You Can Make Your Mind Tougher from the Bottom Up
Clean our your brain junk to live your best life!
Have you ever felt mentally drained after a long day at work or a challenging task? Your mind is just like your muscles and just like you can build physical toughness through exercise, you can also build mental toughness.
And you won’t feel as drained and irritated all the time. In fact, you can add a pep to your step!
Mental toughness is the ability to maintain positive emotions and behaviors in the face of stress, pressure, and challenges. It’s a critical component of resilience and helps you cope with difficulties and setbacks.
The good news is that your mental toughness can be developed and improved — and it’s best to do it from the bottom up.
Well, now that sounds strange, doesn’t it? What does this mean — from the bottom up?
This means that instead of focusing on changing your thoughts and emotions (top-down), you can focus on changing your behaviors and habits.
Cleaning Out Your Brain Junk
Now once you start poking around your thoughts to figure out what’s going on in your lower brain — you’re bound to hit some brain junk.
Your brain junk is the challenging impact to your brain due to your childhood experiences and relationships. And since the lower part of your brain is the oldest part — there tends to be a lot of junk down there.
If you've experienced childhood trauma or unusual childhood stress for any reason — the way your brain developed and functions is different because of your adverse childhood experiences.
The impact of your childhood stress has left an impact on your lower brain that affects how you think, feel and behave as an adult.
And it’s all because of your lower brain junk.
Your lower brain was formed when you were a child — the human brain develops from the bottom up.
And your brain has been wired from all of your relationships and experiences — with neural connections, pathways and implicit memories — from your earliest days.
Any of your earliest experiences and relationships that were less than healthy — neglectful, abusive or otherwise traumatic — distorted your core beliefs and emotional blueprint.
That’s your brain junk.
And it can all be cleaned out and restored. Just like anywhere else that’s riddled with junk.
Yep, although you obviously can’t get into a time machine and go back and change your early childhood relationships and experiences — you have the power to heal your brain that’s been impacted by them.
You can do that through a process called neuroplasticity.
Neuroplasticity refers to your brain’s ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life.
Change your brain to heal from childhood trauma:
Practice mindfulness and self-care to reduce stress and anxiety.
Work with a trauma coach to process and understand traumatic experiences.
Participate in activities that promote new learning and growth, such as exercise, education or a new hobby.
Seek support from friends, family, or support groups.
Focus on building positive experiences and relationships.
Practice gratitude and positive self-talk to reshape negative thought patterns
Keep in mind that healing from childhood trauma is a gradual process that requires patience, self-compassion, and a holistic approach to mental health.
Once you clean your your brain junk — you can achieve greatness and live your best life!
Training your brain from the bottom up will help you with your current energy level, self confidence, inspiration and motivation. Clean out your brain junk and the sky is your limit!
Here are some strategies to help you build mental toughness from the bottom up.
Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to the present moment, without judgement. Yeah, you have to learn to stop judging yourself and others.
This helps you develop a greater awareness of your thoughts, feelings, and sensations. This awareness can help you manage stress, boost your mood, and increase your resilience.
To practice mindfulness, simply focus your attention on the present moment and notice what is happening around you. Pay attention to your breathing, your thoughts, and your emotions.
When your mind starts to wander, gently bring your focus back to the present moment. Start by practicing mindfulness for a few minutes each day, and gradually increase the time as you get more comfortable.
Here are some ways to practice simple mindfulness in your daily routines:
Start your day with a mindful morning routine.
Focus on the present moment while eating by paying attention to the taste, texture and smell of food.
Take regular breaks throughout the day to stretch, breathe, and check in with yourself.
Practice mindful breathing exercises such as counting breaths, or focusing on the sensation of inhaling and exhaling.
Engage in mindful activities such as yoga or meditation.
Pay attention to your thoughts and emotions, and try not to judge them.
Take a mindful walk and focus on the sensations of your body and the environment.
Practice gratitude by acknowledging and appreciating the positive things in your life.
Remember, the goal of mindfulness is to bring awareness to the present moment and cultivate a sense of peace and calm. Start small and build up gradually.
Mindfulness will calm your emotional activation and increase your brain’s higher level executive functioning — for better situational awareness and problem solving.
You can practice “routine mindfulness” all day long — mindful showering, eating, walking, and listening,
Focus on Positive Self-Talk
What’s the story that’s you’re telling yourself?
Your thoughts can have a significant impact on your emotions and behavior. Negative self-talk can lead to feelings of frustration, anger, and hopelessness; positive self-talk can boost your confidence and resilience.
Start by becoming aware of your thoughts. When you catch yourself thinking negative thoughts, challenge them.
“What up wit’ dis?”
Ask yourself if what you’re thinking is truly accurate or if it’s just your negative perception of the situation. Replace your negative thoughts with positive affirmations or thoughts that focus on your strengths and abilities.
Positive self-talk can be an effective tool for changing your thought patterns and promoting mental well-being. It shifts negative thinking patterns to a more positive and realistic outlook, and helps to reduce negative self-criticism.
Positive self-talk can also boost your self-esteem and confidence — promoting a growth mindset that focuses on personal growth and improvement. By promoting a more optimistic outlook, you can reduce your stress and anxiety, and improve mental and emotional resilience in challenging situations.
This also boosts your problem-solving and decision-making skills.
You can train your brain to focus on the positive, and over time it’ll become a habit that changes the story that you’re telling yourself and shapes your thought patterns in a positive direction.
Build Strong Relationships
Having strong, supportive relationships is critical to your well-being and mental health.
Having someone to lean on during difficult times can help you feel less isolated and stressed. Building strong relationships takes time and effort, but the benefits are well worth it.
They need to be safe, healthy relationships — not unhealthy or toxic ones. Can you tell the difference?
Make an effort to connect with people you can trust and who make you feel safe — whether it’s through phone calls, text messages, or in-person visits.
Volunteer for activities that interest you, join a club or organization, or take a class to meet new people.
Safe, healthy relationships can heal the parts of your brain damaged by previously stressful relationships. Building strong relationships will not only make you feel better but will also help you build resilience and mental toughness.
Exercise Regularly
Ya gotta move.
Exercise has numerous benefits for your physical and mental health. Regular exercise can help reduce your stress, boost your mood, improve your focus, and increase your energy levels.
Exercise helps relax your brain in so many ways:
Increases production of endorphins, your body’s natural mood boosters.
Reduces your stress hormones, like cortisol.
Increases blood flow and oxygenation to your brain.
Promotes neuroplasticity by promoting the growth of new brain cells and connections.
Improves sleep quality and quantity — vital for overall brain health.
Provides a distraction and outlet for stress, anxiety, and negative emotions.
Enhances your mood and cognitive function.
Physical exercise of any kind — cardio, strength training, or yoga — can help reduce your stress and anxiety and promote relaxation.
You can aim for at least 30 minutes of moderately-intense exercise each day. This can include activities such as walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, or playing a sport. Choose an activity that you enjoy, so you are more likely to stick with it.
Get Enough Sleep
Sleep is critical to your physical and mental health. Getting enough sleep helps us recover from stress, improve mood, boost cognitive function, and increase our resilience.
You should aim for 7–9 hours of sleep each night. Establish a bedtime routine, such as reading or listening to soothing music, to help you wind down and get to sleep.
Resist your screens!
Avoid away your TV, desktop, laptop, tablet and smartphone — for at least an hour before bed. It’s harder for your brain to get into sleep mode directly from the stimulation of your screens.
Also avoid caffeine and alcohol before bedtime — as these can interfere with your sleep quality, too.
Building mental toughness from the bottom up takes time and effort, but the benefits are well worth it. By focusing on behaviors and habits, you can develop the resilience you need to face challenges and setbacks with confidence.