A journey to mental fitness

Physical fitness gets most people’s attention, and for good reason. A healthy body can prevent conditions such as heart disease and diabetes, and help you maintain independence as you age.

Mental fitness is just as important as physical fitness, and should not be neglected. Including mental dexterity exercises into your daily routine can help you reap the benefits of a sharper mind and a healthier body for years to come. Mental fitness means keeping your brain and emotional health in tip-top shape.

It is no surprise that the more you help your body, the more you help your mind. Physical activity increases the flow of oxygen to your brain, and it also increases the amount of endorphins in your brain. People who are in good physical shape also tend to enjoy a higher level of mental agility.

Engaging in a vigorous physical workout can help you battle depression and gain a more positive outlook on life. It is also a great way to beat stress, which can harm you mentally and physically.

According to Dr Nadria Lyn, mental fitness gives you the ability to pause and respond in ways you would like in the moment, rather than having to reset or mend fences later. In some ways, it is like accessing the wisdom of hindsight in the present moment.

“When we are mentally fit, the way we interact with the world is different. It is not just one interaction with someone. It is the cumulative effect on our emotional health. Imagine being less reactive in all of the hundreds of interactions we have every week. What we choose, our brains carry thoughts along neural pathways,” Dr Lyn said.

“These pathways are like ruts that have been created and reinforced over time. If you always take the same route to work, you may notice that you can get there on ‘autopilot’. When we repeat a certain thought pattern many times, that neural pathway is reinforced, and the thinking becomes automatic,” Dr Lyn added.

WELL-WORN PATHWAYS

While a daily routine can be good, when it comes to our thought patterns, we need to be aware of what our routines are and what pathways we are inadvertently reinforcing.

“The issue with automatic thinking is when it causes us to react in ways that are unhelpful in the current situation. Our reactions are based on well-worn pathways to past emotions or triggers. As you build mental fitness, you have the awareness, mental strength, and agility to identify options and choose another route. What would I like to have happen here? Where would I like to go? Too often, we are acting, speaking, and thinking automatically or unconsciously,” Dr Lyn said.

“With the same deliberateness that we strengthen certain muscles or fine-tune a movement, we can create neural pathways that better serve us and benefit our lives,” she added.

You can sharpen memory and cognitive function by playing games, puzzles, and some brain-training apps that improve processing speed.

The best exercise, however, might be mindfulness. Learn how to meditate. Making it as regular in your routine as taking a shower is one of the very best gifts you can give yourself and others in your life.

“Make a regular practice of 10 to 15 minutes per day of sitting with your eyes closed, or if that is uncomfortable, softly focusing on something. You can train your attention muscle to remain focused on what you tell it. You learn to be the observer of your thoughts and achieve detachment from your thoughts. You learn that thoughts are transient and see the choice you have of which thoughts you give attention to,” Dr Lyn said.

The real skill you are developing is being more able to notice when your attention has been distracted by thoughts. When you notice your distraction in meditation, you become more able to notice when you are distracted in daily life. You recognise when you are thinking something disempowering.

BENEFITS OF MENTAL FITNESS

Developing the skills for better mental fitness can benefit you and everyone around you:

• Being present: In a mindful state, we can better retain information, listen, and be aware of, but not sabotaged by, distractions. This results in more enjoyment of life and better relationships, and the ability to relate to others.

• The ability to respond, not react: When we have more control over our automatic thoughts, we can choose to respond in a more rational, and less emotive, way. This improves our relationships and the way we think about the world, and preserves more options in any environment.

• Improved cognitive function: Better focus, processing speed, memory, concentration, time management, and communication have a positive impact, personally and professionally. Relationships improve as a result of remembering information about friends and family, important events, and being on time.

• Increased positive emotions: With increased awareness comes the ability to notice and reframe thoughts in more helpful ways. Kinder thoughts and compassion shape optimistic mindsets that lead to more positive behaviour.

• More confidence: With optimism, our relationship with ourselves becomes stronger. Self-esteem and self-efficacy–the belief in our abilities– increase, and we may focus more on our strengths. Self-compassion and empathy increase as a result of practising mindfulness.

• Improved sleep: As with physical fitness, mental fitness also contributes to better-quality sleep.

keisha.hill@gleanerjm.comSOURCE: Health Talk Sundays, World Health Organization