6 Unconventional and Easy Ways to Help You Become Mentally Stronger

Remember the last time you went to pieces? Wasn’t fun picking those up, was it? That time, on the road to recovery, you had promised yourself that you would do everything in your power to make yourself mentally stronger. If somehow your promise fell through, or all the things you tried didn’t make an iota of a difference, never fear.

Here are six easy-to-do tips and tricks to help you become a man (or woman) of steel – at least mentally that is.

1. Break it down

When faced with a “big” challenge, we tend to hide under the covers and visit our version of sweater town. Procrastinating will not make that challenge disappear – be it losing weight, getting a job, or becoming mentally stronger! What we need to do is break down that challenge into smaller, doable steps, and list them down in a logical order of doing.

2. Center yourself, now

In times of great stress, it helps to be mentally stronger and be Zen. This is why the yogis of yore meditated and were even able to win over basic human needs like hunger, thirst, or the need for shelter. Use a stress ball, breathe in and out, hop on one leg in private, even – do whatever it takes to center yourself and stiffen the backbone. Don’t be part of the problem, be the solution instead. Use the 4x4x4 breathing technique used by the Navy seals, the toughest bunch there ever is – breathe in for 4 seconds, breathe out for 4 seconds and do this for 4 minutes.

Better? Now get to work.

3. The silver lining

Clichéd? Sure. But so very true. When something bad happens to us, we over analyze it by asking, “why me?” We wonder what we ever did so wrong that something this bad, this unforeseen, and this challenging could happen to us. Be kind, rewind. Instead of looking at it as something bad, look at it as an obstacle that you simply have to cross. Instead of viewing it as a hurdle, turn it into a milestone. Basically, take a flashlight if you have to, and go look for that silver lining!

4. Count those blessings

On the days life knocks you on your back, pick up a journal and jot down three things that you feel grateful for. It could be something as deep as being alive, or something as basic (but cheery) as hot coffee on a cold day. It’s human to take comfort in what you have, so be thankful for it – not fearfully, but fearlessly.

Do this every day. Seriously, just write or type it down – make an excel sheet if you are more computer inclined. The power of those things that you may have been taking for granted will make you mentally stronger, one day at a time.

5. Taste your success

Visualize your completed product and eventual success to be mentally stronger. Different from just gadabout daydreaming, visualizing the successful completion of your goal in vivid Technicolor puts you in a charged and positive state of mind. It gives you a much-needed boost that makes you achieve those very dreams you thought were impossible to begin with. Instead of imagining the dastardly consequences of you not making it, visualize the wonderful fringe benefits of you being a winner! You’ll be surprised to see how much the mind can achieve, once it visualizes that achievement.

6. Surround yourself with positivity

Behind every successful person stands a group of positive people. To be mentally stronger, to be goal-oriented, you need people with positive thoughts who egg you on in a good way. Drop that end-is-nigh friend like a hot potato; you may need realists around you, but you don’t need pessimists who’ll knock that glass down just to be able to call it half empty!

So there you have six doable things that will make you mentally stronger and ready to take on the world, any time, any place. More power to you.

Featured photo credit: ObstacleRaceRevolution via static1.squarespace.com

Love this article? Share it with your friends on Facebook

Mentally Strong People Don't Just Tell Themselves To Be Happy, They Do These 4 Things

Do you ever find yourself wondering why you aren’t happier? Sometimes, it seems like the act of saying you’re happy isn’t enough to actually make you happy. It’s a good start, sure, but don’t stop there. Mentally powerful people don’t just hope for happiness, they take action to make it a reality. Why? Because they understand that life is meant to be enjoyed. So, without further delay, here are four things that mentally strong people do to achieve happiness.

1. They don’t base their happiness on achieving things that are out of their hands

Focus on the things you can control, and you’ll find that you’re more motivated and less worried about failure. For example, you can’t know when you’ll find love or when you’ll be able to afford your dream house. If you base your happiness on these unknowns, your mental health will suffer as long as they remain out of your reach. So, instead pay attention to how often you make efforts to bring yourself closer to your goals. Measuring small things like the steps you take toward a goal can immediately make you more certain and less worried about a situation. It’s a wonderful tool for self improvement.

2. They shift their worries away from the long-term problem

Instead focus on daily practices that will help you solve that problem. Worrying about the way things will turn out in the distant future is worse than unhelpful; it’s the cause of much unneeded stress. For example, if you’re worried about a piano recital or a public speaking engagement you have in a month, focus on preparing for it each day instead of worrying about how it will turn out. Trust that your present efforts will help you achieve what you want if you make them a routine.

3.They keep track their emotions using a bullet journal

A bullet journal¹ is a personal mix between a diary, a to-do list, and a planner. You can make lists and graphs every day that describe how you’re feeling physically and emotionally and the reasons for specific feelings throughout the day. You can also use the journal to track your daily habits. You will have a clear readout of how long you spent studying, exercising, and watching TV. A bullet journal is a wonderful tool that will help you see and change your habits. Better than that, it will show you how the changes you make each day effect your moods.

4. They don’t ignore their negative emotions

Try again. Ignoring negative emotions can actually be extremely harmful to your mental health. It’s better for you to challenge them². Do you listen to all of the things your inner voice tells you? No, I’m not talking about your voice of wisdom when I say inner voice. I’m talking about the voice of fear: the voice that tells you why you can’t do something and why you’ll never amount to anything compared with the success of a family member. Are you familiar with that voice? Try this. Next time it speaks up and tells you you’re not good enough, ask it one simple question: “why?” You always have the right to ask this question. Remember that most of us are stronger, smarter, and more capable than we believe ourselves to be. Don’t let fear-based thoughts hold you back from your true potential.

Happiness is really quite simple when you remove all the preconceived notions that tell you otherwise. However, getting the things you want out of life and learning to be content and happy as you move towards your goals takes some effort. You’ll find that an open mind and perseverance are key. Using these tools, there’s no reason you shouldn’t be as happy as you want to be.

15 Characteristics All Mentally Strong People Share In Common

Love this article? Share it with your friends on Facebook

Get more great stuff like this delivered straight to your inbox

8 Reasons People Who Like Spending Time Alone Are Smarter and Stronger

Today’s society encourages us to spend as much time as possible with other people; even when we are alone, we are texting, emailing, phoning, and Skyping each other. We are always expected to be doing something or going somewhere, but there are actually lots of benefits to spending time alone.

Solitude isn’t very popular in our constantly connected world, and often people who spend time alone are assumed to be lonely or sad. However, this is rarely the case; lots people enjoy spending time alone because it benefits them psychologically. Spending time alone is actually good for us, and it gives us the chance to relax and recharge.

1. Spending Time Alone Will Make You More Confident

Unconfident people often rely on others to help with decisions, but spending time alone encourages you to make decisions for yourself. When you are alone, you can ignore other people’s opinions and ideas so that you can really focus on your own thoughts. You get the opportunity to weigh up all of the pros and cons so that you make the best possible decision, which helps to inspire confidence within ourselves.

2. Spending Time Alone Will Boost Your Productivity

When we are around other people, we often become distracted from our goals and priorities. When we are alone, we get the chance to really think about what matters to us, from work to family to money. This helps us to decide our goals and it also motivates us to work towards achieving our goals.

3. Spending Time Alone Helps You to be Creative

Everyone is creative in different ways, but when we are around other people, we are more likely to do what the rest of the group is doing. When we are alone, outside influences are removed and we can do exactly as we please. Some people enjoy drawing or painting, and others might enjoy cooking, reading, writing, or making music. There are lots of different ways to be creative, and when we are alone we get the chance to explore our individual interests and abilities.

4. Spending Time Alone Will Clear Your Mind

Our society is filled with information and we often overload on the endless stream of information coming from work, social media, and our friends and family. Sometimes it is essential to take a break from the stream of information so that we can think about our lives and assess everything that is happening. Spending time alone allows us to clear our minds, which makes us happier and more relaxed.

5. Spending Time Alone Will Help You to Solve Problems

The best solutions often come to us when we are alone and reflecting on our problems. Spending time alone helps us to work through a problem as we get the chance to really think about it. We can think about what caused the problem, as well as all the different ways we can do to solve the problem. We also get the opportunity to think about what we really want, which helps us to think of effective solutions.

6. Spending Time Alone Will Help You to Get Things Done

Most people have a list of things that they need to do, but it is difficult to tick anything off the list when you are always with people. When you are alone, you get uninterrupted time to work on your to-do list, and we often achieve a lot more when we are alone as there are no distractions. Even if it isn’t fun to work through the list, you will feel happy and productive when you finish working.

7. Spending Time Alone Relieves Stress and Anxiety

Lots of people today suffer from stress and anxiety, and spending time alone helps us to de-stress and relax. When we are alone we don’t have to listen to other people’s problems or issues; we can just relax and do as we please.

8. Spending Time Alone Encourages You to be More Independent

One of the main benefits to spending time alone is that it inspires us to be more independent. When we are alone we can focus on personal progress, problem solving, and enjoying ourselves, which all encourage independence and self-love.

Love this article? Share it with your friends on Facebook

Get more great stuff like this delivered straight to your inbox

20 Tricks That Can Make Anyone An Excel Expert

Liza BrownEnergizing the circuit of digital life. Full Bio

After Microsoft developed Excel to the 2010 version, it offered more surprises than ever. In order to deal with tons of big data, you can’t ignore the important role Excel plays in daily work. However, both for beginners and advanced users, there are still many useful tips and tricks that are inevitably overlooked. Here are 20 useful Excel spreadsheet secrets you may not know. Please note that all these functions are based on Microsoft Excel 2010.

1. One Click to Select All

You might know how to select all by using the Ctrl + A shortcut, but few know that with only one click of the corner button, as shown in the screenshot below, all data will be selected in seconds.

2. Open Excel Files in Bulk

Rather than open files one by one when you have multiple files you need to handle, there is a handy way to open them all with one click. Select the files you would like to open then press the Enter key on the keyboard, all files will open simultaneously.

3. Shift Between Different Excel Files

When you have different spreadsheets open, it’s really annoying shifting between different files because sometimes working on the wrong sheet can ruin the whole project. Using Ctrl + Tab you can shift between different files freely. This function is also applicable to other files like different Windows tabs in Firefox when opened using Windows 7.

4. Create a New Shortcut Menu

Generally there are three shortcuts in the top menu, which are Save, Undo Typing and Repeat Typing. However, if you want to use more shortcuts, like Copy and Cut, you can set them up as follows:

File->Options->Quick Access Toolbar, add Cut and Copy from the left column to the right, save it. You will see two more shortcuts added in the top menu.

5. Add a Diagonal Line to a Cell

When creating a classmate address list, for example, you may need a diagonal link in the first cell to separate different attributes of rows and columns. How to make it? Everyone knows that Home->Font-> Borders can change different borders for a cell, and even add different colors. However, if you click More Borders, you will get more surprises, like a diagonal line. Click it and save—you can now make it immediately.

6. Add More Than One New Row or Column

You may know the way to add one new row or column, but it really wastes a lot of time if you need to insert more than one of these by repeating this action X number of times. The best way is to drag and select X rows or columns (X is two or more) if you want to add X rows or columns above or left. Right click the highlighted rows or columns and choose Insert from the drop down menu. New rows will be inserted above the row or to the left of the column you first selected.

7. Speedily Move and Copy Data in Cells

If you want to move one column of data in a spreadsheet, the fast way is to choose it and move the pointer to the border, after it turns to a crossed arrow icon, drag to move the column freely. What if you want to copy the data? You can press the Ctrl button before you drag to move; the new column will copy all the selected data.

8. Speedily Delete Blank Cells

Some default data will be blank, for various reasons. If you need to delete these to maintain accuracy, especially when calculating the average value, the speedy way is to filter out all blank cells and delete them with one click. Choose the column you want to filter, go to Data->Filter, after the downward button shows, undo Select All and then pick up the last option, Blanks. All blank cells will show immediately. Go back to Home and click Delete directly, all of them will be removed.

9. Vague Search with Wild Card

You may know how to activate the speedy search by using the shortcut Ctrl + F, but there are two main wild cards—Question Mark and Asterisk—used in Excel spreadsheets to activate a vague search. This is used when you are not sure about the target result. Question Mark stands for one character and Asterisk represents one or more characters. What if you need to search Question Mark and Asterisk as a target result? Don’t forget add a Wave Line in front.

10. Generate a Unique Value in a Column

You are aware of the key function of Filter, but few people use the Advanced Filter, which will be repeatedly applied when you need to filter a unique value from data in a column. Click to choose the column and go to Data->Advanced. A pop-up window will show up. As the screenshot shows, click Copy to another location, which should be in accord with the second red rectangular area. Then specify the target location by typing the value or clicking the area-choosing button. In this example, the unique age can be generated from Column C and show in Column E. Don’t forget to choose Unique records only, then click OK. The unique value showing in column E can be the contrast of the original data in C, that’s the reason why it is recommended to copy to another location.

11. Input Restriction with Data Validation Function

In order to retain the validity of data, sometimes you need to restrict the input value and offer some tips for further steps. For example, age in this sheet should be whole numbers and all people participating in this survey should be between 18 and 60 years old. To ensure that data outside of this age range isn’t entered, go to Data->Data Validation->Setting, input the conditions and shift to Input Message to give prompts like, “Please input your age with whole number, which should range from 18 to 60.” Users will get this prompt when hanging the pointer in this area and get a warning message if the inputted information is unqualified.

12. Fast Navigation with Ctrl + Arrow Button

When you click Ctrl + any arrow button on the keyboard, you can jump to the edge of the sheet in different directions. If you want to jump to the bottom line of the data, just try to click Ctrl + downward button.

13. Transpose Data from a Row to a Column

You would use this feature if you want to transpose data to get a better display; however, retyping all data would be the last thing you would need to do if you know how to use the Transpose function in Paste. Here’s how: copy the area you want to transpose, move the pointer to another blank location. Go to Home->Paste->Transpose, please note that this function won’t activate until you copy the data first.

14. Hide Data Thoroughly

Almost all users know how to hide data by right clicking to select the Hide function, but this can be easily noticed if there is only a little bit of data. The best and easiest way to hide data thoroughly is to use the Format Cells function. Choose the area and go to Home->Font->Open Format Cells->Number Tab->Custom->Type ;;; -> Click OK, then all the values in the area will be invisible, and can only be found in the preview area next to the Function button.

15. Compose Text with &

Complicated formulation is unnecessary, as long as you know how to use &. You can compose any text freely with this symbol. Below I have four columns with different texts, but what if I want to compose them to one value in one cell? First, locate the cell that is to show the composed result, use the formulation with & as shown in the screenshot below. Click Enter: all texts in A2, B2, C2 and D2 will be composed together to become LizaUSA25@ in F2.

16. Transforming the Case of Text

With all the tricks shared here, I’ve tried my best to avoid complicated formulation. But there are still some simple and easy to use formulations to show you, like UPPER, LOWER and PROPER, which can transform texts for different purposes. UPPER will capitalize all characters, LOWER can change text to all lower case and PROPER will only capitalize the first character of a word.

17. Input Values Starting with 0

When an input value starts with zero, Excel will delete the zero by default. Rather than reset the Format Cells, this problem can be easily solved by adding a single quote mark ahead of the first zero, as shown.

18. Speed up Inputting Complicated Terms with AutoCorrect

If you need to repeat the same value and it is complicated to input, the best way is to use the AutoCorrect function, which will replace your text with the correct text. Take my name, Liza Brown, for example, which can be replaced by LZ. Therefore, every time I input LZ, it can autocorrect to Liza Brown. Go to File->Options->Proofing->AutoCorrect Options and input Replace text with correct text in the red rectangular area, as below.

19. One Click to Get More Status

Most users know how to check the data status in the bottom of an Excel sheet, like Average and Sum Value. However, do you know you can move the pointer to the bottom tab and right click to get more status, as shown below?

20. Rename a Sheet Using Double Click

There are multiple ways to rename sheets, and most users will right click to choose Rename, which actually wastes a lot of time. The best way is to just click twice, then you can rename it directly.

Love this article? Share it with your friends on Facebook

Get more great stuff like this delivered straight to your inbox

8KSHARES

If You Have These 6 Struggles, You're Highly Intelligent

Most people regard highly intelligent people as super humans who have it all figured out simply because their brains can help them in any life situation and they don’t have to struggle with the problems of the ordinary people. Yet, the reality is quite different, as no matter how intelligent someone may be, they are, at the end of the day, just human.

They struggle with issues somewhat different than those of the rest of the world, but still challenging and difficult. If you are a highly intelligent person, these struggles and the lack of understanding from peers can leave you feeling lonely. Maybe your friends and family don’t seem to be mindful of your feelings. In order to help you feel acknowledged and understood, here are some of your most common struggles.

1. Small talk exhausts you

It can be quite a challenge for you to be involved in small talk about ordinary things. This is because your brain is overwhelmed with great ideas. Topics that interest you likely include science, art, philosophy, and those are rarely found in small talk. This makes you feel like you are wasting your time trapped in a suffocating, never-ending list of socially acceptable set phrases. All you really want is a like-minded individual to bounce ideas around with about the important stuff.

2. You think more than you speak

As your brain is wired to look for all possible solutions and answers to a problem, it may take you more time than a person of average intelligence to give your opinion or draw a conclusion. Moreover, if you are not completely sure you’ve got the right answer or a brilliant idea, you won’t speak at all. Your struggle lies in the fact that most people around you are not familiar with the way your thought process works, and they get confused or regard you as weird, introverted, or uninterested.

3. Your job can easily bore you

The need for your brain to be constantly challenged with new, greater ideas and projects can turn your once exciting job into ordinary and boring as you exhaust all ways to be creative with it. This can turn into a day-to-day struggle to finish your tasks. Additionally, in most cases, your boss isn’t so sympathetic to your longings and just wants the job done.

4. You sometimes have action paralysis

It is hard to be a thinker in a world full of go-getters that appreciate action more than great ideas. As you are too consumed with different ideas, you may at times be missing the action impulse. Unfortunately, people tend to mistake this trait as laziness which leaves you feeling underappreciated.

5. You are considered socially awkward

As if those aren’t enough, your next struggle comes as a result of all the previous ones. If you are feeling uncomfortable during small talk, refrain from speaking if not sure, don’t get inspired by old and exhausted ideas, or if you feel more comfortable with ideas than execution, people tend to characterize you as socially awkward. Little do they know, this only puts more pressure on you making you feel more self-conscious about your social conduct.

6. It is hard for you to fall in love

Finally, your quest for love is slightly more demanding than that of average people. Since you are much more cautious, analytical and independent than the rest, you tend to get mistaken for cold and high maintenance. Additionally, you can lack spontaneity at times, which makes your love interest, lose interest.

However difficult your daily struggles may seem, you don’t need to let them immobilize you from growing. You can work on expressing yourself more to others so that they can get a better understanding of your needs. You will find some common ground.