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Grit, resilience, mindfulness and an unwavering perseverance are considered to be the signature traits of mentally strong people. One other common trait that stands out among mentally strong people is immense willpower. In the face of adversity and testing situations, when it is too tempting to give up, they refuse to do so. Instead, they endure and hang on a little longer.

But is this something one has to be inherently born with or can it be acquired over time? Experts believe that although genetics and personality play a pivotal role, with experience, people can acquire varying degrees of mental strength. Although, there are certain things mentally strong people do that elevates their status from the rest.

Let’s look at 13 of these characteristics that I believe makes all the difference:

Just like you exercise your body to gain strength and build endurance, your brain needs to be exercised to develop mental strength. This may mean performing tasks that stretch your mental endurance, and it starts with fighting (and winning) smaller battles. It could be as simple as taking cold shower bath if you always use hot water for shower, or taking the stairs to get instead of the elevators.

Like Jor-EL says in the movie Man of Steel:

The only way to know how strong you are is to keep testing your limits.

If you want to get advice on how to build mental strength and how to become the best version of you, do try to chat with one of our counsellors at YourDOST!