MENTAL TOUGHNESS - MENTAL TOUGHNESS

Mental Toughness

Mental Toughness encompasses personality characteristics and traits that promote survival and well-being, enabling people to succeed and thrive in difficult circumstances. We can all develop these characteristics and use them for life's challenges and endeavours as well as our everyday happiness.

Commitment

Having a purpose, meaning and direction in life; refusing to give up easily and persisting to reach goals and objectives.

Life can have little meaning without commitments to something or somebody. Commitments such as our career, self-improvement or personal growth mean that we will persist through difficulties to reach our objectives. It is also healthy if commitments extend outside of ourselves, for example to family, charity, special interest groups or social and political causes.

People who are focused on a goal and have a mission in life tend to be more capable in dealing with negative events and obstacles. Rather than ruminate on the injustice and unfairness of the setback, their focus remains on their objectives and how they will deal with an obstruction and solve a problem.

Goal directed

Goal directed thinking and behaviour supports us in our aims, objectives and survival. Having established a clear sense of our objectives and where we are going in life, we can then ensure that our thinking and behaviour supports us and question those thoughts, beliefs and actions that do not.

Tolerance for frustration and discomfort

Being realistic that people and conditions are not always perfect or how we want them.

Accepting that people and situations will not always be the way we want them and that conditions will not always be favourable. Having tolerance means that we will persevere and suffer short-term inconvenience for long-term goals.

Persistence

Sticking it out through the bad times in order to reach the good times.

People with low commitment give up easily and do not devote energy and resources to solving a problem. People with long-term objectives will do what ever it takes to overcome a difficulty or obstacle rather than doing only that which is expected by peers or convention. Having persistence means that we will continue in pursuing our goals even when the going gets tough.

Control

The perceived ability of an individual to have autonomy and exert influence over their destiny rather than experience helplessness.

People who have commitment to goals believe that they have some control over their destiny rather than being totally helpless. Often we cannot control the reality of situations but we can control how we respond to them and actively search for solutions. By believing that we can have influence over the outcome, we can control how good or bad we appraise things to be and are not totally overwhelmed.

Challenge

The ability and desire to change and develop rather than remain static, viewing change as the norm and an exiting part of life.

We are more in control when we see change as a challenge. This means seeing change as a positive event that provides opportunities for growth and learning rather than a threat to our security and survival or a distressing thing to be avoided. By accepting that things change and bad events do happen and are a normal part of life, we will adapt, be flexible and problem solve, realising that we need to change our response. The less resilient will complain how such an awful thing can happen and that they do not deserve such a fate and so resist adapting.

Rational Thinking

Being able to appraise a threat or danger realistically and therefore not over-reacting or avoiding.

Irrational thinking leads to unhelpful emotions and behaviour such as anxiety, depression and avoidance. By questioning and disputing thoughts that are negative, unrealistic and do not support us in our aims, objectives and survival, we can then choose to think and act differently.

Preferring not demanding

If we hold rigid beliefs and views about ourselves, other people or the world, then it is more likely that we will be upset and come into conflict.

Rather than demanding that people or events be a certain way, we need to be realistic and accept that people have their own agendas and goals; they may not always share our views of the world. If we hold preferences rather than demanding, then we are more flexible in our outlook and are less likely to get upset on a regular basis.

Confidence

Having freedom from unwanted doubts and a strong belief in ourselves and our abilities. Having self-efficacy; our belief in our ability to get things done and be persistent.

Our confidence will vary from one task to another. If we believe that we can and will persevere despite our doubts and the views or criticisms from others, then we are more likely to try new things and take calculated risks. Having confidence means that we will progress, develop and move forwards in life rather than remain static and caught in the same routines or limiting mindset.