So, what does it actually

mean to be mentally strong?

Well, there's a lot of

misconceptions about mental strength.

And when I talk to people about it, they

often think that it's about keeping a

stiff upper lip, pushing down difficult

emotions, and just soldiering on, or

perhaps using willpower to push through.

Some people think that mental

strength is about always being happy

and never feeling any unpleasant

emotions like sadness, anger, or fear.

But mental strength is not

about any of that at all.

Mental strength means that you're able

to manage your thoughts skillfully,

regulate your emotions in a healthy

way, and have the capacity to live

according to your values, even in

the midst of difficult circumstances.

So mental strength really involves your

ability to think, act, and perform at

your best in any given circumstance.

I think what's important to note is

that mental strengths does not make

you immune to life's difficulties.

Heartbreak, losses, misfortunes,

illness and pain will all arise as a

natural part of life from time to time.

But in the midst of these circumstances,

as well as in the midst of good times,

when you're mentally strong, you'll

have the tools and inner resources

to navigate through whatever you're

facing with the best of who you are.

In its essence, I would say

that mental strength is really

about living with awareness.

It's only through cultivating awareness

that we can manage our thoughts

skillfully, regulate our emotions, and

live our life according to our values.

That's why mindfulness really

is the foundation and the

backbone of mental strength.

Because mindfulness is all

about cultivating our ability

to be more aware in our lives.

So when we learn to tap into awareness,

we not only learn how to become

less reactive, how to unhook from

unhelpful thoughts, how to ground

ourselves in a sense of inner calm and

wholeness, but we also tap into all

the qualities of our deeper nature.

Compassion, joy, wisdom, and

enormous reservoir of inner strength.

So by becoming mentally strong requires

effort, practice and commitment,

in the same way that becoming

physically fit and strong requires

effort, practice, and commitment.

It's really about training your

mind, learning and then practicing

healthy mental habits and continuing

to practice them over time.

And that's what mental

strength is really all about.