Strong Mind. . .
When it comes to modern life many of you know I often write on what I call the three tiers of wisdom – compassion, understanding and grace. But what I often fail to discuss is the one quality required to drive all three – mental strength.
Building mental strength is fundamental to living your best life. Just as we go to the gym and lift weights in order to build our physical muscles, we must also develop our mental health through the use of mental tools and techniques.
Optimal mental health helps us to live a life that we love, have meaningful social connections, and positive self-esteem. It also aids in our ability to take risks, try new things, and cope with any difficult situations that life may throw at us.
Mental strength begins when you choose to take notice of what’s passing through your mind, without identifying personally with those thoughts or feelings. Then, finding the determination to evoke optimistic thoughts about the situation at hand.
The techniques for developing mental strength revolve around five themes:
- Positive Thinking
- Anxiety Control
- Visualization
- Goal Setting
- Attentional Control
At the root of many of these tools and strategies for building your mental fitness, are Self-Awareness and Acceptance. In order to enhance, improve or build upon our existing mental strength, we must be aware of where we are at, and also accept that this IS where we are at. Only then can we begin to take steps toward a stronger, healthier mental state.
Another key takeaway is that you cannot control everything that happens to you but you absolutely can control how you react to what happens. In these cases, your mind can be your biggest asset or your worst enemy. When you learn how to train it well, you can bounce back from difficult situations and can accomplish incredible feats.
If you want to experience greater overall life satisfaction, you must be in good mental health. Mental fitness includes strength, toughness, and resilience. Building these muscles may be very challenging, and might take years of effort and commitment, but the benefits of being mentally fit and resilient will be seen in all aspects of your life.
Peace and Love, Jim
#strongmind #thedailybuddha
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