Life is full of challenges. A toxic friend or colleague, a dead-end job, or a struggling relationship. You need a strong mind to survive in this harsh world and crush your goals. Like physical muscles, your mental muscles require a good workout. And these 5 exercises can help you start developing mental strength.

What is mental strength?

Mental strength is the capacity to deal with the obstacles, challenges and pressure you face and still be able to perform at a high level.

It is something that developed over time by incorporating a few habits that build mental muscles into your life.

To become mentally strong, the key is to keep practising and exercising your mental muscles.

Meanwhile, mental resilience is the ability to deal with the stress and adversities of life.

How to train your mental strength?

You won’t develop mental strength overnight. It can be improved over time, and it does take time to grow stronger and become better.

1. Reframe Negative Thoughts

Having the right mindset is crucial to growth. So, start by reframing your negative thoughts into more positive ones. Instead of saying “I can’t do this”, try saying “I’ll work hard to do this”.

Everyone indeed has bad days that lead to negative thoughts. But when you focus on what is negative about a situation, you’ll less likely to get a positive outcome. Try to maintain a hopeful, optimistic outlook, and expect a positive outcome.

2. Create Goals

Without a clear goal, you’ll most likely cram everything you want to do in one day. Sure, it’s fun to aim high and dream big. But that will leave you feeling stressed and lead to disappointment when you failed to achieve your to-do lists.

Make a decision, and spread out what you want to do over the week. Creating your goals gives you a clear reason to continue your journey to help you stay productive and clear on which tasks to prioritize.

3. Learn From Past Mistakes

Rather than beating yourself up for the mistakes you did, think about what caused the mistakes and how you can resolve them. Take note of the things you did well or poorly.

Analyzing and understanding your mistakes can help you determine what you can do differently to minimize the chances of making the same mistakes. No one ever experienced true success without failing at the beginning. Accept your mistakes and move forward positively.

4. Prove Yourself Wrong

Even when the brain tells you that you can’t do something, put those thoughts to the test. Push yourself to try anyway. Every time you prove yourself wrong, you’re actually training your brain to see yourself as more competent and capable than before.

So, the next time you think you can’t do something, prove yourself wrong. Commit to achieving your fitness goals or pushing yourself out of your comfort zone.

5. Find the Courage to Move Forward

Being fearful is a powerful force that can lead to stagnation. But most people are often afraid to take that first step. They choose to stay in their comfort zone to avoid the feeling of anxiety or stress, and pain.

Embracing courage allows you to see the world from a different perspective. Break the chains by confronting the fear that’s currently holding you back. As you practice moving forward over and over again, your fear will eventually go away, and you’ll enjoy the new changes in your life.

In Summary

You don’t have to overcome huge challenges daily, as it is consistency that truly matters. When you feel like you wish to give up, remind yourself of why you need to get stronger. This way, you’ll keep pushing yourself forward and get stronger eventually.