12 Active Ways to Build Mental Strength and Overcome Challenges

How to Build Mental Strength

Building your mental strength is just as important as building your physical strength. The best way to cope with the pressures and stress of everyday life is by boosting your mental strength.

Finding your mental balance and strength is crucial because it is connected to your body. There is a distinct connection between your emotional and physical health. If you are feeling lost or hopeless, you can try these active ways to build your mental strength. You need to treat yourself holistically.

Not everyone is born with the same level of mental toughness. However, you can cultivate it to a higher level than what you were born with. Building your mental strength can help you deal with situations that create a lot of pressure. When you are mentally strong, you can learn not to let such situations overwhelm you.

Here are eleven active ways to build your mental strength:

12 Active Ways to Build Your Mental Strength

Control your mind

This is the most important step in building your mental toughness. If you don’t learn to control your mind, it will control you. When you let your mind control you, you simply accept the emotions and reactions that have been inputted earlier. These might not be the best or smartest strategies, but they worked for you at some time in the past.

When you stop controlling your mind, it starts to take past reactions as the default reactions for similar situations. This can lead to feelings of anxiety, fear, and over-excitement during high-pressure moments. To make yourself mentally strong, you need to reprogram your mind. You need to control your focus and eliminate self-doubt and self-critique.

Smile, it can help you overcome physical pain

The old saying “grin and bear it” has been proven effective. Research has shown that you can feel significantly less discomfort if you smile. On the other hand, frowning can increase your pain.

Smiling can decrease your heart rate during stressful situations. Even if you don’t feel happier, it can make you feel significantly less pain. So, the next time you are faced with a painful situation, try to think of a happy memory that makes you smile. This will help reduce the pain.

Be Positive

It is very easy to become overly critical of yourself. When things become difficult, you can become severely critical of your flaws and shortcomings. However, this is possibly one of the worst things you can do for your mental happiness. Constant self-criticism is often the biggest issue faced by people with poor self-esteem.

One way to build your mental strength is to fight the urge to criticize yourself every time something goes wrong. Instead, promise yourself to have a more positive mindset when facing difficult situations. When you consciously make an effort to remove negative thoughts from your mind, they are automatically replaced by positive ones. This can go a long way in helping you build your mental toughness and fully enjoy the present moment.

Go for walks frequently

Numerous studies have shown the positive links between physical exercise and mental health. Research indicates that mental health issues can be effectively treated with the help of regular physical activity. Simple exercises such as walking daily for half an hour can provide immense benefits in building your mental stamina.

You don’t have to undergo rigorous training and cardio at the gym to build your mental toughness. All you need to do is walk for at least two hundred minutes a week. Studies have also shown that walking can be as beneficial as taking antidepressants.

There are also other emotional advantages to going for regular walks. Even if you aren’t depressed, you can enjoy these benefits while building your mental strength.

Find what motivates you

This is probably one of the biggest steps you need to take to build your mental toughness. Finding the reason that keeps you going will help you overcome all the negative thoughts telling you to give up.

During hard times, it's always a good idea to look inside yourself and find the motivation that drives you. Having a purpose that urges you to keep going will give you the mental strength you need to carry on. Even when times get hard, having your motivation burning in the back of your mind will see you through.

Additionally, expressing gratitude can be a powerful tool for boosting your mental well-being.  Consider keeping a gratitude journal where you write down a few things you're thankful for each day.  You can also practice mindful appreciation by taking a moment to reflect on the positive aspects of your life, big or small.

Find the balance between positive and negative thoughts

Thinking positive thoughts is very important for building your mental strength. It allows you to truly believe that good things will happen and that it will all work out. When you honestly consider the possible positive outcomes, chances are that you will work towards making them happen.

However, it is equally important to consider negative thoughts. These allow you to anticipate things that can go wrong with your plans. Be it at work or in your personal life, you need to consider the chances of things not going according to plan. Negative thinking allows you to prepare for and deal with situations.

What you need is to find the balance between positive and negative thoughts. An excess of either can be damaging to your mental health.

  Learn more: How to Stop Negative Thinking

Practice relaxation techniques for stress management

Deep breathing exercises, like the 4-7-8 technique, can significantly improve your focus and concentration. Inhale for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 7 seconds, and exhale slowly for 8 seconds. [Learn more here on Breathing Exercises]

Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) is another technique where you tense and release different muscle groups to ease tension. [Learn more here on PMR]

Mindfulness meditation, where you focus on your breath and the present moment, can also be very effective. [Learn more here on Mindfulness Meditation]

Visualization involves picturing yourself coping successfully in stressful situations. Regularly practicing these techniques can significantly reduce stress and improve your mental well-being.

Focus only on things that you can control

Worrying about things that are beyond your control can cause you a great deal of stress and frustration. Focusing too much on the outcomes can also lead to distractions. You become unfocused on the tasks that you have to do. Ultimately, it results in you not being able to give your best efforts. This, in turn, can cause you stress and start a cycle of self-criticism.

To stop this, you need to focus only on the things that you need to do at the present moment. Sure, you can have an idea of the outcome. However, don’t let that become more important than your duties. Focus on what you can directly control, including your attitude and your approach to the task at hand.

Prioritize Quality Sleep

Just like your body, your mind needs adequate rest to function at its best. Getting enough quality sleep is crucial for mental health and cognitive function. Adults generally need around 7-8 hours of sleep each night.

To improve your sleep hygiene, create a relaxing bedtime routine, avoid screen time before bed, and establish a consistent sleep schedule. Aiming for a good night's sleep will significantly enhance your mental strength and emotional resilience.

Don’t focus too much on past failures

Experiencing failure in any of your past endeavors, whether personal or professional, can be challenging. However, it is never the end of everything. One setback doesn’t mean you should excessively criticize yourself. Avoid becoming upset by criticism from others regarding your performance.

Instead, take note of the feedback and commit to improving the areas where you have identified shortcomings. Instead of harshly criticizing yourself for a single setback, acknowledge areas for improvement and work towards enhancing those aspects. Don’t dwell on past failures. Move forward promptly and approach your next task with a fresh perspective.

Don’t Let Others Define You

Thinking too much about what other people think of you will only cause stress and anxiety. Building your mental strength involves not letting others have power over you. Understand that you can’t always make choices and decisions that please everyone, and that’s okay.

The key to building mental strength is focusing on your passions and goals. Don’t dwell on what others think or say about you; this can distract you from your goals and lead to frustration. Take a break from social media and the constant need to measure up to others. It's okay to pursue your goals without worrying about others' opinions.

Balance your emotions with logic

If you want to be mentally strong, you need to learn to balance your emotions with logic. Making decisions based solely on emotions is not always rational. Strong emotions, especially, can cloud your thinking. That's why it's important to consider the logic behind your emotions when making any decision.

Understand that emotions can influence your thought process. When making decisions, it's best to balance emotions with logic. This approach helps you reach the best possible decisions. Take your emotions into account, but ensure you support them with logical reasoning. Doing so will help you build your mental strength.

Conclusion

Building mental strength is not limited to changing the way you think. Changes in your physical routine can also help you a great deal. Simple exercises like walking, yoga, or even deep breathing can help you build your mental toughness. These activities can train your mind while also helping it to heal, making you more emotionally sound.

If you feel overwhelmed, it is best to seek professional help. You can choose to give therapy a try; it has been very effective for many people around the world in building their mental strength.

Take charge of your mental well-being! Don't wait until you're feeling overwhelmed. Start building your mental strength today with these simple yet powerful techniques.