There are various types of strengths. They include physical, emotional and mental strength. Dealing with the mind, mental strength is highly important. It determines how your mind can handle the stress and troubles of life. Just like other types of strengths, mental strength needs to be maintained and sustained. To increase this type of strength, you should avoid certain activities. Here are 15 things mentally strong people always avoid.
They Avoid Feeling Sorry for Themselves
Disappointments and let-downs are part of life. When they happen, we are distraught. We want to feel comforted. When there are no others to do that for us, we turn to self pity. This is a destructive habit and does not bring any solution. People who are mentally strong understand this fully. Therefore, they don't sit and feel sorry for themselves. Instead, they take responsibility and with the knowledge that life isn't fair, they push forward.
They Don't Lose Control of Their Personal Power
People who are mentally strong do not let others control them. They also do not give up their personal power. Even if other people make their lives hard, mentally strong people do not end up saying that so and so makes me feel sad. This is because they control their emotions. They have power over their responses and choose how to respond to a situation.
They Are Not Afraid of Change
The only constant in life is change. It brings about new environments and even circumstances. Therefore, many people are afraid of change. Mentally strong ones are not afraid of this phenomenon. They embrace change and understand that it helps them to become flexible. Change is always happening. It is better to accept it than to fight it.
They Do Not Waste Energy or Time on Things That Are Beyond Their Control
Everyone has their own sphere of control. Some have the ability to control lots of factors beyond them. Others have limited control. Factors such as traffic, luggage that has been lost or even the weather are items that mentally strong people do not try to control. When faced by uncomfortable circumstances of this nature, mentally strong people choose to control their attitude and this makes all the difference.
They Don't Live to Please Others
There is no need to please everyone at all times. Sometimes it is important to say no or speak up and object to an idea or circumstance. Despite constantly striving to be kind and gentle, mentally strong people are not afraid to let their opinions be known even if it upsets the other people.
They Don't Shy Away From Responsibility
If you want a better life, you have to strive to get it yourself. To do this, you need to be responsible for a number of factors in it. These factors include your emotions, your thoughts and even behavior. When faced with an unfamiliar or uncomfortable situation, weak people point fingers and place responsibility on another person. Mentally strong people take responsibility for their actions if they are to blame for the unfortunate situation. They understand that it is their fault and they have the power to make things right.
They Do Not Take Anything Personally
The things that other people do are reflections of their character. When other people do bad this to you, it is simply a reflection of their nature. People who are mentally strong understand this fully. They are aware that they cannot change the actions, thoughts or feelings of other people. Thus, they never feel that someone else is out to destroy or harm them. Therefore, they live their lives paying attention to their own actions instead of those of others.
They Do Not Forecast
We all sit and worry about the future. However, it rarely turns out how we anticipated. As such, it is often a futile effort to try and predict it. People who are mentally strong know this?. Therefore, they do not spend any time trying to anticipate or predict the future. They understand that the best way to have any impact on the future is by focusing on right now. Mentally strong people do not forecast or focus on the future because they know that this distracts them from what happening in the present.
They Do Not Spend Time Dreaming or Focused on Illusions
Many of us wish and hope that life all goes well. We dream and trust in our dreams. Unfortunately, these dreams rarely turn out exactly as we hope. There is always some good and some bad in the path of life. Mentally strong people understand this fully. They know that hoping everything goes well is denying the negative events of life. Denial does not solve anything but acceptance does. So they accept the good, the bad and move forward.
They Don't Hold on to the Past
The habit of holding on to the past helps us to avoid the pain of loss. We wish that things would go back and become as they were. Mentally strong people know that this is only a wish and not a reality. Therefore, they do not hold on to past events. They accept them, learn from them and move forward. They understand that one can't go through life looking backwards. They learn from their past mistakes and apply the lessons in the present for a better future. Anyway, focusing on the past is a guaranteed way to miss the opportunities available in the present.
They Don't Misuse Mental Energy
The world of today has many distractions all over the place. These can cause us to lose focus on the important tasks at hand. These distractions often cause us to become unproductive by giving them our mental attention. Those who are strong mentally do not use their mental energy on such distractions. They dedicate their effort to the tasks that bring about the most favorable change.
They Don't Focus on Negative Thoughts
We all get negative thoughts from time to time. These thoughts can drag us down or even hold us back. People who are mentally strong know not to focus on these thoughts. Instead, they focus on positive inner dialogue that drowns out the negativity and brings about benefit. By conducting self-motivation, they bring out the best in themselves.
They Don't Lose Focus on Their Goals
Everyone has some goals that they aspire to. These can be personal or professional goals. These goals give meaning and purpose to our lives. Many people get distracted along the way and lose focus on their goals. Mentally strong people delay personal gratification and achieve their goals. They are motivated by their challenges to work harder and perform better.
They Don't Ignore Progress
One of the factors that mentally strong people do is to pay attention to their progress. Many people do not review their daily performance so as to identify the areas where they can improve. This is highly important if you want to make a lasting beneficial change. Mentally strong individuals identify the areas that they are good at and where they have failed. After that they take steps to correct themselves and move on. This results in positive growth.
They Do Not Shy Away From Trying Times or Pain
As long as it brings about growth or serves a greater purpose, mentally strong people do not avoid pain. Many of us will deliberately avoid going through pain or discomfort in any form. By embracing trying situations, mentally strong people become better and bolder in their activities.
The Important Take Away
Mental strength is important and necessary for the purpose of weathering the challenges of life. It assists us to stay tough and learn from bitter experiences. It also comes in handy in appreciating the good parts of it too. Learn from the points above and develop a stronger mind.