The Process of Strengthening Mentally: The Process of Cultivating Strength in Hard Times.
Mental strength is the strength of soul which helps us to pass through stress, disappointments and uncertainties without dropping track. Life is not that predictable and there are no people who are not influenced by challenges. It is not that those who continue to move and those who are stagnant do so because they can handle the difficulty, but because they do so in an apparent, emotionally sound way.
Resilience does not mean that one does not experience pain and everything is fine. Instead, it is the embrace of the challenge and not to be propelled by it. The pressure is enhanced when people resist the reality. Acceptance will provide the mind with a capacity to shift to problem-solving instead of being frustrated.
One of the mental resiliency pillars is emotional awareness. It is the issue of many people the impossibility to suppress emotions and understanding of emotions. It is timely to react to hardship with stress, disappointment and fear. People can experience emotions without judgment and thus they are less strong and can be managed. Long term resilience is developed through this emotional intelligence.
The point of view is also an important factor. Somehow when in painful situations, mind tends to blow out of proportion and downplay capabilities. Intense personalities indulge in perspective through differentiating between identity that is temporary and permanent. Failure is not a value or ability, just an occasion of time.
The second significant aspect of resilience is the adaptability factor. Stagnant thinking contributes to misery. There must be flexibility in case of a discrepancy between expectation and the reality. Malleable individuals never surrender to goals since they redesign. They understand that failure to change strategies does not imply failure but rather the growth.
Ordinary life assists a person in remaining strong instead of dramatizing. Proper rest, exercise and time of silent contemplation stabilizes nervous system. When the body is properly maintained, then the mind is tough. Mental strength is not solely a psychological state, but it is quite connected with the physical one.
The other pillar is the social connection. Being lonely kills strength and being interdependent makes it stronger. It is comforting and educative to share stories with some individuals to whom one can be open. The knowledge that the individual human is not the only person who has problems undermines emotions.
Hard people also live on what they can handle. Energy is wasted through the lack of motivation in worrying about something that is out of control. The sense of agency and progress will be regained with the refocusing on small and practical actions.
Resilience is a learnt response with time. Any challenge that is overcome assists in the development of confidence. Sufferings become testimonies of skill and not the sources of worry.
Mental power does not happen in a day. Patience, consciousness, habit make it up. With the course of time, things become less terrifying, internal strength is harder to shatter than external.