Still deciding on your mental health goals? How about improving your mental fitness

When we encounter these external shocks, it’s important that our mental fitness is strong so we can overcome these difficult times as best we can. So, if you’re still looking for a New Year’s resolution, why not make it about improving your mental fitness?

What is mental fitness?

We know that when we do lots of cardio-vascular or resistance exercise, we become more physically fit as we develop and strengthen our muscles. By doing these exercises, you develop muscles that help you function better in your day-to-day life. You are stronger, leaner, have more energy or endurance, and are less prone to accidents and injury.

So, why can’t the same logic be applied to our brains and our mental health?

Well, it can. Just as physical fitness provides us with a better ability to respond to life’s daily rigours, mental fitness helps in the same way. It provides us more space to choose how to respond to any given situation, whether that situation is an external stimulus or a feeling. As a result, we are less likely to sustain emotional injury.

At Converge International, we’ve identified a number of factors that create and strengthen mental fitness and grouped them into four main areas: Mind, Body, Spirit and Community.

Working on (or exercising) any one of these aspects of mental fitness can improve your overall mental wellbeing. The initial challenge is understanding which areas you naturally do quite well in and the ones where you need to improve. Once you’ve done that, it’s about setting goals within the more neglected areas.

Mind

Your state of mind during any given situation is a key factor in how you act and make decisions. If you’re in a good state of mind, you’re more likely to perceive an external shock in a more positive light and, therefore, be better equipped to overcome it.

One way to improve in this area is to develop a growth mindset. People who don’t have a growth mindset are described as having ‘fixed mindsets’. These people tend to close themselves off from new challenges because they’re terrified of failure.

People with a growth mindset believe that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts and that, although people may differ (in their initial talents and aptitudes, interests, or temperaments), everyone can change and grow through application and experience.

Getting there is not as hard as it might sound. If you want to develop a growth mindset this year, note the following:

1. Try something that is outside your comfort zone.
2. If you fail, try to change the storyline you tell yourself internally, from “I’m not good at this” to “I might need to work on this for longer to get better”.
3. Acknowledge and embrace imperfections as part of life.
4. View challenges as opportunities to try something new.
5. You don’t need to take up something extreme like skydiving. You can try a creative activity like music, painting or writing.

The final mind-related factor for mental fitness is the ability to be fully immersed ‘in the moment’. This is called mindfulness.

In our fast-forward world, a lot of us spend our time in an unnecessary state of high alert, flooding our body and mind with stress. Mindfulness provides us with the capacity to move out of this hyper-aroused state into one that is calmer, more reflective and allows us to respond rather than automatically react. People who practice mindfulness find that they are less likely to worry about the future or mull over the past.

Some tips for practicing mindfulness are below.

1. If you’re religious, prayer focuses our attention on the world around us.
2. Learn to notice things mindfully. Start by sitting on a bench outside. If you see an insect, keep watching it until you can no longer see it, or really notice what happens to a leaf in the wind.
3. Download a mindfulness app and find a regular 5-10 minute slot during the day to use it.
4. Even during very stressful moments, remind yourself that you are enduring a fight or flight instinct that is preparing you for action.
5. Try making it a habit to turn off devices for each meal of the day. Take the time to notice and enjoy the food and your dining companions.

Body

The mind and body are a complex inter-connected system that are so important to your mental fitness.

The most obvious body-related factor is exercise. By exercising regularly we can improve our mood, reduce stress, increase self-esteem, decrease cognitive decline and reduce feelings of depression and anxiousness.

There are more components to ‘body’ than just exercise, though. Good nutrition, high-quality sleep and low intake of alcohol and other drugs are all important for mental fitness.

Good nutrition doesn’t necessarily mean cutting quantities of food, but rather improving your diet. A ‘Mediterranean diet’, for example, has been shown to have positive effects on mental health. So stock up on loads of nutritious fresh vegetables, lean meat and fish, fruit and whole grains instead of greasy takeaway food or pre-packaged ready-meals.

Meanwhile, look to get a good night’s sleep. Routinely sleeping less than six or seven hours a night diminishes our immune systems, increases our risk of cancer, stroke and congestive heart failure, while it contributes to all major mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety.

Cutting down alcohol, tobacco and any other drugs (prescription or otherwise) can help us sleep better, but here are some other pointers if you want to improve your sleep.

1. Meditation, yoga or deep abdominal breathing before bed.
2. Write a list of things that need to be done tomorrow and put it to one side – don’t think about it when in bed.
3. Exercise during the day.
4. Avoid looking at a bright screen before trying to get to sleep.
5. Avoid caffeine, alcohol or nicotine in the evenings.
6. Don’t lounge in bed during the day – your bed should be associated with night time sleep
7. Take a warm shower before bed.
8. Keep the bedroom at a cool temperature.
9. Wear earplugs, a mask or purchase block-out blinds.

Spirit

The first ‘spirit’ factor is a connection with nature. Studies show that people who live in a home surrounded by trees have better mental health outcomes than people who live in a home without greenery or easy access to it. Theories differ on why this is the case. Some experts believe that it evolved as a survival strategy, while others take a spiritual view and believe humans are drawn to nature as an integral part of an overall created universe.

Improving your connection with nature is relatively simple. Walking through a green park, cultivating a garden, caring for an animal and meditating or practicing mindfulness in a nature setting are all examples of connecting with nature. It’s important to practice gratitude when you appreciate the earth’s natural beauty. Pay attention to a sunset, or beautiful scenery and take the time to be thankful for the chance to enjoy it.

The second factor is the ability to find meaning and purpose in the work you do. Because we spend so much time in the workplace, finding a sense of purpose is vitally important to the overall enjoyment of our lives. Discovering this doesn’t necessarily lie in changing your job, but rather changing your perspective of it. So, work out what drives you and what purpose you’re fulfilling in your job.

For example, although banks are perceived by some to be morally dubious if you work at one, be aware that without a trusted institution that can provide us with a place to borrow and store money most of the foundations of our lives that we take for granted would be impossible. Remember, perfect jobs where we constantly feel stimulated, valued and satisfied seldom exist – there’s always something wrong with a job.

Community

Finally, community composes of two main factors. The first of these is social connections. Research has shown that loneliness increases the prominence of depression, along with a number of negative physical health impacts like cognitive performance, immune system, vascular problems, inflammation and heart disease.

Friendships and human connections, no matter how small they may seem, are good for our health. So, plan to spend time with a friend instead of catching up via text, or, if you’re in the office, make an effort to talk to more work colleagues instead of sending them an email. Remember, you’re looking for better quality interactions, so sitting down for a coffee with a friend will be far better for your mental wellbeing than anything virtual.

The second factor within community is giving. When we give, our bodies produce feel-good hormones such as oxytocin, serotonin and dopamine. The great thing about giving is that these hormones are addictive! So, if you give once, then you’re more likely to want to do it again.

You can receive the wellbeing boost giving provides you by:

1. Spending money on others.
2. Spending time with others.
3. Performing acts of kindness.
4. Complimenting someone.
5. Making someone laugh.
6. Telling someone about how you feel

So, which aspect of mental fitness do you think you can improve on? Just like a normal New Year’s resolution, set out an achievable goal in one or more of these wellbeing-boosting activities, and feel your mental fitness improve. Then, when you face those inevitable challenges this year, you’ll be able to face them head-on and come out the other side feeling stronger, more confident and mentally fit.