Lots of people make fitness resolutions in January, but 99% of the time they’re talking strictly about physical fitness. Perhaps most of us fail to think about mental fitness because we believe we’re doing okay, or, if we’re not, we assume we can’t help the way we think. Either way, when we ignore our mental health, we’re setting ourselves up trouble.
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I read this interesting article in Psychology Today, by licensed social worker Amy Morin, about mental strength. She discusses thirteen things mentally strong people don’t do. Nothing on the list is particularly novel advice, but it serves as a good reminder for us all.
The article is worth reading in its entirety, but here’s a list of the 13 things to avoid doing in 2015:
- Wasting time feeling sorry for yourself
- Giving away your power
- Shying away from change
- Wasting energy on things you can’t control
- Worrying about pleasing others
- Fearing taking calculated risks
- Dwelling on the past
- Repeating the same mistakes
- Resenting other people’s success
- Giving up after failure
- Fearing alone time
- Expecting the world to owe you something
- Expecting immediate results
When I read through this list, I can identify at least one area where I could improve (point number 4). I’m also prone to succumb to numbers 3 and 13, too. Self-awareness is the first step toward improvement, so I’ll embrace the introspection and think about ways to break bad habits this year.
How about you? Do any of these items make you say “doh!”? Care to share, or offer tips on how to overcome these weaknesses?
xo-Jamie
