance.

Tell me how your mother’s teachings have influenced you. I would love to hear from you.