How to be strong (with pictures)

2024 Author: Samantha Chapman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 09:13

How threatened do you feel by difficult circumstances, because there are people who hesitate to progress and spiral into self-destruction while others survive and come out even stronger? No one is immune to adversity, but some people really seem to be more capable of coping and recovering from even the toughest conditions. To develop your inner strength, follow these tips.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Being Mentally Strong

Step 1. Remember that you are in control

The concept of strength implies having the power and being able to influence one's life, while expressing one's weaknesses and shortcomings implies being weak and defenseless. Whatever your case may be, there are things you can control and others you can't. The key is to focus on the things you are in full control of. Make a list of the things that worry you, and then a list of what you can do to improve each individual situation. Accept the items on the first list (ultimately, they are what they are) and focus your energies on the second list.

In studies of people with a high adversity quotient (AQ), it has been observed that those defined as resilient not only always find some aspect of the situation that they can control, but also feel a great responsibility that leads them to take action to resolve the situation as best as possible., even if they are not the direct cause. Those with low QA, however, ignore opportunities to intervene and sidetrack responsibility, assuming that they did not create the situation by withdrawing from remedying it

Step 2. Have a Zen attitude

Sometimes (hopefully rarely) we come across situations in which we are truly helpless; however, the thing that matters is that we are still in control of our attitude towards life. As Victor Frankl says: "We who have lived in the concentration camps have seen how the people who walked into the barracks offered their last piece of bread to give comfort." They may have been few, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man apart from one thing: the freedom to assume a certain attitude in a certain circumstance, to choose in a nutshell the path to follow. Regardless of what is happening, be positive.

• If someone is making your life miserable, don't let them destroy your spirit. Continue to be proud and to have hope; remember that these are things that no one can snatch and take away from you. "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent," said Eleanor Roosevelt.
• Do not allow a crisis or difficulties in a specific area of your life to spread throughout your entire life. If you are facing major difficulties at work, for example, do not be irritating about all aspects of your existence or towards those who have done nothing but try to help you. Eliminate the side effects of your difficulties by controlling your behavior. Resilient people do not make every hardship a catastrophe, nor do they let negative events set in motion a domino effect in their lives.
• If it can help you, remember and say the serenity prayer: "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."

Step 3. Rediscover your enthusiasm for life

Emotionally strong people see each day as a gift, and try to live each day fully, to make the most of the gift they receive. Remember when you were a child and you were able to get excited about even the simplest wonders of life, such as playing with the leaves that fall in autumn, drawing a fantasy animal, eating a small delicacy. Go in search of your inner child. Be that baby. Your ability to be mentally and emotionally strong depends on it.

Step 4. Trust yourself

You have come this far. You can go on one more day. And if you just take it one day at a time, or even one moment at a time, you can survive whatever is going on. It will not be easy and you are not invincible; therefore, do everything in small steps. When you think you are about to collapse, close your eyes and breathe deeply. Remember these things in your research:

• Don't listen to the negatives and the pessimists. There will always be people who will doubt you, for whatever reason. Your job is to not listen to them, and ultimately to prove them wrong. Don't let them rob you of your hopes just because they themselves have lost theirs. Your world is practically begging you to be transformed. What are you waiting for?
• Think about the times you have been successful. Use them to motivate yourself along your path. Whether it's a success in school, in a personal relationship or the birth of your child, let him nurture your desire to become a stronger and more balanced person. Like generates like!
• Try, try and try again. There will be a time when you will doubt yourself because you have tried and failed. But you know what? That's just part of the journey, just one chapter of the book. Instead of giving up because you failed and letting yourself get down on it, take a long-term perspective, a wider angle. Try again. You will understand that success is at the top of a failure ladder.

Step 5. Carefully select the battles to fight

Is there really a need to exasperate yourself for each of those things, a colleague bothering you with a question, a motorist cutting your way? Ask yourself if and why these things matter. Try to reduce your life to a few core values that represent your entire world, and don't worry about anything else. As Sylvia Robinson said, "Some people think that resisting and not giving up is synonymous with strength, but sometimes strength is knowing how to let go."

Step 6. Open up to the people who matter most to you

Projected outside. Spend time with friends and family who show support and positivity. If no one is available, make new friends. And if you don't find new friends, help those in need worse than yours. Sometimes, when we feel unable to improve our personal situation, we can find strength by helping someone else, looking at our own lives with a new point of view.

• There is no doubt that humans are very social animals. Scientists and scholars argue that social well-being is a factor with a notable influence on both physical and emotional health. If you feel that you are having difficulties in social relationships, it is worth asking for help. Here are some suggestions:

  • Have an interesting conversation with someone
  • Move past the mistakes, don't let them define who you are!
  • Get over a separation
  • Face and overcome shyness
  • Behave extroverted

  

  Step 7. Achieve a balance between work, play, rest and activity

  It shouldn't be that hard, right? However, this is a somewhat neglected goal because it is apparently complex. Either we work too hard and are in constant motion, or we slack off more than we should, staying like lazy hippos at the edge of opportunity. Achieving the correct balance between work and play, rest and activity, will allow you to appreciate each mode for what it's worth. The grass will no longer look green on the other side of the fence because you will no longer be locked inside it.

  

  Step 8. Be grateful

  Life is hard, but if you look closely, you will find an infinite number of things to be grateful for. Even if the things that made you happy in the past are gone, there is still so much to appreciate in the future. The joy that comes from the world around you is the engine that will push you even in the worst of situations; therefore, pay attention to what you have and recognize its value. Sure, you may not get that new shirt, or whatever you want, but at least you have a computer, you have the Internet, and you can read what you are reading. You know how to read and you have a home that protects you right now. Some people can't read, they don't have a computer or a place to live. Think about it!

  

  Step 9. Don't take things too seriously

  Charlie Chaplin knew something about comedy. He famously said, "Life is a close-up tragedy, but a long-shot comedy." It is too easy to get caught up in your own little tragedies that lead us to act and react on a micro level. Take a step back and look at life in a more philosophical, mischievous and romantic way. Its wonders, its infinite possibilities, and its delicious absurdity are enough to make you laugh at your incredible fortunes.

  Admittedly, life turns out to be a lot more fun when it's not taken too seriously. And while surely fun and being happy may not be all that life has to offer, they are a very important part of it, aren't they?

  

  Step 10. Remember that nothing is forever

  If you find yourself in the middle of a period of grief or grief that you cannot control, let the moment happen and live it. If you are going through a prolonged period of difficulty, remember that this will also pass.

  Part 2 of 3: Being Physically Strong

  

  Step 1. Eat a healthy diet

  One of the biggest obstacles we encounter when we want to get physically strong is the inability to feed our body with nutritious and energizing foods on a daily basis. We all fall for it, ending up succumbing to the lure of fast food even knowing that tonight we planned to eat fish and broccoli. What would happen if we told ourselves that our life depends on that choice? In that case, would we change our eating habits?

  • Focus on eating fruit and vegetables first. Supplement this part of your diet with lean proteins such as those found in poultry, fish, nuts, and legumes.
  • Understand the difference between complex and simple carbohydrates and prioritize complex ones, which tend to be absorbed more slowly and contain more fiber.
  • Prefer healthy fats to those that are unhealthy. Unsaturated fats, such as extra virgin olive oil, and omega 3 fatty acids, found in salmon and flaxseed, are beneficial when consumed in moderation. Avoid harmful fats like saturated and hydrogenated fats.
  • Choose variety in your diet. You want to be strong, but you want to enjoy your meals. Food isn't just about gaining weight. Learning to like it will make you a better person and help you stay fit.

  

  Step 2. Exercise

  Getting strong doesn't mean just lifting weights. It's all about training your whole body to burn fat, build muscle, and build endurance. There are tons and tons of exercises you can experiment with to train your body comprehensively, the important thing you need to remember is the need to be consistent. Exercise for at least 30 minutes a day, even just walking your dog for 20 minutes and stretching for the other 10!

  

  Step 3. Start practicing with weights.

  Building muscle mass will help you stay strong, but reaching that milestone is the tricky part. Weightlifting systematically breaks and repairs muscles in order to strengthen them. For even more full strength, focus on the whole body. You want your body to look balanced and harmonious.

  • Develop your chest muscles
  • Strengthens the muscles of the legs and thighs
  • Increase arm muscle mass and develop shoulder muscles
  • Strengthen your core muscles

  

  Step 4. Get enough sleep

  In order to rebuild muscles, reduce stress and develop emotional balance, an adult human body needs to sleep for about 8 to 10 hours every night. 4 hours of sleep a day won't break any strength records. And in case you can't sleep well or enough for one night, be prepared to try and sleep better the next, to make up for your body's sleep deficit.

  

  Step 5. Stay away from so-called vices, including cigarettes, alcohol abuse, and consumption of others drugs.

  Anyone can understand that smoking cigarettes, overindulging alcohol, and abusing drugs means choosing to have poor health. Nonetheless, we tend to justify ourselves in some way, or to conveniently forget about it when it comes to resisting temptation. To help control yourself rationally, here are some statistics related to alcohol and nicotine:

  • In the United States, nearly 500,000 smokers die alone each year. And smokers typically die between 13 and 14 years earlier than their non-smoking counterparts - that's nearly a quarter of your life you decide to throw away for no reason.
  • 49% of homicides, 52% of rapes, 21% of suicides, 60% of child abuse, and over 50% of fatal road accidents happen at least in part due to alcohol.

  Part 3 of 3: Being Spiritually Strong

  

  Step 1. Connect to a higher force

  Whether the force is one of the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) or more simply that of the universe, understand that spirituality is only about you and your beliefs. You must understand that it is not necessary to believe in God to believe in a higher spiritual reality. Explore your beliefs, as well as those of others, and establish your own belief system.

  

  Step 2. Always ask questions and never stop learning

  Becoming spiritually strong and spiritually active does not necessarily mean the same thing. A spiritually active person could adopt a faith or beliefs and let things happen, never questioning the dogmas or usefulness of the faith. The spiritually strong person asks questions about sacred texts, analyzes behaviors and is constantly looking for answers, both inside and outside their own belief system.

  A spiritually strong Christian, for example, has no problem talking to an atheist and discussing the finer points of biblical orthodoxy. He sees experience as an opportunity to learn and as an invigorating deviation from normality. Normally such an encounter strengthens their faith, and if this is not the case, doubts will be explored in a calm and judicious way

  

  Step 3. Never interfere with someone else's spirituality

  Imagine your neighbor or a complete stranger approaching you to tell you that what you believe is completely wrong and forcing you to believe in your own spiritual order without your consent. How would you feel? Most likely not good. Well, that's how others feel when you try to convert them to your ideas or subdue them to your beliefs. Find the right balance and be as discreet as possible about your faith.

  

  Step 4. Identify the blessings received in life

  Most religions and spiritual orders believe in blessings, forms of help or approval received from God or the universe. What are the blessings you have received in your life?

  • Try these helpful exercises for a week to sharpen your perception of the many blessings in your life. For seven consecutive days, identify a blessing you have received from one of the following:

    • Family member
    • Neighbor
    • Friend
    • Business colleague
    • Stranger
    • Child
    • Enemy

    

    Step 5. Help spread love wherever you are

    Ultimately, spiritual force is a form of faith that leads us to believe that the universe is a mystery, but that love between human beings is evident. Be yourself an agent of change and a beneficial force by spreading love. Whether it's a simple gesture like bringing food to a homeless person, smiling at a stranger, or sacrificing your well-being for that of others, spreading love brings us closer to understanding that mystery that unites all of us human beings.