Mental Fitness: what it is and how you can improve yours.

When you think of mental fitness, you might picture one or more of the scenes above. Especially when a new year begins. What if I told you that you can develop your mental fitness without having to take yourself into the wilderness, down to the beach or the therapist's couch? Interested? Then read on.

What is mental fitness and how is it different from mental health?

Mental fitness is all about your emotional and cognitive function, strength, and resilience. It is the ability to mentally adjust to the ever changing experiences of your life. People with a good level of mental fitness are able to detect negative thoughts caused by situations, interrupt them, and adjust their focus toward a more positive path.

Mental fitness is a contributory factor to your overall psychological, social, and emotional wellbeing, i.e. your mental health. It supports your ability to lead a fulfilling life. Something we would all like, right?

Mental fitness is like your physical fitness. It takes work to develop and maintain it. That's why you see word game, problem solving and sudoku apps advertising that they are beneficial for your brain - your mental muscle. When we do mental fitness exercises, and solve problems, it's the brain we are working out. Just like lifting weights in the gym!

Mental fitness isn't just limited to your ability to complete cognitive tasks in an ever increasing level of difficulty. It is also about being self-aware so you can remain adaptable and manage your stress.

If you only ever work out one muscle of your body, the type and number of physical activities you will be able to do well will be limited. The same goes for your mind. When you use your mind in the same way in all situations, you are limited in the results you will get. Just like the muscles in your body you can learn to use your mind in all sorts of ways, so you can be better equipped for the myriad of situations life throws at you. This is called neuroplasticity.

In short, mental fitness training helps with neuroplasticity by working different parts of your brain, regularly. This enables you to retrain your brain to react differently in future situations. This leads to greater adaptability, greater resilience, and better overall mental health.

What are the benefits of greater mental fitness?

As mentioned, you will become more adaptable and resilient in the situations you find yourself in. You can also experience the following:

Greater self-confidence - Your ability to trust and believe in your capacity to face challenges and overcome them, increases with greater mental fitness. It may also impact your decision making and interactions.

Better sleep - Mental fitness helps with stress and anxiety management, which in turn leaves you feeling calm, relaxed, and more likely to experience better quality sleep.

Less reactivity - Mental fitness helps you to see where a pause for thought might be better than an immediate reaction, allowing for a considered response, and reducing the likelihood of conflict or regret for your actions.

Being more present - Being more aware of your surroundings, emotions, the emotions of others, and being more attentive to what's in front of you. This improves your relationships, your work, and your ability to enjoy life's pleasures, no matter how small.

Feeling more positive and hopeful - "Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right" - Henry Ford What you believe the mind finds evidence for. Greater mental fitness promotes more positive thoughts and outlooks, resulting in a tendency to experience life with greater positivity.

Improved cognitive function - You know the relationship between physical fitness, physical health, and physical function, well the same is true for mental fitness. It can improve your mental health and cognitive functions such as memory, attention, and problem-solving skills.

Better emotional regulation - When you learn to recognise your emotions and understand them, you can manage them more effectively. Mental fitness can help you do just that! The results include better relationships at work and at home. Not forgetting to mention, less conflict.

Increased creativity - A creative mind is flexible and open to possibilities. Mental fitness can improve your creativity in your personal projects and your professional life.

A stronger sense of purpose - With greater clarity of your values and your goals you approach life with a stronger sense of direction and purpose. Mental fitness can help you gain a clearer picture of your values and goals.

All of these benefits are really valuable if you are considering a career change. Whether that is pondering your next role or a complete change of direction. With improved mental fitness you have the potential to see and find new opportunities in places you have never imagined!

In fact, increasing your mental fitness will give you these benefits in every area of your life.

How can you improve your mental fitness?

Just like improving your physical fitness, it's all about creating new habits. I always recommend to my clients that they start with the smallest action that will lead to the next. A good example is putting your running shoes out the night before to increase your chances of going out for that early morning run.

For developing your mental fitness, a first small step might be to read an article, like this one from Calm.com, which I used for inspiration when writing my article. They include 10 brain exercises to give your mind a workout. Don't expect all of the above benefits overnight. Just as when you build your physical fitness, it takes time and consistent action.

Developing new habits can be difficult and can require a lot of support. I started developing my own mental fitness a year ago, with the help of POSITIVE INTELLIGENCE?. You can find out more about it here.

Just like physical fitness, you have to keep up the good work on a regular basis. Creating the habit is the hardest part. Once you've done that, it becomes easier to integrate the actions into more and more areas of your life, every single day.

There is lots of support out there. If you are going to find a mental fitness programme that works for you, be prepared to experiment. Have fun with it!

If you have any questions for me about my experience of POSITIVE INTELLIGENCE?or the benefits my clients and I have had from improved mental fitness, then drop me a DM. I'd love to hear from you.

Love and light

Liz ??