My mom would always tell me “You’re strong like bull” even if all I did was open a jar of jelly for her. I have carried that with me in all aspects of life. It is a good reminder to keep going and that I am on the right path. Just that simple phrase means so much to me.
Mentally
I do my best to work on my mental health daily. Some days are better than others and some days it takes more work. Mental health is so important for our well being. Our mental health determines our physical health. When our mental health is right, our physical health will follow.
When we are sad and depressed we tend to either overeat or not eat much at all and that leads to weight gain or weight loss and most times we gain too much or lose too much to the point where we are unhealthy.
Some ways to better your mental health are:
- Practicing mindfulness and gratitude.
Appreciating the things you have and being present in the moments you are in and appreciating the people you surround yourself by. Once you start appreciating the little things, you have a greater appreciation for life and enjoy life more which by default, makes you happier.
- Surround yourself with positive people.
The people that you surround yourself with matter. Hang around the people who love you, support you and lift you up. When you have positive people in your life, you are more likely to live a positive life. It is easy to isolate when we are feeling down, but that is when we need to surround ourselves with other people the most.
- Exercise
Physical exercise can help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression while improving overall mood and self-esteem. Exercise does this by releasing endorphins, a natural chemical in our brains that elevates our mood and reduces feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression
Mental strength is just as important as physical strength.
Physically
When my mom would tell me that I’m “Strong Like Bull” she was mainly referring to physically because I was really working on getting stronger and healthier and lifting weights.
As a society, we are told that skinny is the most acceptable and if you try to bulk up and gain some muscle, you will not be desirable. I do not believe that is true. If anything, I think being strong is more desirable! Working on your physical health is very important for obvious reasons. I encourage you to work on your physical health in whatever way is best for you. It could be as simple as eating better, to losing weight or getting toned. Do whatever feels best for you and your body!
Emotionally
Taking care of your emotional health is similar to your mental health. You can do this by being aware of your emotions. By simply being aware, you have better control over them. Pay attention to how you are feeling in different situations and what causes negative emotions. When you identify those triggers, you can then figure out why that happens and how you can make changes to avoid those negative emotions in the future.
Vulnerability Does Not Make You Weak
Society also tells us that by showing emotion and being vulnerable makes us weak. Especially men. This is not the case. Being vulnerable proves that you are strong enough to be in tune with your own emotions. Which, a lot of people are unable to do or they avoid altogether. Vulnerability makes a lot of people uncomfortable because they do not know how to handle the emotions of other people, let alone their own.
How Can You Be Stronger?
What I want you to take away from this is with the thought of “How can I be stronger?” What do you need to work on? Is it your mental health or physical health? How can you put that into action and sustain it for the rest of your life?
