How To Toughen Up Emotionally: 17 Mental Hacks

In this new article you’ll learn how to toughen up emotionally.

Outbursts of emotion are common. It is in our nature to be hurt and to suffer. You are not alone if you are a sensitive person who gets hurt quickly or has trouble recovering from emotional upheaval.

Standing your ground and being resilient in the face of difficulty are important life skills. Use the strategies below to build emotional resilience and help you cope with adversity.

How To Toughen Up Emotionally:

1. Recognize your own tenacity.

The ability to recover from adversity, frustration, or severe stress is called resilience. Resilience doesn’t mean that we have become so resilient that we no longer feel terrible situations, but rather that we are able to recover from them.

Resilience is defined as the ability to adapt to changing situations.

Having a supportive emotional network, feeling confident in yourself and your talents, and applying problem-solving skills are all important parts of becoming emotionally stronger.

2. Recognize and accept your emotions.

Understanding the source of your discomfort can help you be better prepared to deal with the problem.

Writing down your emotions is a great way to discover how often and, more importantly, why you get upset. Once you’ve identified a pattern, you can decide what to spend your energy on.

3. Recognize that emotions are a natural aspect of existence.

Acceptance of emotions is a technique for dealing with life’s ups and downs in itself, not an attempt to reject or eradicate emotions.

It is not necessary to be superhuman. Avoiding emotions can have the opposite effect, causing tension to build up beneath the surface. Suppressing discomfort can have the opposite effect and make you feel worse.

Before you act, give yourself enough time to sit with your feelings, recognize them, and experience them. Sometimes the first step is to just sit down and cry.

4. Make an effort to reduce your stress levels.

No one can live without stress, but the trick is to deal with it in such a way that you don’t get overwhelmed.

You will cope better on difficult days if you don’t worry about the little things, practice mindfulness, and take care of your health.

5. View criticism as a learning experience.

See where you can improve. People who respond positively to constructive criticism are more likely to learn, grow, and succeed.

It is good practice to ask friends or trusted co-workers for constructive comments. Give them a topic from your life that you feel comfortable talking about, and ask for constructive feedback so that you become accustomed to listening to and using criticism.

For example, ask a coworker to review a spreadsheet you created at work and suggest ways to make it more efficient. Or prepare a favorite dish for a trusted friend and get their feedback on the presentation and serving.

SEE ALSO: How To Learn Good Habits: The Definitive Guide

6. Take charge of your own destiny.

Don’t make excuses for your current circumstances. Learn to adapt, be confident and stop making excuses.

Improve your problem-solving skills. Write down what’s bothering you, brainstorm how many alternative approaches you can take to the problem, weigh the benefits and drawbacks of each, apply the strategy, and evaluate the results.

7. Make the most of difficult situations.

Negative events and circumstances can teach you valuable lessons if you don’t worry about them too much. Any useless additional information should be ignored.

If you were late for work one morning and your supervisor threw in a biting remark, focus on areas you can improve, such as punctuality, and ignore any harsh statements.

8. Make an effort to be mindful.

Mindfulness means being aware of the present moment and separating yourself from the emotions you are feeling. Mindfulness allows you to more fully experience the present moment while reducing pain and past trauma.

Sitting in silence and watching your own breathing is a great way to practice mindfulness. Feel the air you are breathing in. Experience the feeling of exhaling air. By focusing on your breath, you are fully present in the moment. Use this technique regularly. Simply focus on your breath and body sensations.

9. Remember that the world is not conspiring against you.

Reduce habitual negative thinking by changing your point of view to be more open to possibilities (1).

If you can change your point of view and look at things objectively, you will see that the person who didn’t show up for your date isn’t trying to hurt your emotions; instead, she may have had an unexpected emergency and forgotten to call you.

10. Be grateful for what you have.

Studies have shown that being grateful is a key component of happiness. Gratitude increases your body’s resilience and immunity, making you feel much better equipped to deal with life’s unexpected twists and turns.

It is a good idea to keep a gratitude journal. Before going to bed, make a list of three things you are grateful for. When life gets tough, revisit that list.

11. Practice forgiveness so that you can forgive yourself and others.

Consider whether your resentment or regret is now serving a useful purpose in your life. If not, let go of the past and focus more on the here and now.

Make a list of reasons why you might be angry with yourself and then read through it as if you were an observer, letting the feelings come and go. Be kind to yourself.

Develop empathy for others. Try to put yourself in someone’s shoes if you were hurt by something someone said or did. It may be difficult to empathize with someone who has just hurt your emotions, but understanding their perspective and what they may be going through can be a soothing and inspiring exercise.

SEE ALSO: How To Live Stress Free Lifestyle: 12 Best Daily Actions

12. Instill in your children the value of perseverance.

Even young children can learn how to deal with the challenges of life. Give opportunities for problem-solving. Teach them that making mistakes is natural and that it is an opportunity to learn.

Empathy should be instilled in children. Empathy towards others reduces negative thinking habits while increasing resilience.

13. Laugh frequently.

Laughter relieves stress, produces endorphins that energize the mind and body, and strengthens the immune system.

Laughter is without a doubt the greatest therapy. Laughter therapy is a great way to relax and unwind. Go to a stand-up show with friends, watch a good comedy at the cinema, or another humorous YouTube video you enjoy.

Consider this laughter yoga (2). Laughter yoga is taught to people all over the world, viewing it as a way to heal the mind, body, and soul.

14. Write down the emotions you are experiencing.

Research has shown that putting your feelings into words helps you cope with your emotions and stop bad feelings. Putting your thoughts on paper can give vent to your emotions and reduce the intensity of emotional agony.

Keep a secret diary, write letters to yourself that you never send, or start a blog about your struggles.

15. Maintain contact with friends.

Keep in touch with loved ones and friends who will support you during difficult times. Because acknowledging that you have a problem takes courage, the ability to seek and accept help is an important part of being emotionally tough.

Engage in social activities to keep in touch with others. For example, you could organize a meeting or regular chat with a friend.

16. Eat a diet rich in mood-enhancing foods.

Certain foods have been proven to affect the brain and mood. Food affects your health, from chocolate to the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish, so eat well to prepare for life’s obstacles.

17. Regular exercise improves your mood, increases your vitality, and keeps you healthy. 

Staying active will help you feel less anxious, stressed, and angry.

Experts suggest getting at least 30 minutes of heart-stimulating activity each day, but you can do it in 10-minute increments. Go for a brisk jog, climb the stairs, play tennis, or take the kids for a bike ride. You will feel better and your heart will thank you.

I want to thank you for taking the time to read my article about how to toughen up emotionally. I sincerely hope its contents have been a good help to you.

Przemkas Mosky
Przemkas Mosky started Perfect 24 Hours in 2017. He is a Personal Productivity Specialist, blogger and entrepreneur. He also works as a coach assisting people to increase their motivation, social skills or leadership abilities. Read more here