Being strong about everything all the time is not always easy, life is full of challenges and society full of pressure. The pressure to be perfect, to fit in, to have a great career, a great social life, a great life partner, a family, brilliant kids and so on.

When single, that pressure becomes bigger as there are still major events in your life you can’t wait for to happen.

We have selected five ways to strengthen yourself emotionally, in order to deal with society’s pressure better and to live on your own terms.

1. Embrace your failures

One of the biggest issues many people face is not failure, but rather not accepting failure. Failure is part of success and that is in every aspect of our lives, whether it is your career, love life, friendships, etc. If something failed, there is usually a good reason it did. Sometimes not enough work was done, or simply you failed because you were meant to learn something out of it. Now, the issue is not so much about failing, but rather being stuck where you failed and losing confidence in yourself which can lead you to feel emotionally down and insecure.

2. Let your emotions be 

Hiding how you feel or pretending you are ok when inside you are feeling down, sad, or worse depressed, is counterproductive, as no one will be able to listen to you and help you.

Respecting how you feel is not a sign of weakness, at the contrary it is a sign that you are strong enough to express how you feel. This will lead you to understand what is happening to you and why you are feeling this way before being able to deal with the issue.

3. Don’t be afraid to love

Emotionally strong people have been through heartbreak, for some, several times, yet they never stopped looking for the one and kept their heart open.

Being hurt is not a reason to shut love out of your life, since you will probably be miserable and tired of over-protecting your heart from falling in love or letting someone in.

4. Learn to say NO

Learning and being comfortable saying ‘No’ is extremely powerful. Emotionally strong people do and that is because they know where their emotional responsibility ends and another person’s begins, and vice versa.

They naturally stand up for themselves and have learned that saying no to any sort of violations, aggression, and unfair behaviour towards them or someone close to them did them a lot of good in the end. They don’t feel guilty about it and instead feel liberated and free.

5. Practice optimism

Sometimes, there aren’t many things in your life you should or can change. Perhaps what needs changing, is thinking negatively because everything in your life is the reflection of your thoughts. As the Dalai Lama wisely quoted: “Choose to be optimistic, it feels better.” Life will be easier, full of hope and dreams. 

Optimism will help you appreciate what you have and what is to come, rather than what you have lost or what should stay in the past.