These Self-Care Practices Can Actually Make Your Brain Stronger

There’s been a lot of buzz about physical strength training in recent years, but what about your mental strength?

Building strength is a feat that encompasses both body and mind. Learning to navigate cognitive challenges means you increase your capacity to do all manner of difficult things, from navigating anxiety to staying in Plank Pose. It’s all connected.

“Understanding self-discipline, perseverance, and strategies for living according to your values are all hallmarks of mental strength,” says Amy Morin, psychotherapist and author of 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do. “It’s about being able to manage your behavior.”

The Benefits of Mental Strength

This fortitude touches all aspects of your inner landscape, from logic to motivation to the way you feel your feelings.

“Mental strength involves knowing how to control your feelings,” explains Morin. That means understanding when to embrace them, when to shift them, and what you can learn from them.” This training is about reframing the way you process and respond to thoughts and feelings, creating a reaction pattern that’s more useful for you, adds Morin.

Another benefit of increased mental strength is more focus. “There is an emotional piece of mental strength that requires wisdom and emotional intelligence, then there is the focus piece,” says yoga teacher Jenny Arrington. She adds that each arena definitely requires some practice.

“More focus is not only good for getting things done, but it allows you to have control over the spotlight of your attention,” says Arrington. “In this digital world where we are constantly distracted, our attention can be hijacked every few seconds. Mental strength means not letting these outside forces determine your behaviors for the day.”

Morin adds that gaining stamina within your inner world can help you perform your best, improve your relationships, bolster your psychological health, and find confidence in your ability to manage life’s ups and down.

7 Mental Strength Exercises to Build Your Stamina

From mindfulness practices to getting uncomfortable on purpose, these exercises can make your mind a stronger space.

1. Name Your Feelings

Kicking off your mental strength training can be as simple as defining your feelings. “Practice naming your emotions a few times a day and you’ll find that your emotional vocabulary increases and you’ll get better at understanding how you feel,” says Morin. “When you can say, ‘I feel anxious’ or ‘I feel sad right now,’ you shift the way your brain is processing the emotion. You raise your logic, reduce the emotion, and help your brain make sense of what is going on.”

2. Use the 10-Minute Rule

Whether your goals are multi-level or simple, starting small with whatever challenge you assign yourself sets you (and your mind) up for success. “Tell yourself that you only need to do the task for 10 minutes,” says Morin. “At the end of the 10-minute mark, give yourself permission to quit. You’ll likely find that you want to keep going.”

3. Practice Gratitude

The upsides of gratitude are well-documented—and for good reason.

“Gratitude empowers you to focus on the positive and reduces the energy you spend dwelling on the negative,” says Morin. Maintaining a regular gratitude practice—whether journaling or savoring the moment or noticing glimmers of joy throughout your day—can help train your brain to look for the good.

4. Try Mantra Meditation

Learning to still your mind and quiet your incessant internal chatter is a lifelong pursuit, one aided greatly by meditating with a mantra. Start by adopting a simple mantra such as om, so hum, or hamsa to give your mind something to play with whilst you let your thoughts come and go with ease.

“When we learn to observe and learn from our thoughts rather than getting pulled in all directions by them, we can feel a weight lifted,” says Arrington.

5. Breathe With a Metronome

For an accessible breathing exercise that focuses the mind, Arrington recommends focusing on the timing of your inhalations and exhalations.

Start by sitting near a ticking clock or downloading a metronome app. “Set your timer for 10 minutes and close your eyes,” says Arrington. “Count your inhale and whatever number that is, slow down your exhale to double that number. If you inhale for five seconds, you will exhale for 10 seconds.” This practice slows your heart rate (and your nervous system) while compelling you to pay attention to a very specific (and calming) task.

6. Lean Into Discomfort

Seemingly uncomfortable actions—including balancing in Tree Pose or taking a cold plunge—can double as tools to increase your sense of security.

“Do something that sends signals to your brain that say, ‘Make it stop! I’m uncomfortable!’ while simultaneously doubling the length of your exhale, says Arrington. The former activates your fear response while the latter sends signals to your brain that say, “I’m safe. Everything is fine.” This creates a new neural connection that makes it okay for you to be uncomfortable,” she explains.

7. Get Vulnerable

You (hopefully) know by now that your vulnerability is a strength, not a weakness. Morin notes that asking for help and allowing yourself to quit when appropriate are practices that denote courage and promote toughness.

“It’s mentally tough to have the strength to actually feel that pain of someone hurting you, tend to it, learn from it, and take action,” agrees Arrington. “This may mean putting up some boundaries or ending a relationship.” It may also mean opening yourself to having difficult but essential conversations and experiencing the possibility of pain. Letting yourself remain soft is among the strongest things you can do.