3 Simple Steps to Kickstart Your Mental Strengthening Journey
How many times have you heard how important it is to spend time and energy going to the gym to work on your body and appearance?
My guess, you’ve heard it just shy of a million times in your adult life. When it comes to your physical health, everyone has something to say. Do this workout, try this diet, don’t eat that, make sure to get 8 hours of sleep … blah blah blah. Sure, most of us want to stay healthy or become healthier for our families, our careers, ourselves … which means most of us continue doing so to live a longer physical life.
My question to you though is, how many times have you had the same thought process for your mental health? Do you go to the “gym” for it? Do you sleep for it? Do you overall do the things necessary to care for it just like you do for your physical health?
Mental strengthening is just as important as the focus you put on your physical health. Working out your mental muscles is something that can AND WILL support you long-term in your overall health, AND you guessed it, even your happiness. Put it all together and now it supports you in allowing you to live your best life.
So, think about it. How often do you actively work out in your mental gym? What does it mean to workout in a mental gym?
Your mental gym can be made up of MANY different things. Just like the physical gym, there is flexibility to how you can exercise each day and various areas of your brain that you can exercise. Some days there will be resistance, other days you’ll have endurance, and needing rest is still a must.
Here are 3 simple ways you can start the journey of mental strengthening for your overall benefit.
1. Read
We have been taught from an early age the benefits of reading–and for good reason. Statistics clearly show that high-performing individuals with success in their career and personal life, including overall happiness and life satisfaction, are avid readers. However, do you believe it? It’s true, but I think it’s important for you to feel it, to do it, to start to believe it. Comfy Living recently published an article with 21 captivating reading statistics. Let’s take a deeper look below.
Reading can reduce stress by up to 68%.
86% of people with an annual household income of $75,000 a year read at least one book every year. Statistics also show the more books read the higher income made per household.
Rating stats show that 50% of people who read before bed report sleeping better than non-readers.
Reading could help reduce mental decline in old age by up to 32%.
Reading fiction can make you a better decision-maker.
Reading increases emotional intelligence, and consequently, your career outlook.
2. Review your audience
An easily overlooked, but important aspect, of your own mental gym includes the people that you allow into the space. Quite frankly, DON’T LET JERKS JOIN YOUR WORKOUT. Would you allow someone to stand next to you on a treadmill while you run and have them spew off all the ways you're doing things wrong? Of course not. That would drastically decrease your performance and growth.
I suggest you apply that same approach to your mental gym. No jerks allowed, and no one that is going to slow down your performance and growth. You must establish boundaries for your mental gym and ensure that your audience is made up of people who strengthen you, support you, and assist you on your journey to your best self.
The right audience is likely on a similar path as you (even if you’re feeling alone). It is not uncommon that you will find you are surrounding yourself with others on the same mental strengthening journey. They will stretch your mental muscle by observing situations differently than you. They also can identify gaps you currently are experiencing. One of my favorite sayings is, “You don't know, what you don't know, because you don't know, you don't know it.”
Surrounding yourself with someone who has your best interest at heart can be instrumental in strengthening your mental muscle. They can hold space as well as challenge you. Being vulnerable and identifying that you don't have all the answers but are seeking to keep improving is key.
3. The Pause
The pause is what I identify as self-care. These are the tiny moments that will strengthen your mental muscle in big ways. Allow yourself to pause and reflect on your next best move. Your pause may tell you a list of different things. It’s about taking the time to actually hear what the pause is telling you.
Maybe your pause is asking you for a moment for meditation. Maybe your pause needs a nice long walk. Maybe your pause will show you the benefit of journaling the moment you are in. Maybe your pause is intended to slow down your pace so you can take a deep breath.
Are you starting to see the benefit of the pause? If not, you must try it! The goal of the pause is to allow the time to slow down. It’s saying, “Hey pick your head up from the grind of your current day, and take a look around at where you are!” This pause is power. This pause is reflection. Challenging yourself to incorporate moments of pause daily strengthens your mental muscle, allows for better decision-making, and is one of the most impactful forms of self-care you can practice. Living with pause CAN AND WILL transform your life.
Wherever you are on your mental strengthening journey, do not stop. It is a lifelong habit to incorporate at your own pace for overall health and happiness. You will have setbacks, like with anything, but each breakdown creates space for a breakthrough. And by strengthening your mental muscle, you will start identifying opportunities where they had not been before.
I’m Krista Ryan
My job is to help you learn a little, laugh a lot, and get clear on action steps for your success.
It may have taken a life changing event to shake me awake and decide I no longer wanted to live a comfortable life… I wanted to embrace the discomfort and live a life of courage and intention.
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