Last Updated on February 17, 2023 by Lori Geurin
Wondering how to be strong mentally? Here are 10 things mentally strong people do.
Practicing these simple tips will help you build resilience, cope with negative emotions in a healthy way, and have self-compassion.
Mentally tough people don’t suppress their emotions or deny their feelings, but they learn how to deal with them productively. Mental strength is like a muscle and when you work it, it grows. Improving your mental toughness can strengthen your mental health. And the best news is that everyone can build mental strength!
When you’re ready to improve your life then you can begin following these habits mentally tough people do.
- 10 Habits Mentally Strong People Practice
- 1. Life is a process of growth and learning.
- 2. Persevere through difficult situations.
- 3. Acknowledge responsibility for life choices.
- 4. Be grateful.
- 5. Set healthy boundaries.
- 6. Be aware of your emotions.
- 7. Correct self-limiting, negative beliefs.
- 8. Be kind to yourself.
- 9. Stay true to your core beliefs.
- 10. Be self-aware and check your progress.
- Summary – How To Stay Mentally Strong
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10 Habits Mentally Strong People Practice
1. Life is a process of growth and learning.
Constantly challenge yourself to expand your horizons. Read and research topics of interest and those you know nothing about. Improve your skills and challenge your brain.
Embrace a growth mindset (versus a fixed mindset) and be passionate about learning. Personality traits and intelligence are not ingrained at birth. They can be developed with effort.
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2. Persevere through difficult situations.
When hard times come it’s easy to give up. But resist the urge and you’ll be rewarded. Tough times will come and go, but sticking it out through adversity can build strength over time. So don’t give up. You are stronger than you think.
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. (Kelly Clarkson sure knows her stuff.)
3. Acknowledge responsibility for life choices.
The only person who can live your life is you. You have free choice to make your own decisions, and you accept full responsibility for any and all consequences, good and bad.
This morning I was listening to Justin Su’a’s Increase Your Impact podcast, and he told a story about one of his favorite books. It was about a SEAL team. In an interview, the SEAL team leader said he took responsibility for every mistake the team made, even when it wasn’t directly his fault.
Su’a went on to explain how today, many people blame others instead of taking personal responsibility for their actions and how important this is if you want to grow and have a positive impact on anyone’s life – whether you’re a leader or not.
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4. Be grateful.
Practicing gratitude may sound soft to some (especially when we’re talking about mental toughness) but it’s one of the best things you can do to gain perspective in life.
There are many ways you can show your gratitude, including writing in a gratitude journal.
Here are 20 more! 20 Easy Ways To Express Gratitude
5. Set healthy boundaries.
Many people don’t realize how important it is to set healthy boundaries. Psychotherapist, Amy Morin is the author of 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do. Morin says that when people don’t set physical and mental boundaries they give away their personal power.
But setting these boundaries gives you room to grow. It helps you be more compassionate, experience less stress and anger, and have more peace.
Related: 20 Quotes About Compassion To Inspire You
6. Be aware of your emotions.
Mentally strong people don’t suppress their emotions. As a matter of fact, according to Morin,
“They monitor their emotions throughout the day and recognize how their feelings influence their thoughts and behaviors,” she says. “They know sometimes reaching their greatest potential requires them to behave contrary to how they feel.”
-Amy Morin
Remember to lead your emotions and don’t let your emotions lead you.
Related: 20 Natural Ways To Boost Your Mood
7. Correct self-limiting, negative beliefs.
We know that the mind is a powerful thing.
“For as he thinketh in his (or her) heart so he (or she) is.”
Proverbs 23:7
One thing we can control in life is our thoughts. Experience shows that if we don’t control our thoughts they will control us.
Mentally strong people are aware of negative self-talk.
You know what I mean…the I’m not good enough, strong enough, attractive enough, smart enough, wealthy enough, thin enough, buff enough, popular enough…ad nauseam.
So listen closely to the messages you’re telling yourself. If when you hear a negative message, STOP and replace it with a positive, honest one about yourself.
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Here are a few positive affirmations to get you started:
- Everything will work out for my good.
- I am a winner.
- I’m growing stronger every day.
- I can do this.
- I know my worth.
- I’ve decided that I’m enough.
- It’s not their job to like me…It’s mine.
- I have the power to change my story.
- I’m not afraid to be wrong.
- I’m worthy of love and joy.
- I choose hope over fear.
- I have the power to control my weight through healthy clean eating and exercise.
- My body is a temple. I will keep my temple clean.
- I choose to not take it personally.
- I’m not an object. My body deserves respect.
- I am loveable and loved.
Lather, rinse and repeat.
This is a process and it takes longer for some people than others depending on a lot of factors. But it does get easier and it’s so worth the effort!
(Find out how to be a better listener with 10 easy tips.)
Check out our List Of 50 Little Pleasures That Fill Your Life With Joy.
8. Be kind to yourself.
Practice self-compassion. Rome wasn’t built in a day. You’re a work in progress – just like anyone else.
Think of this life’s journey like a marathon, not like a sprint. You’re in it for the long haul and the dividends will pay off if you stick with the plan. Practice fortitude.
Just don’t forget to give yourself grace along the way. Beating yourself up for being human won’t make you stronger in the long run. Kindness matters. And it starts with being kind to YOU.
You can check out our Be Kind shirts and apparel in our Wellness Lori shop.
Simply click on the t-shirt below.
Want to find out what to do when you say something you regret? Learning these important strategies will help you forgive yourself and flip the script on negative self-talk.
Related: 50 Ways To Be Kind To Others: Kindness Matters
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9. Stay true to your core beliefs.
Mentally strong people make choices based on their values and beliefs. Aligning your priorities and goals with your belief system even when it’s not “popular” takes inner strength and courage.
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10. Be self-aware and check your progress.
Take time for personal reflection. What is your purpose in life?
What makes you excited when your feet hit the floor in the morning? How about personal strengths? What are areas you can work to improve on?
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Summary – How To Stay Mentally Strong
The above characteristics of a mentally strong person can help you effectively deal with stress and challenges and build resilience so you can live your best life.
Practicing these core habits will build mental toughness so when difficult times come along, you’re better prepared to handle them.
If you liked this, be sure to check out:
- 8 Ways To Improve Your Communication Skills
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- Disappointment Hack: When You Want A Swimming Pool But Get A Dirt Road
- 15 Personality Traits Of An Empath: Are You One?
- 20 Natural Ways To Boost Your Mood
- 7 Ways To Be A Better Communicator
- l0 Proven Benefits Of Gratitude That Will Upgrade Your Life
What helps you stay mentally strong?
Thanks for the reminder. I constantly remind myself to be thankful and surround myself with healthy positive people.
Absolutely! This is awesome, Linda! Being intentional about practicing gratitude is so powerful. Aren’t positive people the fun to be around?! Thanks for sharing!
Oh wow, there is such great insight here. Correcting negative thought and being kind to yourself can be such hard things to do consistently, but make such a huge difference in how we succeed in the world.
Thanks, Christa! I couldn’t agree more!
I really appreciate how you advise against suppressing emotions. So many people think that to be strong they have to be stoic. That is definitely not healthy!
Thank you, Kate – I agree! 🙂
Love this post!! I really need to be more kind to myself!! I should follow better some of these things!
Hi Joy! Thank you! Yes, please be kind to yourself. I hope this helps.
So true – all 10 things. I especially struggle with dealing with emotions. Honestly I’d rather deny them and ignore them. But that is weak. Thanks for the encouragement today.
Thank you for the kind words, Tiffany! I think a lot of people can probably relate to what you shared here. Emotions can be tricky, can’t they? 😉