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What is the Mental Strength Movement?

The “Mental Strength Movement” is dedicated to helping people worldwide move beyond “quick-fix” strategies and learn about a new approach to counselling designed to create life-long, sustainable change. A typical complaint that we often hear about traditional counselling is, “I walk away from therapy feeling better in the moment, but nothing in my life really changes…” This is because traditional practices are meant to help you “cope” with your issues, not “correct” them. This crucial distinction is the key to understanding the Mental Strength Movement. “Mental health” primarily focuses on coping techniques that offer you a temporary boost. “Mental strength,” on the other hand, is built on a philosophy of correction that creates foundational shifts to your thinking leading to long-term and sustainable change.

The difference between both perspectives can be highlighted in the approach you might take to deal with an oil leak from the engine of your car. Cleaning up the oil daily that you find on the ground would be a coping technique (mental health). Repairing the engine so that the oil permanently stops leaking would be a corrective procedure (mental strength). Both perspectives have their place in this world, but if you’re looking for permanent change, we invite you to find out more about the Mental Strength Movement.

Mental Strength Training

Mental Strength Training (MST) is the main vehicle supporting the Mental Strength Movement. It’s a systemized approach that fosters correction and will benefit any individual willing to put the time, effort, and commitment into doing it. MST services are philosophically different from traditional mental health practices and are based off of 3 key components of correction which are: mental awareness, mental shifting, and mental progression.

To illustrate the importance of these 3 components and how they separate MST from common mental health practices, let’s assume, for a moment that we are leading someone into a pool of water who does not know how to swim. The mental health approach would be to provide this person with a “life jacket” as they enter the water. This would ensure that the person stays afloat in the pool. This “life jacket” approach is the exact same approach used by the mental health industry in real life. The life jackets or coping strategies offered to you are things like journaling, breathing exercises, medications, and so forth to ensure you stay afloat in life.

But, here’s the catch: can you learn how to swim on your own if you’re wearing a life jacket? Think about it for a moment. It’s impossible actually. The same holds true in life. If you’re using life jackets or coping strategies, it’s impossible to learn how to swim on your own or “correct” your issues. Enter the 3 components of correction:

1. Awareness: this component ensures your mind is fully “aware” that you have a life jacket on. This might sound like an obvious or easy thing to do, but sadly, many people aren’t aware of how may life jackets they use to stay afloat in life. Obvious life jackets are things such as relying on junk food, drugs, alcohol, gambling, medication, mantras, journaling, breathing exercises, superstitions, social media posts, status, and so forth. However, there are numerous “not so” obvious life jackets that you rely on such as needing validation from others, using deadlines to get motivated, using your injuries to prevent moving forward, blaming others, isolating yourself, etc.. If you are unable to expose all of these life jackets, even if you want to learn to swim on your own, these hidden life jackets will remain as anchors and block you from ever swimming on your own without you even realizing it.

2. Shifting: this component helps you “shift” your thinking patterns in order to develop the willingness to let go of your life jackets after becoming aware of what they actually are. This shifting is extremely difficult to do, but it’s a necessary step that cannot be skipped. Once your mind creates this shift, you will finally be in the right “mental” state to learn how to swim on your own.

3. Progression: this component helps you to take your new found mental awareness & mental shifting to “progress” in life. In other words, you will be fully capable of absorbing the lessons learned in the pool, or the lessons learned in MST, and eventually navigate life’s waters using your own strengths.

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Point 8 Training & Development Inc. was established when three guys decided to work together in pursuit of one common goal: to help everyone reach their full potential and experience ultimate life success. From the child dreaming of making it to the big leagues, to the everyday person committing to a new fitness routine, to the elite athlete reaching the pinnacle of his or her sport, our goal is to help each person reach their highest standard of performance possible. With focus, determination, and experience we have achieved this standard through our unique brand of sports counselling and our revolutionary model of sport and recreation called The New Game Plan.

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