When one faces a situation that is out of their comfort zone or a situation that has a lot of importance in their life they end facing a lot of pressure. Which is completely normal.

This can be easily avoided if one learns how to improve their mental robustness. You just need to start having confidence in yourself.

Do a few of these things and you will easily be able to deal with the pressure of the personal interviews.

1. Believe in yourself

The first and foremost thing you need to work on is: You need to believe in yourself, truly believe in yourself. Because if you are not able to do that then there is no chance the selection board will think that you are good enough to serve the country.

If you’re struggling with self-doubt, it’s likely you’re focused on mistakes you’ve made in the past. that just means you need to tackle your weaknesses first and work on them.

As easy as believing in oneself sounds it is a much more complicated job. you need to remember that if you want to achieve something the only thing stopping you from achieving it is you, yourself.

So you need to stop being a hurdle in your own life and work on growing as an individual. it will bring peace in your life along with confidence.

But remember you need to do a few things to be able to take steps towards believing in yourself:

• Learn to respect yourself
• Remember past successes and know that you are so much more than them. but cherish your successes.
• Face your fears
• Create goals; look forward to every day and making progress. remember two steps forward and one step back is still one step forward.
• Learn a new skill
• Realize it starts with you
• Never give up

2. Know your facts and figures

You will notice that when you now details about yourself down to the zero no question will daunt you.

The individual interview is nothing but something where the IO want to double-check the information you have provided about yourself and wants to see how serious you are about the things you claim to take a part in.

So if you are thorough about the information you have provided, if you do not have a habit of lying or bluffing everything will be fine. You will start feeling for assured.

3. Replace Negative Thoughts with Productive Thoughts

Increasing your awareness of your thinking habits proves useful in building resilience.

Exaggerated, negative thoughts, such as, “I can’t ever do anything right,” hold you back from reaching your full potential. Catch your negative thoughts before they spiral out of control and influence your behaviour.

Identify and replace overly negative thoughts with thoughts that are more productive. Productive thoughts don’t need to be extremely positive but should be realistic.

A more balanced thought maybe, “I have some weaknesses, but I also have plenty of strengths.” Changing your thoughts requires constant monitoring, but the process can be instrumental in helping you become your best self.

4. Practice Tolerating Discomfort and overcoming them

Mental strength requires you to become acutely aware of your emotions so you can make the best choice about how to respond. Mental strength is about accepting your feelings without being controlled by them.

Mental strength also involves an understanding of when it makes sense to behave contrary to your emotions.

For example, if you experience anxiety that prevents you from trying new things or accepting new opportunities, try stepping out of your comfort zone if you want to continue to challenge yourself. Tolerating uncomfortable emotions takes practice, but it becomes easier as your confidence grows.