The Importance Of Mental Toughness In Children
Mental toughness means the ability to face difficult moments and come out stronger despite the adversity. Teaching your children mental toughness at an early age can help them develop progressive autonomy.
Researchers at the Minnesota Department of Health argue that resilience is the result of negative experiences and protective factors. This may sound complex, but we’ll explain it more clearly below.
Teaching children mental toughness and applying it in everyday life
It is not uncommon to get to know individuals or families who have experienced extremely difficult moments. Yet they made it through. On the other hand , you may have also seen friends and family who hang their heads at the slightest setback. But, what makes this difference?
Undoubtedly, genetic, social and personal factors play a role in this difference. However, several studies show that the decisive factor is mental toughness.
In physics, resilience is “the ability of a substance to regain its original shape after being bent, stretched, or compressed,” (Cambridge Dictionary).
When it comes to mental toughness in humans, it refers to “the ability to be happy, successful, etc. again after something difficult or bad has happened,” (Cambridge).
Mental toughness: does it make us different?
Two families who have to live with the loss of a child grieve very differently. For example, the first family falls apart because of the situation. However, the other family may be able to get through the other stages of grief, such as:
- Fury
- sadness
- Acceptance
Teaching your kids mental toughness: a path to change
So it turns out that resilience plays an important factor in how a person looks at problems and solves them. The factors that motivate resilience include:
- Self confidence
- A good self image
- Spirituality
- A good sense of humor
Mental toughness is often seen as a life skill. It was very important in the last decade and continues to play an important role today. However, this does not mean that resilience is a universal solution to all problems. It is an essential skill that we should encourage in our families and in the classroom.
Conclusion
Mental toughness is the ability a person possesses to get over problems and become stronger after adversity. Certain biological and innate factors play a role. The good news, however, is that mental toughness is something people can learn and understand.
Juan de Dios Uriarte, from the Department of Developmental Psychology and the Masters of Education School in Bilbao, Spain, says the following:
With this in mind, encouraging educators, health professionals and parents to teach mental toughness is a challenge worth doing.
