THE BLUEPRINT FOR TRUE RESILIENCE

Psychologists are now finding that mental flexibility, not pushing through at all costs, is the real key to perseverance

- by KELLY OAKES

When the road gets tough, do you dig deep, push forward and refuse to back down? If so, you likely believe in the power of mental toughness — the ability to overcome obstacles with sheer focus and will.

The idea is simple enough: by strengthening your mind, you can bulldoze through any barrier standing between you and your goals, whether it’s crushing a personal best at the gym or landing that big promotion. Mental toughness is about believing in your ability to persevere, no matter what stands in your way.

Sounds logical, even admirable, right? But there’s a huge hidden catch: relying solely on mental toughness might not serve you well in the long run.

Take marathon running as an example. If someone adopted a mindset of mental toughness, they could end up powering through their pain — but only once.

“They might finish their race through this idea of mental toughness,” says Dr Josephine Perry, a chartered sports and exercise psychologist. “But they might never be able to run another one, because they've hurt themselves so much along the way. They've just totally fallen out of love with the process, because it was all about pain and discomfort.”

You'll be pleased to hear there’s another way. It’s called a ‘flexible mindset’. You'll certainly still encounter setbacks, but instead of blindly pushing through, you might rethink your training plan, while still keeping your goals in mind. It’s about being strategic, stepping back and considering the long-term impact of your actions. “Flexibility is about winning the war and being more clever with how you do things... rather than just getting your head down and throwing yourself into every battle that comes along,” says Perry.