Mental health is more than just free of mental illness. It is about how you feel about yourself and how you adjust to events happening in your life. Look at 9 signs you are mentally strong or progressing towards a good mental health.
1. Connect with other people
Healthy relationships are important for a healthy brain. When you connect with other people, you develop an ability of sense of belonging and self-worth. This, in return, gives you an opportunity to share positive experiences.
A good connection provides emotional support and allows you to support others. So, if you love meeting people, connecting, and sharing with them, your mental health is strong.
Further, to build stronger relations, take time each day to be with your family and friends. What about arranging a day out with your girlfriend/boyfriend?
A PRO TIP: Do not rely on social media to build relationships. It’ll be easy for you to get into the habit of only ever texting, messaging, or emailing people. Want to know how social media can harm your body image?
2. A rational and present mind
Do you see reality as it is? That means you are good at conceptualizing reality properly. You use reason, logic, observation, and common sense. When compared to the irrational people, they are highly illogical and love living a fictional life. Such kind of people only comes up with conclusions that kind of make sense to them but are objectively short-sighted or simply absurd.
You don’t need to be worried! You have the ability to maintain a high level of awareness. Accepting the situation as it is without deluding yourself is a sign you have strong mental health. You know how to live in the present moment without being stuck in the past or worrying about the future.
3. Empathy and compassion
“Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”
Desmond Tutu
Mentally strong people have a strong feeling of empathy for themselves and by extension sense of empathy towards others. It may not necessarily mean that you have to agree with other people or their actions. Empathy refers to understanding how others feel, think, act, and why.
The same is for compassion! It’s just an extension of self-empathy. Since you understand how you feel, and since you understand how others may feel, you are a compassionate person. Yes! That’s a good sign of strong mental health if you have a lot of compassion for those who are legitimately hurting.
4. Control your emotions
If you think you can control your emotions, you have already convinced yourself you are mentally fit.
Master your mindset thinking, you can do this! It’s the absolute power of positive thinking giving you the best chance to succeed in your life. Don’t worry, re-framing your mind takes time. Through practice, you can change your outlook from negative to positive.
If you control your emotions, means you know how to react to negative situations. It’s therefore important internally to acknowledge your feelings.
5. Not Afraid to Stand Up for What You Believe In
I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”
Nelson Mandela
When you believe something is wrong around you, you speak up! If you are a mentally strong woman, you do not watch others get bullied. Instead, you take action. Strong mental health makes you advocate for yourself and for others by displaying good morality and values in your everyday lives. In doing this, your positivity rubs off not only on you but also on others.
Also, if you do not phase by what other people say, it’s one of the signs you are mentally strong. You can overcome the “haters” by ignoring comments when people say hurtful things at times. Ignoring these things is difficult, but it is possible. You do not want to feel defined by others, so you must learn not to be phased by the negativity that other people might bring into your life.
6. Understand and manage bad mental health days
Were you good at yourself when you weren’t feeling your best? Mental health, good or bad, comes with the compounding issues. When you feel down and not able to tend to your work, your mind has a way of instantaneously triggering self-talk. It tells you that you are worthless or incapable. But when you improve your mental health, you will know how to recognize and confront all the negative thoughts.
Make positive mental health changes to ensure a healthy and successful life. Never hesitate to accept who you are. Bad days will go! Show yourself some grace!
7. Take risks
Breaking records and achieving new goals means taking risks. Don’t think it is impossible. Develop yourself the courage to take risks.
Whether your risk is about starting your own business by leaving your current job or breaking unhealthy relationships, take risks to move to the next level. Seizing the opportunity at right time and being courageous is one of the signs you are mentally strong.
8. Set realistic goals
Have you decided what you want to gain academically, professionally, and personally? Have you written down the steps you need to achieve your goals? Remember, mentally strong people always aim high. You need to be realistic and don’t over-schedule. In the end, you’ll enjoy a great sense of accomplishment and self-worth as you move towards your goal.
Always ready to learn new skills. It can improve your mental well-being by helping you to build a sense of purpose. It will boost your self-confidence and raise your self-esteem helping you to connect with others. Bring learning into your life even if you feel like you do not have enough time.
9. Strengthened mental muscles
It comes last on the list of the signs you are mentally strong. Obviously, developed and strengthened mental muscles make you super healthy.
Either by exercise or yoga, strengthen your brain muscles. Do you know that staying positive only can strengthen brain muscles? So, if you feel positive throughout the day, you remain mentally healthy by strengthening your brain muscles.
Being mentally strong also requires giving up the bad habits that are stealing your mental strength. It’s also about commitment to creating positive changes in the way you think, feel and behave.
How you can cultivate your mental health?
Your mental health is shaped by social, economic, and environmental conditions? Sounds strange? You need to address the social determinants of poor mental health to improve mental health. On an individual level, take steps to optimize your mental health. The first step would be identifying your existing support networks. Also, check the coping strategies that you’ve using in the past.
Improve your mental health by doing small things and help yourself to cope in tough times. Find a type of exercise or yoga you enjoy. Eat healthy food and get good sleep. Learning strategies to manage stress and have realistic expectations. Learning ways to relax, like meditation. Do things you enjoy the most and that give you a sense of accomplishment.
Related: 10 Quick Ways to Boost Yourself with Positive Vibes!
