We all get to a point where our mental toughness is tested. It could be a dead-end career, a health scare, or a bad relationship.

We all want a good career, good health and good relationships. But it isn’t always that easy. It’s challenging to stay strong, especially when you feel trapped or overwhelmed. In order to remain positive and overcome difficult situations, you have to have grit, moxie, and perseverance which are what the mentally toughest people have.

When making decisions; we can avoid pain in the moment or we can delay satisfaction for the bigger purpose and goal. Mentally tough people understand the concept of delaying gratification. They fight off temptation of an immediate reward in order to get a bigger reward later. They face their fears and understand that tough times come and being mentally tough allows them to cope and keep pushing forward.

Mental toughness comes down to the ability to control your thoughts, emotions, attitudes, and actions under pressure. You must stay focused and upbeat despite the difficulty or consequences that you encounter. As your mental toughness grows, you will understand what you want, and know how to get it. And whether you’re taking on a new challenge, dealing with something outside of your control or rebounding from a tough loss, getting mentally stronger means you won’t allow the situation to defeat you.

Life can be pretty complicated. It is tough but so are you. Here are 9 ways to get mentally stronger.

1. Smile more, complain less

Smile. Laugh. It helps you to keep going during the toughest moments in your life. Complaining doesn’t help as it brings your attitude down. So the best thing to do is to focus on what you can change.

2. Control what you can and forget the rest

We waste a lot of time worrying about things we can’t control. In fact we have no control over many of the things that happen in life, so we have to focus on our thoughts and actions and make sure they are aligned with the goals we set.

3. Adopt mindfulness

Mindfulness is the state of being conscious and fully present. It enhances our ability to deal with everyday struggles whether it’s stress, depression, or just our overall health. We get so overwhelmed with life and mindfulness snaps us back to reality of where we are and what we’re doing and feeling.

4. Embrace positivity

Replace negative thoughts with positive ones. Come up with positive affirmations that you repeat daily. Read more, disconnect from social media from time to time, and stop watching the news. A positive attitude helps you manage the daily affairs of life more effectively.

5. Practice good time management

Being in control of your time allows you to do more in less time. This gives you more free time to do more things that you enjoy. Good time management also improves so many aspects of your life like lowering stress and helping you to focus on what’s most important which is you.

6. Study and learn from your past

Learning from your past will help you understand how you evolved. You learn what works and what didn’t work in particular situations. If you ask the right questions and get answers about your past, it will help you to live life to the fullest in the present.

7. Learn to say no more often

When you are inclined to say ‘yes’ to everything, you run the risk of overworking yourself, dealing with anxiety and experiencing high stress levels. It’s important to honor yourself, and when you say ‘no,’ it helps you to focus on your own needs.

8. Don’t dwell on your mistakes

Mentally tough people don’t fear mistakes, they look at them as learning opportunities. We are not perfect and never will be. Embrace your mistakes, learn from them, and allow them to make you a mentally stronger person.

9. Exercise regularly and do it early in the day

Exercising can have immediate health benefits and doing it regularly can improve your quality of life. And doing it early in the day gets the workout out the way and helps to develop a habit of making and meeting your goals before your day starts. Plus you get your metabolism going and burn off more calories when you exercise in the morning.