The wellness world has thrown a new term at us: mental fitness. Upon coming across it, your initial thoughts may be, “Do I need to do brain crunches now? Are there gyms for my brain? How does that even work?”
The concept of mental fitness does not exactly work like physical fitness. But in today’s world, it is equally as crucial.
This blog will delve into the science behind mental fitness. We will explore how cultivating mental fitness might just be the path to boosted productivity and a happier life. Hopefully, this exploration will empower you to lead a more fulfilling life enriched with the joy and energy that cultivating a healthy mind can bring.
What is Mental Fitness, Anyway?
Mental fitness refers to one’s ability to think clearly, make decisions, and manage everyday stressors effectively. It does not refer to a state where there is an absence of mental illness or even distress, instead, it is a positive state of wellbeing where one’s mind is thriving.
Mental fitness is a concept that is fairly new and has emerged as a term to help people understand the importance of mental health. Just as physical fitness involves consistent exercise to improve physical health, mental fitness emphasizes the idea that mental well-being can be enhanced through consistent and appropriate exercises.
Similar to how we may need exercise and follow a balanced diet to keep our physical bodies fit, the idea of mental fitness suggests that in order to keep our mental health in check, we must make deliberate efforts to keep our cognitive capacities strong. If we don’t maintain a healthy diet and get enough exercise, our body’s fitness declines. Similarly, in the case of mental health, it is easy to get stuck in negative thoughts and behaviors if we don’t try and include mental fitness exercises that keep us at our best.
Some characteristics of mental fitness include:
- Resilience: Underlying behind the idea of mental fitness is the core concept of resilience. It’s not that a fit mind will magically make all your problems go away, instead, a fit mind may result in an ability to bounce back from life’s adversities more quickly.
- Balance: Mental fitness is a balanced state of a strong mind as well as an adaptable one. It is to have enough rational judgement to be tough with yourself when needed, and accepting flexibility when life calls for it.
- Multiple components: Several components may be part of mental fitness, including skills of emotional regulation, financial planning, practicing self compassion, the ability to maintain healthy relationships, etc.
Working on your mental fitness may help you:
- Handle stress
- Balance work and family obligations
- Boost productivity
- Have healthy relationships
- Seek help when needed.
With your mind on your side, all your goals are only as far away as the steps you plan on taking to achieve them are. You are less likely to get distracted or overwhelmed, you’re enabled to get things done fast, which may also leave you feeling consistently motivated and ready to take on the challenges of life.
Strategies in Mental Fitness Training
There are largely four types of strategies that may be part of mental fitness exercises. These include:
- Acknowledging Current State: The first step to betterment is the acknowledgment of what one may currently lack. A mentally fit person is able to acknowledge their own areas of improvement without being too self critical, and decide to actively take steps to improve it.
- Noticing Patterns: After deciding that certain areas of one’s mental health may need to be improved, the next step is to make note of existing patterns. This could include recognizing triggers for an undesirable behavior, taking note of the tone (negative/positive) of one’s thoughts, keeping a journal to keep track of one’s moods, etc.
- Behavior-related strategies: These strategies attempt to increase the occurrence of desirable behaviors and reduce those of undesirable behaviors. A range of strategies can be used for the same, usually based on the principles of learning and reinforcement.
- Cognitive strategies: Unlike behavioral strategies, cognitive strategies generally have more to do with one’s thoughts. Such strategies can include mindfulness meditation, gratitude journaling, engaging in activities that keep one’s mind sharp, etc.
How Does Mental Fitness Work: The Science Behind It
Intentionally training our mind through mental fitness exercises may help us enhance our ability to effectively cope with, recover from, and even prevent mental health challenges.
How does this work, you wonder?
Fortunately, our brains possess the natural ability to adapt and change. We can actually rewire neural pathways that are no longer beneficial to us. Since neural pathways are activated via thoughts, behaviors, and emotions — it is possible to cultivate new neural pathways that support our well-being and enhance our lives, similar to how we intentionally strengthen specific muscles through exercise.
This process of intentional neural rewiring is the core principle underlying mental fitness training.
Why does it work? – Channeling the Potential of Neuroplasticity
“Neuroplasticity” refers to the admirable ability of our brain to be flexible and adapt to our experiences (Mishra & Gazzaley, 2014). Every mental function that we perform, such as thinking, decision making, and recalling information is done through the neural pathways in our brain. Certain pathways in our brains are created and reinforced over time, resulting in the creation of schemas. For example, when you think of the word “flowers”, you may also end up thinking about objects associated with flowers — such as gardens, greenery, and trees. This is because your brain is used to associating these concepts together. Over time, due to life experiences and other dispositions, our brain gets used to activating certain neural pathways more than others. Because repetitive thought patterns strengthen their corresponding neural pathways, frequently having negative thoughts can lead to a negative mindset by making them automatic and habitual. When we consistently dwell on negative thoughts or experience negative events, our brain can become entrenched in these patterns, making it more difficult to shift towards more positive thinking.
But, now that we know our brain has the ability to adapt — the good news is that our brain has the potential to unlearn unhelpful thought patterns and instead replace them with more helpful or positive thought patterns.
Thus, it is through the potential of neuroplasticity that mental fitness can be attained. By being aware of our mental routines and intentionally practicing mental fitness, we can reshape our neural pathways to create healthier thought patterns.
Some skills that can develop with mental fitness training include:
Emotional Regulation
A fit mind is able to pause and reflect, instead of acting impulsively in the heat of the moment (or in other words, react on autopilot).
Mental fitness training often involves becoming aware of one’s own emotions and thought patterns as a first step. This awareness can help an individual choose to react differently in an otherwise challenging situation. A calmer mind is enabled to gradually build emotional intelligence and learn how to manage difficult emotions in a healthy manner.
Developing a Growth Mindset
When your neural pathways are strengthened with realistic and objective thinking patterns, it is possible to cultivate a growth mindset. Your mind is more open to being positive during challenges, instead of spiralling at the first sight of a stressor and losing hope. This learned shift in perspective can transform how we view challenges, and turn them into opportunities for growth and learning.
Stress Reduction
Mental fitness may help individuals recognize that they have a choice in how they respond to stressful situations. One can train their mind to be solution-focused rather than getting stuck in catastrophizing tendencies. This means that mentally fit people may feel less stressed, as they do not get overwhelmed by challenges.
Optimized Cognitive Resources
Our brain does many things for us, several of which are what makes us human.
However, when our brain is on autopilot, we’re unable to utilize the full range of its capabilities. Mental fitness training helps us strengthen our mind by regularly engaging in activities that keep our cognitive skills refined.
Whether we speak of working memory, creativity, decision-making, or judgement — mental fitness is the key to ensuring that the brain operates at its peak capacity.
Mental Fitness and Productivity
In a world where we’re constantly bombarded with distractions and information overload, many people find it hard to enhance their productivity. Over time, the lack of optimal productivity may leave you feeling disappointed with yourself. Stuck in a constant loop of negative thoughts and emotions, you may not realize the fatigue and stress your overactivated negative neural pathways may be causing you.
Mental fitness may contribute to increased productivity by enhancing cognitive functions such as focus, processing speed, and problem-solving abilities. These improvements allow individuals to complete tasks more efficiently and effectively.
Pathway to True Happiness?
Since mental fitness training includes breaking negative thought patterns and actively adding positive ones, it enables your mind to stay in a generally positive mood.
Here are some components of mental fitness training that contribute to happiness and fulfillment:
- Mindfulness: Practices such as mindfulness are aimed at calming oneself through the practice of staying present in the moment. Mindfulness practices are often part of mental fitness training to increase tolerance towards stress. This may help you focus on what matters in the present and find life meaningful.
- Gratitude: Gratitude journals are also a popular strategy included in mental fitness training, as they help your mind remember everything in life there is to be grateful for. This may activate positive thinking patterns in your mind, resulting in an overall better mood.
- Self-compassion: The very first step to embracing mental fitness practices is to accept yourself as you are and make space for growth. Self-compassion allows you to not only see setbacks as opportunities but also helps you see that you are human, allowed to make mistakes and have flaws. This lets you stay happier in the present moment.
Conclusion
Spiritual teachings have long emphasized the profound connection between the mind and overall well-being. Now, with the growing field of mental health, we are witnessing scientific validation of this age-old truth.
Just as we prioritize physical fitness as an important part of life, it is time we give our mental health the same amount of focus. The more we embrace practices that promote mental fitness, the more people can be enabled to navigate their everyday life stressors better, nurture their relationships, and be helpful to not just themselves but also other people.
In the fast paced world of the 21st century where our brains are being challenged more than ever before with endless information, endless obligations, endless goals, and endless distractions — it is the perfect time to bring back focus to the mind.
References
Calm Editorial Team. (2024, March 8). What is mental fitness? Plus, 10 ways to workout your mind — Calm Blog. Calm Blog. https://www.calm.com/blog/mental-fitness
Miki, A. (2022, May 3). Mental fitness explained by a CBT psychologist – Starling minds. Starling Minds. https://www.starlingminds.com/mental-fitness-explained-by-a-cbt-psychologist/#:~:text=Mental%20fitness%20is%20defined%20as,feel%2C%20think%2C%20and%20act.
Mishra, J., & Gazzaley, A. (2014). Harnessing the neuroplastic potential of the human brain & the future of cognitive rehabilitation. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2014.00218
Smiling Minds. (n.d.). Mental Fitness: What It Is, How to Practise, and Why. https://blog.smilingmind.com.au/what-is-mental-fitness
