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  • What does it take to be mentally strong?

    Alisa Camplin - 4 min read


    We all have the ability to become better equipped at dealing with life’s challenges, says Alisa Camplin.

    What does it take to be mentally strong?

    When someone uses the word ‘strength’, we often associate it with physical fitness. So what does it mean to be mentally strong?

    Strength is more than just physical

    Being mentally and emotionally ‘fit’ enables us to work through difficult situations and positively navigate the challenging scenarios we face in life.

    These situations can be big or small; from suffering the loss of a loved one, to managing daily conflicts or being under extreme pressure in the workplace.

    From my experience, cultivating your inner strength and mental resilience leaves you better equipped to bounce forward from disappointment and more able to cope with whatever comes your way. To me this is just as important, if not more important, than being physically fit.

    It starts with a simple decision

    We all have the choice to improve our actions, behaviours and thought processes as we travel through life, but sometimes we don’t give ourselves permission to try new things, learn through mistakes or simply be in ‘practise mode’ for a while. But if we can park the judgement and adopt a growth mindset, then we are primed to develop our resilience.

    Resilience is a multifaceted capability, and fortunately there are many skills that can be learned and practised. From finding meaning in life’s lessons, managing your impulses, regulating your emotions, adapting your self-talk or being able to see things from someone else’s perspective – resilience is the sum of many parts. A Growth Mindset and mental tools and techniques are topics I will explore in more depth this month, as we dive into our theme of ‘mental resilience’.

    As with most things worth striving for, cultivating your mental strength is about perseverance and dedicated practice. It’s worth remembering that worthwhile change doesn’t happen overnight, with studies now proving it takes 66 days to form a habit. So it will take time and consistent effort to strengthen your resilience. What’s important is that you enjoy the process of learning and growing.

    It’s the small steps that count

    We often reserve the term ‘mentally strong’ to describe people who have been through terrible tragedies and managed to come out the other side. The truth is, while those events have a large impact on our perspectives, it’s actually the small, seemingly inconsequential decisions we make and the actions we take every day that build our resilience and mental strength.

    Just like physical exercise, building mental strength requires conscious actions – but it doesn’t require any extra time.

    You don’t need to carve out an extra half an hour in the morning, or adjust your daily routine in any major way. Mental resilience can be worked on in the moment, through making small but better decisions on how you want to react or respond to the various challenges that occur in your day.

    By identifying areas in your life where you’d like to build up your mental resilience – like keeping calm when negotiating with a client or practising patience when your children are being difficult – you can then prepare yourself to take small in-the-moment actions that deliver a better outcome. Practising a better response over and over will ultimately lead to longer-term, positive behavioural patterns.

    Make your #OneChange

    Identify one thing you'd like to do differently, share it with a friend and then practise doing it.

    Take time to reflect

    I’ll share a personal example of something I’m currently working on. Research shows that by the end of the day, when we’re tired and our reserves our low, we’re more likely to be mentally fatigued and react poorly to external pressures.

    I’d begun to notice that after the accumulated fatigue of several hard-working days had built up, I was more likely to snap at my wonderful husband (often over small things). So, I set a personal goal for myself – I knew that I had the opportunity to be either angry or kind in those situations, and I really wanted to be kinder. Now I make a conscious effort to choose warmer words to respond better in scenarios where I feel frustrated, and if I can’t, I take a breath and say nothing.

    Of course, I don’t always get it right, but by creating this awareness and attempting to make better choices, I have been able to minimise my negative responses. With a simple change and by regularly reflecting on how I’m going, I’m starting to create positive and sustainable change.

    Your personal trainer is you

    Karen Reivich, co-director of Penn University’s Resilience Project, states, “No matter how resilient you are today, you can be more resilient tomorrow.” Which is good news for all of us! We just need to keep working at it and continue to coach ourselves along the way.

    If you find it hard to keep commitments to yourself then write your goal down or share it with a close friend or partner, as this increases your chances of success by almost 40%. Creating long-term change takes long-term effort, so if today didn’t bring progress, don’t beat yourself up. Instead, celebrate the fact that you tried, and simply try again tomorrow.


    Alisa Camplin

    A former world champion aerial skier, Alisa Camplin made sporting history in 2002 as the first ever Australian woman to win gold at the Winter Olympics. After 18 years as a global corporate executive, Alisa now juggles a mix of sport, business, consulting, charity and governance roles. No stranger to physical and emotional trials, Alisa runs Resilience and High Performance programs to assist others in achieving their full potential. Awarded the prestigious Order of Australia medal, Alisa is passionate about mental wellbeing and helping people thrive. The information in this article is general information only and is not intended as financial, medical, health, nutritional or other advice. You should obtain professional advice from a financial adviser or medical or health practitioner in relation to your own personal circumstances.

    Disclaimer:
    The information in this article is general information only and is not intended as financial, medical, health, nutritional, tax or other advice. It does not take into account any individual’s personal situation or needs. You should consider obtaining professional advice from a financial adviser and/or tax specialist, or medical or health practitioner, in relation to your own circumstances and before acting on this information.


    This inspirational content is brought to you by AIA Vitality

    AIA Vitality is a science-backed program that helps you learn more about your health, offers ways to improve it and motivates you with rewards along the way.

    Contact AIA

    1800 333 613

    PO Box 6111
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    enquiries@aia.com.au

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    Copyright © 2021. AIA Group Limited and its subsidiaries or affiliates. All rights reserved. Priority Protection and Priority Protection for Platform Investors products are issued by AIA Australia Limited (ABN 79 004 837 861, AFSL 230043). AIA Vitality, a personalised, science-backed program that supports members every day to make healthier choices, is available with eligible products issued by AIA Australia. AIA Health with AIA Vitality is issued by AIA Health Insurance Pty Ltd ABN 32 611 323 034, a registered private health insurer governed by the Private Health Insurance Act 2207, Private Health Insurance Rules 2007 and the AIA Health Insurance Pty Ltd Fund Rules. The information on this website is current as at 14 January 2021 and may be subject to change. It is general information only and is not intended in any way to be financial, legal, tax, health, medical, nutritional or other advice. You should consider your own personal circumstances and needs and view the relevant product documents, fact sheets, fund rules and terms and conditions before making a decision to acquire such products. If necessary you should obtain professional advice from a financial, tax, medical or health professional. Unless expressly stated, any views or expressions of opinion (including any video content) do not represent the opinion of AIA.
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