Building Mental Strength Is Not That Difficult If You Do This Exercise Every Day

Mental Strength Training (Stephan Seeber/Pexels)

JAKARTA - Are you the type of person who is easily anxious and is often overwhelmed with managing a sudden sense of panic? Don't worry, you are not alone and this is normal. Neuroscientist and Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at the Center for Neuroscience at New York University, Wendy Suzuki, PhD, discovered a powerful way to combat anxiety. The way expressed by the author of Good Anxiety: Harnessing the Power of the Most Misunderstood Emotion is to work consistently to build your resilience and mental strength. As you do so, according to Wendy, you'll learn to appreciate or even accept certain types of mistakes because of the new information you discover.

Here are some exercises you can do every day to build resilience and mental strength.

Visualize positive results in mind

At the beginning or at the end of the day, think about all the uncertain situations that are happening right now in your life, big or small. For example, will you get good performance reviews at work? Will your child feel at home in his new school? Will you finally be able to land your dream job?

Then, imagine a scenario and visualize the most optimistic and amazing outcome that could happen for your situation. Not just a “decent” result, but the best result you can imagine.

This method is not meant to set you up for greater disappointment if your dreams don't come true. Instead, it's an exercise for you to hope for positive results and maybe even open up creative ideas about what you can do to make your dreams come true.

Take advantage of negative feelings to develop

Did you know that your brain is very flexible and allows you to be a strong person during difficult times? The brain, when needed, can learn how to calm down, reassess situations, reframe thoughts, and make smarter decisions.

Various emotions that have been considered by people as negative, in fact are not always bad. Consider below:

Anger can hinder your ability to pay attention and work, but it can also trigger and motivate you. Try to sharpen your attention and make it a reminder of what is important.

Fear can trigger memories of past failures, grab your attention and focus, and also damage your performance. But fear can also make you more careful in your decisions, deepen your reflection, and create opportunities to change course.

Sadness can lower your mood and motivation, but it can also help reset your priorities and motivate you to change your environment, circumstances, and behavior.

Worry can make you procrastinate and get in the way of achieving your goals, but it can also help you refine your plans, adjust your expectations, and become more realistic and goal-oriented.

Frustration can hinder progress and steal your motivation, but it can also challenge you to do more or do better.

This comparison may seem simple, but if you choose the better option, then your life scenario will change in a more positive direction.

Asking for help

Being able to ask for help, stay connected with friends and family, and actively maintain supportive relationships and push you in a good direction will not only keep you from anxiety, but it will also reassure you that you are not alone.

It's not easy, but having faith and feeling that you're surrounded by people who care about you is very important, especially during times of great stress.

When you are suffering from loss or some other form of distress, it is natural to withdraw a little. But you also have the power to push yourself into the warm embrace of those who love you.

One with nature

Science has repeatedly proven that spending time in nature has a positive effect on mental health. A 2015 study, for example, found that it can significantly improve your emotional well-being and resilience.

You don't have to live near a forest to be at one with nature. Just take advantage of the park closest to where you live or a quiet neighborhood with greenery where there are not many people around.

Breathe, relax, and become aware of the sounds, smells and sights before you. Use all your senses to create a heightened awareness of nature. This exercise will improve your overall endurance as it helps restore energy and reset your balance.