Hey Psych2Goers and welcome back to another video.
Are you mentally strong?
Mental strength refers to how resilient and confident you are under stressors, pressures,
and challenges that arise in your life.
There’s a range of factors that may be harming your mental strength without you knowing.
Please note, this video is not intended to attack anyone who experiences any of the topics
listed in this video.
Instead, it’s designed to help you identify ways in which you can improve.
So, here are six habits that may make you mentally weak.
Number 1 - Having a negative mindset.
How often do you find yourself complaining about the day-to-day inconveniences?
Do you notice those around you always mentioning the worst-case scenarios?
You might be surprised at how much negativity you hold onto and express.
Whilst things going wrong is inevitable, the way you react to these situations is one telltale
indicator of your mental strength.
In fact, Stanford researchers found that the way you want to feel determines whether others
can negatively impact your emotions.
In particular, they found that those who wanted to stay calm were less fazed by angry people,
compared to those who
wanted
to feel angry.
Number 2 - Not expressing yourself.
Do you have a place to express your emotions?
Having an outlet for your emotions - whether it’s writing in a journal or talking to
a loved one - is incredibly important for your mental wellbeing.
Emotions serve to guide you and whilst opening up about them has been stigmatized as a weakness,
the opposite is actually true.
The ability to express yourself is a strong sign of mental strength and resilience.
A research paper by Patel & Patel looked at the effect that repressing emotions can have
on mental well-being, and found that it can lead to depression.
So, how about setting aside some time to express how you’re really feeling?
Number 3 - Fantasizing instead of visualizing.
Do you find yourself constantly daydreaming about the grand things you want to achieve,
but never actually taking any action to make these things happen?
Visualization is about envisioning the future and, unlike fantasizing, involves setting
clear goals and plans.
Whilst fantasizing is a good place to start, visualizing makes plans clear and keeps you
motivated as a result.
Number 4 - Not making time for personal relationships.
When was the last time you spoke to a friend or family member?
Whilst staying connected during the pandemic has been difficult, it’s now more important
than ever.
Not making time for others can make you feel isolated, no matter how introverted you are.
Mentally strong people are able to recognize the importance of having a support system.
A study by Sandstorm & Dunn found social interactions - with both close and weak ties - contribute
to our mental well-being, suggesting that all kinds of social interactions can be beneficial.
Number 5 - Trying to control everything.
Do you have all the specifics of your life mapped out in your mind?
Like when you’ll find your perfect house when you’ll get married and have kids?
Trying to control everything around you will likely end up harming you in the long run.
If you become too set on one path, you may become close-minded and miss other opportunities
that arise.
Being too set on one map can also make it harder for you to deal with things when they
don’t go according to plan.
Life is unpredictable and a key part of mental strength is being able to accept that it’s
impossible to control everything.
Number 6 - Worrying about what others say and do.
Do you seek others’ validation?
Do you compare yourself and what you’re doing to those around you?
Whilst there are common insecurities, constantly fixating on doing things for the sake of others
may be a sign of emotional weakness.
The impact of doing things to please other people could make you lose sight of what’s
important to you.
Similarly, comparing yourself to others may demotivate you.
Remember, everyone lives their life at different speeds and the most important life to focus
on is your own.
So there we have it - six habits that may make you mentally weak.
Did you relate to any of the habits listed?
If so, please remember that recognizing mental weakness is the first step towards building
mental strength.
Whilst it may be daunting, the most important thing is to not give up on the areas you choose
to improve on!
After all, mental strength is all about resilience and trying your best.
Please let us know in the comment section which habits you might like to try and improve
on.
All the references used are also added in the description box below.
As always, thank you so much for watching - feel free to like, subscribe to the Psych2Go
channel if you haven’t already, and share with anyone you know that might find today’s
video helpful.
See you in our next video.
Thanks for watching!
Video by Psych2go.