How Mental Fitness can Help you Feel Happier This Year
When you hear the words “mental health”, what comes to mind?
Chances are you jump to the thought of a person (or yourself) in a mentally unwell state. But it’s mental health we’re talking about, so why don’t we consider both ends of the spectrum?
As a society, we’ve developed a tendency of equating the term Mental Health with Mental Illness, unfortunately. So, when we talk about mental health we’re often focused on the negative side of it. That’s something that needs to change.
Your mental health is something to celebrate, work on, and strengthen where possible — exactly like how you work on physical health through diet and exercise. That’s why this week we want to talk about the concept of mental fitness.
What is mental fitness?
Think of your brain like a muscle; just as you need to stay active and exercise regularly to keep your muscles strong, you need to exercise your brain and treat it well to keep it at optimal functioning.
Your mental fitness is crucial to your overall wellbeing; consider it the foundation that allows you to build wellness in all other aspects of your life. Strong mental fitness trickles into everything else you do and fortifies it.
So, we want to help arm you with the right tools and information to keep you as mentally fit as possible.
How do you develop mental fitness?
Good mental fitness requires commitment and consistency, so remember that it’s not about making one change, but adopting a healthier, more resilient, and positive mindset that can grow with you and last over time.
With that in mind, here are a few effective and sustainable ways to maintain your mental fitness:
Try Daily Meditations or Breathwork
Think of meditations and breathing practices as recovery for your mind. Just as you need to sleep at the end of a long day or to stretch at the end of a hard workout, meditating can do the same for your mental state.
Even a minute or two of guided, slow breathing can lower your heart rate, regulate your blood pressure, and relax your muscles, by reducing your stress response.
Taking just a few minutes every day to check in with yourself, get in touch with your thoughts, and ground yourself in the present moment is such an important skill when it comes to building good mental fitness. Think of your daily meditations as your 10,000 steps.
To make it easy, we have a guided breathwork exercise that’s part of your daily routine on the MBODY app. Download today to get started for free.
Commit to Building Body Confidence
A positive body image is so essential to your mental fitness. Body appreciation is linked to better overall wellbeing and fewer unhealthy dietary patterns. For more on that see the Mental Health Foundation’s latest Body Image Report.
Healthy body confidence can come more naturally to some than others — but it’s attainable for everyone, we promise.
Practicing positive affirmations, surrounding yourself with people that show up for you, and staying active regularly are all great ways to nurture your own body confidence.
Want to learn more about scientifically-proven ways to build body confidence? We have a post on that coming soon! Subscribe to our newsletter so you don’t miss it!
Eat Good Brain Food
Your diet impacts… everything. And that definitely includes your mental fitness!
It’s as simple as this: the food we eat provides the fuel our bodies (and our brains) use to function. The cleaner the fuel, the better the engine can work.
A balanced diet that places an emphasis on healthy fats, lean proteins, complex carbohydrates, nutrient-dense foods (hello fruits and veg!), and plenty of water supports healthy neurotransmitter function in your brain, helping to protect you from oxidants that can cause damage and negatively impact mood and mental health.
You can read all about the food that supports optimal brain function and promotes mental fitness on our blog here.
Some final takeaways
It’s important to remember that being mentally fit is not a guarantee against mental illness; just as being physically fit won’t prevent you from getting sick.
There are risk factors and situations that can threaten your mental health, such as a family history of mental illness, stressful life events, hormonal imbalances, and social or financial struggles — to name a few.
But you can reduce those risk factors by working on your own mental fitness. You have the power to build your own resilience to stress, increase your happiness, and change your mindset for the better.
We want to help you feel as comfortable talking about your mental health as you are about your physical health, and that’s why we’re committed to promoting mental fitness at MBODY. Join us by sharing your favorite way to work on your mental fitness by posting to Instagram and tagging us @mbody.official.
