Ways to Improve Mental Strength – Clean Up Mental Input and Output

Mental strength, huh…what does that even mean?

Well, when I say mental strength, I mean your mental stamina and resilience. Your ability to stand strong and bounce back in a situation or your ability to keep your head up during both good and bad times. Think of this as strength training for your thoughts.

If this sounds weird to you, let me share this with you…right now it is extremely windy outside. I don’t mean just a light breeze, I mean our patio furniture is being tossed around and banging against the house. Hearing this noise, this aggressive windy noise, has made me grumpy. I have to consciously make an effort to push it out of my mind and re-frame my thoughts so that I can continue on with my merry little day!

So, here are some thoughts as to how we can train our brain to want to think happy thoughts, or at least move on and be pleasant.

First, what is mental input?

Mental input would be anything that you take in with your senses that affects your thoughts.

– Hearing – what are we hearing or listening to that is impacting our thoughts?

– Vision – what are we seeing or watching that is affecting our thoughts?

– Smell – are there certain smells that trigger certain thoughts or memories?

– Touch – what are we touching or feeling that triggers certain thoughts or memories?

– Taste – what foods or drinks are we tasting that promote certain thoughts or memories?

What might be bringing me down?

Let’s think about what we are hearing and seeing throughout the day. Maybe it starts with our alarm clock, then eggs sizzling in a pan, then the kids bickering over who gets to sit in the front seat on the way to school, you might even hear some cars honking or even your see neighbors wheeling their garbage cans back from the street. These are all normal sounds that you hear and sights you see, some may have an impact on your thoughts, but many of these are just passing through. This brings us to the question, what are we not just hearing and seeing, but truly listening and paying attention to? Are you taking the time to listen to your kids sing silly songs and tell you they love you as you drop them off at school? If you listen, then it will most likely cheer you up, putting a smile on your face; a positive mental input will result in a positive mental output. Many of us also listen to music or podcasts throughout the day and then watch some type of TV later in the day. Is what you are listening to and watching lifting your spirit or dragging you down?

We all know about the many options for true crime shows and podcasts, and I do watch and listen to those from time to time, but…these types of mental input can have a negative impact on our mind, whether we realize it, or not. You see, true crime or even news podcasts/broadcasts can do a couple of things: first, make us numb to the severity of the subject or we may have a nonchalant attitude toward these very serious events, and second, they may introduce fear into our minds. A fearful mindset can fester negative thoughts, whereas a joyful mindset drives positive thoughts.

Here’s an example of how my eyes were really opened up…my husband and I love taking our kids on road trips, and he and I would listen to true crime podcasts to pass the time. Our kids would be watching and listening to the movies they downloaded for the trip…or so we thought! On one of these trips, our little girl, who was 5 at the time, got really upset when we paused our podcast and when I asked her why she was upset she said, “because I want to know who killed her”. This really bothered my husband and I, because as parents the last thing we want is for our 5 year old daughter to grow up thinking that murder and fear are entertainment. Instead, we want to have real conversations about how serious these types of topics are and help her learn about the importance of human life. So, as we have continued on these road trips, we now listen to family friendly podcasts or introduce fun audio books. These selections have promoted great conversations and laughs!

I think most things are good, in moderation and in their own time and place. For myself, I enjoy a wide variety of music and podcasts, but I am now choosing to grab a hold of my mindset and control what I am listening to on a daily basis.

Below are some stations and podcasts that I recommend to lift your spirit so that you may lift others up!

– Confessions of a Crappy Christian podcast

– Just Ingredients podcast

– Stories podcast

– Christian Pop station

– 90’s R&B station

– 90’s Country station

– Selena/Latin station

How do I keep looking up?

Make a list of your favorite songs, movies, foods, scents, and textures. Maybe even write down what a “perfect” evening would look like for you. It might be sitting in your favorite chair, wrapped up in a blanket, drinking a cup of peppermint tea, reading a good book with the fireplace burning right beside you. It might be a date night at a baseball game, snacking on treats and sipping an adult beverage, while holding your partner’s hand. Maybe you would really enjoy a night with your closest friends or your sisters, dancing around the living room, wearing your pajamas, munching from a yummy charcuterie board and drinking some bubbly!

No matter what it is, take some time to integrate these positive inputs into your life. Be intentional. Allow yourself to see the joy in the little things that bring you peace and comfort.

Balance and Reality

Now, I understand that we live in the real world and sometimes we just don’t have control of what we are taking in, but grasp every opportunity where you can.

Your mind is yours. So, why not take control of what is going into it so that you can control what your are allowing to come out of it. If you want to be a light in the lives of other’s and in your own, then fill your mind with positive energy.

So, now what?

Take a moment to stop and think about what type of input you consume each day, then ask yourself if it is affecting your thoughts and what you are putting back out to the world, or your mental output.

Ways to improve your mental strength:

– Make the choice to think positive.

– Control what you allow in to your mind.

– Make the choice to put positivity back out into the world.

– Your sixth sense, trust that gut! You know what is right for you.