By: L. Shay Bradham
How to Boost Your Inner Strength
Everyone goes through difficult times, no matter what their age, financial status or living situation might be. Having ways to cope in the holster ready to go can make a big difference in how long you feel dragged down when tough times come. Here are three ways to help you boost your inner strength:
Exercise: Exercise is so much more than just a way to lose weight or tone your muscles. It’s a way to strengthen yourself mentally, and it’s one of the simplest tools you have. Even a short walk can help you clear your mind while you boost your metabolism. The endorphins you produce when you exercise help to fight off the effects of stress, which will help you become stronger emotionally. Vigorous exercise can help even more when it’s done on a regular schedule, and it can help ward off the effects of stress when they hit.
Affirmations: Affirmations work with your mind in much the same way as exercise works with your body. You strengthen your mind by training it to think differently. One downfall of having a rough patch is that your thinking can very quickly go downhill. You think things like, “I always screw up,” or, “I’ll never be a success.” This brings on a downward spiral that makes it even harder to pull yourself out of. Affirmations help you ward off the negative thoughts by reprogramming how you think. You don’t fight negative thoughts by simply saying, “That’s not true!” Like the smokers who now chew gum after meals because they’ve replaced a bad habit with a good habit, you have to give your brain something else to think. Keep affirmations in the present, not the future. For example, say, “Success is drawn to me,” instead of, “I will be successful.” Create five affirmations that you write down and say each day, multiple times. Once you’ve said them often enough that you feel you’ve internalized them, work on more. Repeat them as necessary.
Books: “Garbage In, Garbage Out” is a programming saying (for computers). If the code sucks, the program sucks. It’s pretty straightforward.
The same thing goes for your brain. If you fill it with garbage, it’s hard to sustain inner strength. If you want to weather the storms sent your way—negative people, curveballs thrown your way and stuff that sucks and you have no control over it—you need to read material that will inspire you. Read the romance novels and horror stories sometimes (hey, reading for pleasure is awesome), but balance that with “brain food” that will educate you, inspire you or both.
Self-help books, inspirational biographies, business books and more—choose one book a month that will change your perspective and open your eyes to the amazing possibilities ahead of you