Strength Is Your Greatest Asset
The world right now is moving faster than it ever has before. Technology, healthcare, education and government can change on a dime and how we respond to those changes significantly dictates how our life progresses determining whether we improve, maintain or go backwards. Strength is the one thing that can keep you maintaining and likely improving even if things aren’t going well. Let’s break down what strength is and why it is important.
Strength can carry many meanings but for the purpose of this article we will stick to physical strength, mental strength and emotional strength. In recent years I have seen a major negative spiral in all three of these categories. People are more obese then ever (just look at the statistics). Additionally since covid-19 the mental anguish and toll due to people not knowing who or what to believe anymore has been beyond comprehension. Also emotional strength is being taxed because people can attack, provoke and say anything online from the comforts of their computer screens never dealing with the consequences. That combined with the ever changing landscape of the government, covid and what is considered “social expectable behavior” makes it anyone’s guess what is the “ideal” way to act or carry oneself. This blog isn’t about these topics so we won’t dive too far into these subjects instead something to consider as I offer some actionable advice.
Physical strength; I believe that there is nothing more important than being physically strong. If you can’t walk for an hour straight in the event you need to, carry a reasonable amount of groceries from your car into your house or take flight of steps without getting exhausted, you have work to do. Listen; I’m not here to attack you if that is where you are, but you know you have some work to do if this is you. In the event things ever go haywire and you need to get somewhere quickly without a vehicle while carrying water, food and some of your belongings with you to get there the physically weak will struggle. This applies to weather issues as well. Not to mention the physically strong will be there to help those who are struggling. These scenarios may seem doubtful but I would rather be prepared then left wondering why I waited to prepare when the time comes. A starting point would be to work up to 10-15k steps per day, strength train with a focus on getting stronger three to four days per week and also do plenty of stretching and foam rolling to keep your body flexible and your muscles ready for more activity. Those things will also aid in your recovery.
Mental strength; When things are uncertain and people are given a platform to do and say virtually anything they want (Facebook & Instagram) you need to be on your toes and ready to accept whatever is thrown at you or said to you. The best way is to have a good mental stability before someone says or does something which may hurt you. How? I think mental strength can vary depending on you and your circumstance. If you already have some type of mental struggle (anxiety, PTSD, family stress, OCD) or anything like that which I’m sure most of us do, it might make sense to hire a professional therapist to help you work through these things. If you are generally ok I would look to deep breathing, massage, meditation, journaling and things of that nature to help you be in a relatively stable mindset should something unforeseen come your way. The mental strength will prepare your mind for what happens and then the emotional strength will help you deal with what happens after the fact.
Emotional strength; If something happens that challenges your mental strength or your resolve; how will you react after the fact? That comes down to your emotional strength. Something important to discuss here is whether you practice positive or negative self talk. Positive or negative self talk is how you feature yourself in the conversation. Things like “I’m an idiot” vs. “I’m awesome” or “I deserve to be talked down to because I’m unworthy of love” vs. “That is unacceptable that they talked to me this way because I do so much for them”. These are important distinctions to be made. How do you talk to yourself?
Your physical strength prepares you for anything thrown your way that needs to be physically removed from the situation and can protect you.
Your mental strength prepares your mind for anything thrown your way that needs to be mentally processed.
Your emotional strength prepares you for how you handle the “leftover effects” after the stressful situation occur.
I hope this offers just a little piece of clarity and some actionable tips to help carry you through. These are the things no one talks about; how the news, government, keyboard warriors (those saying mean things from the comfort of their homes to people), and a pandemic will really effect us FAR WORSE then the virus or conditions themselves in the upcoming years. Deaths from illnesses stemming from obesity continue to rise while mental problems increase, along with the lack of emotional, mental and physical strength to combat these things will be our next biggest challenge, pandemic if you will; and you can already see it coming. The time to start improving yourself is now!
Committed to your physical. mental and emotional strength; along with your overall well-being. Until the next time
~Mike