We have long known the importance and benefits of maintaining our physical health and fitness if we want to live a long and healthy life. We also know that our mental fitness is fast becoming just as important if we want to enjoy our lives and experience fulfillment.
Just as we exercise to keep our bodies in shape, our minds need regular care and attention to remain healthy and resilient.
The good news is there are practical steps we can all take to help cultivate our mental fitness and enhance our overall wellbeing, and we don't have to wait to get started. These tips might help:
Engage in Regular Physical Activity
Our bodies and minds are completely connected so physical exercise is foundational for a healthy mind as body. Regular movement prevents and treats anxiety, depression, and low mood, and promotes self-esteem and healthy cognitive function.
How to Start:
Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise at least 3 days per week, then increase to every day. Any activity is beneficial, for example you could start with walking or yoga then add strength training and more intense activities as your fitness builds.
Most importantly, find an activity you enjoy. This increases the likelihood that you'll stick with it.
Prioritise Sleep
Quality sleep is fundamental to mental and physical health. Poor sleep can affect your mood, cognitive abilities, and overall mental wellness.
How to Start:
Establish a consistent sleep schedule. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends.
Create a relaxing bedtime routine. Avoid screens and stimulating activities before bed. Instead, try reading, taking a warm bath, or practising relaxation techniques
Make a decision to regularly do something NEW
It’s easy to get caught up in the grind and routines of life and stay in our regular patterns. And while there is comfort and reliance in the routine, research suggests that doing something new helps us tap into that sense of awe we had as children and it can really wake up our brains and promote mental wellness.
How to Start:
You could try a new flavour or combination of foods that you haven’t tried before, then you can move up to more daring changes.
Decide that you will add more flexible thinking to your life, and you might find yourself accepting another’s point of view more easily and finding more amazement in your own life or your own capabilities.
Start really savouring positive experiences
Sometimes positive experiences seem to go unnoticed, although those seemingly small positive moments, that we call highlights in Positive Living Skills, are really the fabric that underpins our level of fulfillment in life.
If we can really experience positive experiences, and then turn up the experience of those positive feelings, we are boosting our ‘experience dependent neuroplasticity’, helping us to hardwire ourselves for mental fitness.
How to Start:
See how many highlights you can find in a 5 minute walk outside – the breeze, a bird, leaves of a tree, a smile with a neighbour. You can find your highlights from the sky to the ground!
Really breathe in the good and enrich your experience to build your muscle. Explore Dr Rick Hanson’s H.E.A.L model to help you savour those moments even more and use that to help you heal from past traumas.
H – Have a positive experience
E – Enrich it (with all your senses)
A- Absorb it
L – Link this positive experience to past hurts (you might want some help from a therapist with this step).
Foster Social Connections
Strong social connections are essential for mental wellbeing. Building and maintaining relationships can provide emotional support, increase feelings of belonging, and improve self-worth.
How to Start:
Make time for friends and family. Schedule regular catch-ups, whether in person, over the phone, or via video calls.
You might even join a club or group that interests you. Shared activities can be a great way to meet new people and build connections.
Make gratitude a part of every day
When we focus on what we appreciate and are grateful for, we are building our mental fitness muscle. Gratitude practices have been proven to have dramatic and lasting effects on individuals both physically, emotionally and spiritually. You simply can’t feel grateful at the same time as feeling angry, sad or fearful.
How to Start:
You could start with one minute of focused gratitude each morning or night, or many keep a gratitude journal and reflect daily weekly or whenever it suits
Even when it seems that things couldn’t get any worse, there is ALWAYS something to be grateful for.
Practise Mindfulness and body awareness
Mindfulness is the art of being present in the moment. It involves paying full attention to your thoughts, feelings, and surroundings without judgment.
Practising mindfulness can reduce stress, improve focus, and increase emotional regulation and building awareness of how our bodies feel is important.
How to Start:
Begin with short mindfulness exercises. Spend five minutes each morning focusing on your breath. Inhale deeply, hold for a few seconds, and exhale slowly. Box breathing is a wonderful technique to slow down and focus on your breathing. With this technique you slowly breathe in for 4, hold for 4, breathe out for 4 and hold for 4. The counting really helps you stay in the moment.
Incorporate mindfulness into daily activities. You can do most things mindfully including walking and eating, where you focus on the taste, texture, and aroma of your food as you slowly chew.
Cultivating mental fitness is a continuous process that requires intentional effort and practice, but the good news is that we are all capable of helping build our mental fitness.
By applying some of these tips and integrating our mind and body awareness, we can all build our mental fitness and significantly enhance our mental wellbeing.
Remember, small consistent changes can lead to significant improvements over time. Start today, and take the first step towards a healthier, more resilient mind.
Until next time,
The PLS team
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