We are challenged regularly with difficulties both large and small. Why is it that some people throw in the towel while others thrive? What’s the difference?

Imagine losing your ability to see and hear. Think of the challenges and obstacles that you would be forced to overcome, or how life, in general, would change for you. This is what happened to Helen Keller, a woman famous for all she accomplished despite having lost two of her senses we all rely on so heavily.

Helen Keller’s story, and the stories like hers, do not serve the purpose of making us feel embarrassed or ashamed to be struggling in the way we are. Such stories are there to encourage us and show us that no matter how bad we may think our situation is, we have the ability to overcome it.

The ability to push through setbacks, overcome hardship life presents, and the ability to bounce back from negative thoughts is in fact the result of mental resiliency.

Obtaining resiliency is not as easy as we would hope for it to be and get started on your journey to have it can be the most difficult step. This is why it is crucial to understand what we are stepping into.

What is Mental Resiliency?

Resiliency is commonly understood to be the capacity of a person or thing to be able to bounce back quickly. That is to say, should a person be presented with a challenge or dilemma, they will not abandon hope or despair. They keep themselves level-headed and keep on going, and whatever frustrations or emotions felt in response are not dictating.

Suppose you are climbing a mountain and halfway up, a quarter of the way up, or maybe even a few minutes into the hike, you are wanting to stop for any number of reasons. However, instead of giving up, you push forward. That is resiliency.

Someone who lacks mental resiliency will quit. They’ll give in to their fears, struggles, or discomfort. A mentally resilient person who acknowledges how they are feeling and keeps going.

Fortunately, while it can be an expected challenge, growing in mental resilience doesn’t have to feel like an impossible task. There are ways one can do so gradually, and taking small steps is often a method that yields the best results. Resiliency is like a muscle, and muscles can be trained. 

Daily Strategies to Build Resilience and Improve Mental Health 

Becoming a mentally resilient person takes time and effort. There are a number of ways one can accomplish that. One of the best ways to go about this, as with anything, is to incorporate daily habits or strategies into your life so that you can be constantly practicing.

Let’s take a look at three different things you can do daily to work toward that mental resiliency.

1. Accomplish Small Goals

Confidence is key when it comes to having mental resiliency. One of the best ways to build up our confidence is through accomplishing goals. The more we accomplish the more confidence we feel. However, sometimes it is that very lack of mental resilience that keeps us from accomplishing our goals.

When we accomplish things, our confidence is improved. So to reinstall that confidence in us, we need to give ourselves small goals to accomplish each day. When we accomplish small goals, the bigger ones become easier to obtain.

It helps to have small goals to obtain in your day that contribute to your general well-being too. For example, you could do something small like making your bed in the morning. When you get used to that, you could even take it a step further and get into the habit of cleaning up after you have made any kind of a mess.

Beyond just being a great goal to accomplish, studies have shown that people have internal responses to cleanliness, and that mess can activate stress hormones. There’s an actual value to obtaining this goal beyond just accomplishing it.

Let’s say on top of making your bed and cleaning up after yourself right away, you start to incorporate other small accomplishments. You start waking up at a certain time, spending a chunk of time in silence or reading, and doing whatever other small task you can take on. One of the things we teach in our F.R.E.E. Your Mind Guidebook is that tiny changes can add up to create a ripple effect. As a ripple effect of this, your confidence becomes boosted and you are then able to work towards more goals.

Not only are accomplishing small goals going to help us with our confidence, they essentially always can add to our life. So find small things to accomplish every day, and you’ll see the difference it makes in time.

2. Step Out of Your Comfort Zone

 Mental resilient people, having the ability to be flexible with changes and obstacles, almost welcome discomfort in their day. If you are able to get used to the feeling of discomfort, you can handle life’s challenges with grace and unwavering determination. 

This frequent exposure to things that are uncomfortable, or maybe even things we are afraid of, is known as exposure therapy. 

Exposure therapy is commonly used to treat anxiety disorders, and those with PTSD, but the reality is it can be applied across the board to anyone. The longer we avoid things that cause discomfort the more fearful we become of them. Applying the research behind exposure therapy to our daily lives will give us an advantage in our journey towards resiliency.

Though it would not necessarily be “exposure therapy” for you to do something that would make you uncomfortable, the same principles and mental operations are present.

There are a variety of ways to incorporate discomfort into your life. It is important to note that it should be done so in a healthy and safe way, and as such, should be gradual.

A specific example would be the possible discomfort of going to the gym. You could start by going with a friend for extra emotional support or going for a shorter amount of time.

Maybe working out in of itself is a cause for discomfort. In that case, you could start by just taking walks, and gradually working in other forms of exercise into your day. Or, consider getting an at-home workout PDF and training in the privacy of your garage. 

Other common examples would be taking cold showers, not relying on food for comfort, and actively seeking out opportunities to fail.

The main thing is to incorporate safe forms of discomfort into your life, and in time you will learn to be better equipped, and more resilient when it comes to the challenges life throws in your way.

3. Connect With People

From our earliest years in this world, we need to have connections with people. This means intimacy, affection, physical touch, and interaction are all crucial not only for our social and mental development, but even that of our physical development as well. It is crucial to our well-being and it is not a need that goes away.

While the need for human connection may not affect us in the same ways as it does when we are children, it nonetheless remains something we should be making a priority.

Because connecting with people has been shown to have a number of benefits, it is a great thing to incorporate into your daily life. Connecting socially with people has the potential to not just add to the fullness of our life, but also make us healthier people. We are social creatures and we need social interactions.

Having connections with people helps us to be more confident and in general, feel better. Beyond that friends can be great contributors to motivating you in your goals and even do them with you. Think of the people who have gym partners there to keep them motivated.

It can be difficult to find solid individuals to connect with, but it is so important for our mental resiliency to have people in our life we are connected with.

Finding people who share your interests through groups and clubs is a great way to build a community of like-minded individuals to help support and motivate you. That’s why at Deep End Fitness we pride ourselves on our community. Each session starts with a circle of trust and that trust stays with us throughout the session.  

 It can be difficult, and it may even be a small goal or challenge to overcome, but in time it will absolutely pay off.

Keep Going When It’s Tough 

Anyone who has pushed through life to achieve their goals had to start somewhere, and they had to get there with the use of various strategies and tools. Hellen Keller is just one example. As a person who had to make small goals daily, challenge herself to stick through discomforts, and rely on those around her for support, she was able to accomplish great things.

When beginning your journey to become mentally resilient, it is important to make sure you do the following:

• Challenge yourself every day

• Step out of your comfort zone

• Make time to connect with people around you

Sometimes you may even get the chance to do all three. Places like Deep End Fitness offer training sessions where you get to tackle all three of these strategies to improve your mental resilience. Under the guidance of a coach, and alongside other individuals, you will experience stepping out of your comfort zone as well as overcoming a challenge in a great social setting with the support and motivation of peers. If you are serious about improving your resiliency, you need to try out a session.

Self-improvement is always easier and better when done in a group and under the guidance of a professional. Give it a shot and see for yourself!