1. Use Negative Visualization

This is a mental technique in which you deliberately envision the worst possible outcomes in your life.

• When you wake up, remind yourself that this might be your last day alive.
• When you leave your home, imagine what it would be like to lose it.
• When you see a friend, remind yourself that this might be the last time.

Obviously, you don’t want to ruminate endlessly on things like this.

But a few seconds of Negative Visualization sprinkled throughout your days can be immensely beneficial.

It will give you a much deeper appreciation for the blessings in your life.

And it will make you much better prepared for when disaster strikes.

2. Practice Voluntary Hardship

This is a practice where you deliberately put yourself in uncomfortable situations.

The practice can take any shape you want, but here are some ideas you can use as inspiration:

• Underdress for cold weather.
• Turn off the air conditioning in your car.
• Take cold showers.
• Do intermittent fasting.
• Drink water only.
• Sleep without a pillow.
• Do high-intensity exercise.

By occasionally putting yourself through Voluntary Hardship, you’ll improve your resilience, confidence, and courage.

And that will make you much better equipped for whatever involuntary hardships come your way.

3. Live With Little

You’ve probably heard stories about successful people wearing the same outfit every day.

They can easily afford to buy more clothes or even hire a stylist to do it for them.

Still, they choose to wear the same stuff day in and day out because it reduces the complexity in their lives.

It saves them valuable mental energy that they can use for other tasks.

And you can accomplish the same thing by practicing simplicity.

Try getting rid of unnecessary stuff and see how it affects your state of mind.

You’ll probably find that fewer possessions means more mental space.

The post 3 Simple Strategies That Can Make You Mentally Stronger appeared first on Patrik Edblad.