 sleep earlier. Also, throw out all the alcohol from your fridge that is always tempting you to drink. Soon, you would find that without these items, your mind will be more relaxed and at ease.
9. Having An Actionable Plan To Change
The main reason people fail to accomplish resolutions is that they push themselves and set unrealistic goals without a proper plan of action. Just like real resolutions, mental strength training is not a 1-day, 2-week or 3-month regime. It’s a life-long process. This means there is never a deadline for your quest except for the one you set. So, rather than saying “I’m going to become mentally stronger in the next three months”, just say “I’m going to become a mentally stronger person”. A deadline for your goals are great but don’t look at it as a failure if you failed to reach the target. A good plan for mental strength building should start with specific things within a reasonable period. Things like “I’m going to be less angry this week”, or “I will keep a journal of all the good things that happened today”, then continue with broader, more time-consuming goals such as “I will spend every weekend with my family this month”, or “I will plan a surprise trip for my kids this week”. By starting small, then progressing to something bigger, you put less pressure on yourself and build up durability that grows your mental strength.
10. Accept That You Can’t Control Everything
Being responsible for what you do is a sensible thing but trying to take control of everything will only drive you crazy. People who are mentally strong never try to control everything, because they understand that there are things outside of their capacity. Take the weather, for example. You plan out a perfect trip for Sunday, but suddenly, the news forecasts rain on that day. So, are you going to go mad and shout at everyone? No! You should accept that things such as the weather and other people’s feelings and opinions are entirely outside of your perception.
When you accept that you are not in control of everything, life would be a lot less stressful. However, another mental obstacle that comes up is when you try to prevent problems from occurring. Whether it’s caused by your recklessness or by other people. In fact, life problems could happen out of pure randomness rather than intentions. Therefore, instead of getting agitated at the source of the problem, train your mind to become more focused on getting a solution to the problem. By doing this, all of the negative feelings caused by the problem would be replaced by your motivation and determination for problem-solving.
11. Eat “Slow Carbs”
You might have known that good food is the base for bodybuilding, but do you know that it is the foundation to build mental health as well? We are aware of the fact that not all foods are made equal in nutrients and vitamins, but certain foods are extremely effective in controlling your emotions and strengthening your mental clarity. They are mainly “slow carbs” foods, which generally means they release their energy very slowly. Some examples of foods are brown rice, brown bread, vegetables, seeds, peas, beans, and legumes. What makes “slow carbs” food good for your mental health is that their sugars are not broken down too rapidly during digestion. Therefore, your blood sugar level stabilizes, and you will feel a sense of calmness and mental clarity for the whole day. On the other hand, consuming “fast carbs” such as chips, coke and cereals put your blood sugar on a rollercoaster, which in turn causes frequent mood swings.
12. Get Enough Sleep
Feeling grumpy because you stayed up working late last night? Busy people swap their time for work, and work will always be the number one reason why most of us stay up late. It’s a bad thing to skip or not sleep enough because sleep is the best method for you to heal mentally, to commence the process of storing, selecting and retaining the information into the brain memory, and to increase mental concentration after waking up. That doesn’t even include the physical benefits. If you don’t get en