Everybody goes through their ups and downs, and sometimes emotions can get the best of us. Although genetic, personality and life experiences play a role on one’s mental strength, there are some key habits that can actually be observed among people who are mentally strong.
Here are 9 Key Habits Mentally Strong people do according to psychotherapist Amy Morin:
1. They are aware and observe their emotions.
Mentally strong people are not indifferent. Many people think mentally strong people neglect and control their emotions, but truth is, they actually are aware of what they feel.
Morin says, “They monitor their emotions throughout the day and recognize how their feelings influence their thoughts and behaviors.”
Mentally strong people are aware of how they are feeling and know that they sometimes need to behave differently from how they feel in order to reach their greatest potential.
Mentally strong people monitor their emotions throughout the day and recognize how their feelings influence their thoughts and behaviors.
2. They observe realistic optimism.
Being too negative is never good, but having a positive outlook all the time isn’t possible either.
According to Morin, mentally people understand that their thoughts aren’t always true and they do their best to stay away from the negativity.
They replace exaggeratedly negative thoughts with a more realistic inner monologue.
3. They fix what needs to fixed instead of being passive.
While some people just complain and wish that bad things won’t happen, mentally strong people refuse to engage in productive activities and find solutions instead.
Morin suggests learning how to calculate the risks and moving forward.
4. They are compassionate to themselves.
Self-compassion is what makes a mentally strong person. Instead of wallowing in self-pity or beating themselves up when they make mistakes, mentally strong people forgive themselves for their blunders and cheer themselves up as their work towards their goals.
If needed, they find online therapy on their own.
5. They establish healthy boundaries.
Mentally strong people avoid giving away their power. When people lack physical and emotional boundaries, they tend to lose their power. However, behaving assertively can set healthy boundaries according to Morin.
They accept full responsibility for how they think, feel, and behave and they refuse to let other people dictate whether they’re going to have a good day or a bad day.
6. They know how to manage their time wisely.
Time is a finite resource for mentally strong people according to Morin. Instead of wasting their time dwelling in the past, mentally strong people never waste their time and focus more on productive activities.
7. They focus on the bigger picture and strive to fulfill their purpose and goals.
Mentally strong people understand that it takes time to fulfill one’s purpose and goals in life. Instead of being held back by setbacks, they focus on the bigger picture and work on their purpose and goals.
8. They view challenges as opportunities to grow stronger.
Challenges won’t hold back mentally strong people. In fact, these challenges are opportunities for their growth. Moreover, they never settle or consider themselves strong enough, they seek to improve themselves by conquering new challenges.
They know that just like physically strong people need to work out to stay in good shape, they need to keep working out their mental muscles to prevent atrophy.
9. They keep track of their progress.
Mentally strong people do whatever it takes to reach their greatest potential. They acknowledge their weaknesses and seek ways to improve themselves rather than making excuses for their mistakes and failures.
Source: MSN Lifestyle