9 Things That Can Help To Become Mentally Strong.

1. DEAL WITH YOUR EMOTIONS

Take a minute to think about what you do when you’re feeling some unsavory emotions. Do you bury yourself in your bed and sleep for hours when you’re sad? Do you binge eat when you’re stressed? Grab a bottle and start drinking when you’re angry?

While we’re all guilty of doing at least one of those things, none of them are really good for actually dealing with our emotions and working through them in a healthy way. That’s why, to be a mentally stronger person, you need to learn better coping skills. Instead of self-medicating or engaging in other self-destructive behaviors, try some of these:

• Write in a journal. Putting those intense thoughts on paper actually helps you process them.
• Go for a walk or run. Physical activity (without over-exerting yourself) will help you calm down, and the boost of endorphins will help you feel so much better.
• Meditate! Empty your mind and push all those bad thoughts aside. You’ll reduce negative emotions, feel more patient, and will be able to cope better.

2.DON’T WORRY ABOUT PLEASING OTHERS

Many of us tend to try to please and seek the approval of others in the things we do, even if we say we don’t care what others think. This is a natural biological defense mechanism to protect us from the emotional pain of rejection, however, living your life as a people-pleaser won’t make you truly happy since you won’t be living an authentic life the way you want.

Mentally strong individuals have the guts to express how they truly feel and act how they want to, even if it isn’t popular with everyone else. It won’t happen overnight, but try doing and saying things you actually want. If you don’t want to hang out with your friends that night, tell them. If you feel like singing along to “Call Me Maybe” when it comes on at the bar, by all means, sing your heart out. That stuff takes courage, and trust me when I say people will respect your giant balls for actually doing what no one else can do.

3.OVERCOME YOUR INNER CRITIC

Thanks to a little something called the self-fulfilling prophecy, being your own worst critic is one of the worst things you can do to yourself. Those negative thoughts only set you up for failure, so instead of judging and criticizing yourself and expecting the worst outcome of a situation, try to force yourself to believe that you’re going to succeed in anything you do.

However, if those pesky negative thoughts persist, take a minute to really think about them, and odds are you’ll realize that some of them are completely irrational.

4. GIVE UP BAD HABITS

In order to be a mentally strong person, you need to ditch your bad habits ASAP, because you can’t move forward with them weighing you down. Some of the absolute worst habits to kick include:

• Comparing yourself to others
• Surrounding yourself with negative people or people you don’t like
• Ruminating on the past
• Being afraid of change
• Not learning from your mistakes
• Worrying about things you can’t control or change

Once you get rid of those toxic habits, your life will get exponentially better. Trust.

5. Take positive action.

The best way to train your brain to think differently is by changing your behavior. Do hard things--and keep doing them even when you think you can't. You'll prove to yourself that you're stronger than you think.

Establish healthy daily habits as well. Practice gratitude, exercise, get plenty of sleep, and eat a healthy diet so your brain and your body can be at their best.

Seek out people who inspire you to be your best. And create an environment that supports your efforts to build a healthy lifestyle.

6. LEARN TO SAY “NO”

Mentally strong people don’t have a problem saying no, which keeps them from overcommitting themselves. If you say yes to things you don’t want to do, or every time someone asks you for help or invites you somewhere, you won’t have any time for yourself, nor will you be happy.

Long story short, try to incorporate the word “no” more into your vernacular. Your mind and body will thank you.

7. DON’T BLAME OTHERS

If you fuck up or something goes wrong, do you play the blame game? Or do you take responsibility for what happened?

Even though it’s often easiest to throw blame on others, it’s never a good thing. For example, if your girlfriend gets upset with you often about a certain thing you do – for instance, not being thoughtful -- and you find yourself blaming her for starting a fight and making you feel bad, try thinking about it from her perspective. What did or didn't you do that made her upset?

Taking responsibility for your problems is incredibly empowering and so, so important to building mental strength, because only then will you be able to learn from your mistakes and avoid them in the future, solve problems, and be more successful.

8. Identify and replace unhealthy thought patterns.

The way you think affects how you feel and how you behave. Thinking things like, "I can't stand this," or "I'm such an idiot," robs you of mental strength.

Pay attention to your thoughts. You'll likely notice common themes and patterns. Perhaps you talk yourself out of doing things that feel scary. Or maybe you convince yourself that you have no control over your life.

Respond to unproductive and irrational thoughts with something more helpful. So instead of saying, "I'm going to mess this up," remind yourself, "This is my chance to shine and I'm going to do my best." Changing those conversations you have with yourself can be the most instrumental thing you could do to change your life.

9. DON’T BE AFRAID OF PAIN

As we all know, the things we want in life don’t magically appear in front of us, and sometimes, we need to really work for those things. And I’m talking blood, sweat, and tears