FROM THE BLOG

How do I become more mentally tough? What better time to read up on this than now, as the holidays and family meals come around the corner, and as we round out another pandemic-focused year. Plus, today is the five-year anniversary of when we first posted about this topic, so let’s dig right in…

We can all debate who the most mentally tough people on the planet are- but I would suggest, as does this article, that the Navy SEALs have to be among them.

The below outlines what they do each day to cultivate this mental toughness- in a nutshell:

1. They “eat the elephant”
   In other words, they learn the art of breaking down big goals into small actionable tasks; AND they can see how these small tasks impact the overall goal.
2. They visualize success
   When the time comes and you are faced with a moment of stress, visualize how you will handle it in your head. When I was younger, I was a gymnast. This was something we were trained to do every single day. Visualize yourself performing the routines successfully.  Do it over and over again and you begin to lose some of the anxiousness before it’s time to “be on the stage”. It works.
3. Reframe the moment
   The glass can be half-full or half-empty. Mentally tough people generally always see the positive. It makes sense – seeing something negatively isn’t going to make it easier or faster.
4. Celebrate even the small things
   If you just push, push, push you will eventually get discouraged. Learn to set celebration stops along the way when you are making progress and it will help you appreciate the journey more.
5. Find your tribe
   This one goes without saying but it’s one that can sometimes be hard to remember when we are talking about being “tough”. Going it alone doesn’t mean you’re tougher. You can always accomplish more in the long run with a team than by yourself. I love this adage, “Iron sharpens iron”. As the article shares, you want to find people similar enough that you like them and get along, but different enough that they challenge and teach you.
6. Emotional control
   SEALs use a technique called the 4x4x4 method. You will see it is really just a version of a meditation breathing exercise.

• Breathe in for 4 seconds
• Breathe out for 4 seconds
• Repeat for 4 minutes

If you would like to read the full article, click here.

Until next time,

Tarah Williams
Chief Administrative Officer

Posted by Prospera Financial