Being mentally strong means you know which parts of your mind you can control, and you control them ably when needed. Instead of letting you sink into the alleys of embarrassment and self-criticism, mental strength redirects your attention towards something productive or diverts your thinking towards something less damaging. Yes, there are facets of your mind that you can’t take control over. And we don’t need to control them either because being mentally strong doesn’t mean that you can exercise complete control over everything going on in your mind.

Many practices can make you mentally strong, but for the start-up, I am mentioning just 5. I call them ‘The Vital 5’. Inculcating them in your daily life is vital and crucially important to help you be mentally strong.

1. DON’T PLAY THE VICTIM

Adversity is inevitable. While facing adversity you should trust that it is not a dead end. Trust always outweighs fear. By not playing the victim you are actually pushing yourself through to the blue skies. Don’t spend your valuable time pitying yourself. Try incorporating gratefulness in your life instead. Grateful people have healthier immune systems and suffer less often from pain caused by adversity.

2. DON’T WORRY ABOUT WHAT THEY SAY

Wanting others to like and respect you is innate, but you can not worry too much about thoughts others hold about you. People will always have different opinions about you. You also carry opinions about others, don’t you? The thing is you should expect and accept that people will have opinions of you and their opinions should not matter to you. What you can do is take control of your own feelings and feel good about yourself. Surround yourself with accepting and supportive people. Find a clan you can mentally connect with.

3. DON’T DWELL ON YOUR PAST

Resist unnecessary mental time travel. You should never dwell on your past but rather reflect on it to learn from it. You should refuse to live a life of regret and let go of the grudges. You should learn from your past and stand responsible for any mistake done because that is what mentally strong people do. You should choose to move forward constructively rather than indulging in reminiscing destructive past.

4. DON’T LET ANYONE PUT YOU DOWN

Being empathetic, compassionate, and kind is one thing, but staying shut when your values and morals get questioned, is another. One should be unafraid to speak up for oneself when it calls. Defending your self-worth should be your utmost priority. No one has the slightest right to insult you. It is one life skill everyone needs to learn.

5. DON’T ENVY OTHER’S SUCCESS

This is the last and the very important one. Although spite and resentment are common human traits, one must learn to overcome this preliminary envy of other people’s success and harness their power instead. There will always be someone better and more accomplished than you. Practice acceptance and acknowledge others’ achievements without passing judgment. People who appreciate and celebrate other people’s success end up creating a positive environment around themselves.

TO SUM UP

A person with good mental strength can consciously choose both their actions and reactions. Being mentally strong helps in leashing destructive impulsiveness. Your mental strength is the ability to control your mind instead of being controlled by it. And it’s a skill anyone can improve with practice.

~ QuratulAin Hamza