296 — 5 Ways to Build Emotional Strength When Life Keeps Knocking You Down

You can’t control everything that happens to you. But you can control how much emotional strength you have to respond. When you’re feeling emotionally strong, you’re ready to tackle whatever challenges you face and have the ability to rise to your greatest potential.
 
Fortunately, building emotional strength is a skill you can develop with practice. Today, I’m sharing five essential steps that will help you build emotional strength even when life keeps knocking you down.
 
Some of the things I talk about are:
 

• Why emotional strength isn’t about suppressing your feelings but understanding them.
• The simple act of “affect labeling” and how it can instantly reduce an emotion’s intensity.
• How to determine if an emotion is your “friend” or “enemy” in any given moment.
• The game-changing question that helps you decide how to tackle an uncomfortable feeling.
• Why facing uncomfortable feelings can be key to a healthier, stronger life.
• A 5-step strategy to move from emotional avoidance to empowered action.

Key Takeaways:

• Emotional strength is a skill that can be built through practice.
• Expanding your emotional vocabulary is the first step in managing your emotions. 
• Emotions aren’t positive or negative. Any emotion can be helpful or harmful..
• Develop emotional agility by having a flexible approach to coping strategies.
• Face life’s challenges directly instead of avoiding emotional discomfort.