Lately I’ve been pondering on how we mostly talk about fashion here, but there are so many other topics that are important and have been popping up in my life. I really want to share some of them with you and create (as I previously mentioned) a small community + support system so we can share important issues. This brought me to the next topic;
When most people think about fitness -including myself to be honest-, we think about physical fitness, right? We’re all concerned with getting abs (I’m really trying to get my abs back!), losing weight, or just generally trying to stay in shape. But while we do all of this, most of us are neglecting a very important thing; mental fitness.
If you’ve never heard of this term, then think of this as a mini guide to mental fitness and why it’s so vital for our overall health!
What is mental fitness?
Effectively, mental fitness is when you keep your mind in the best shape possible. You’re doing all you can to remain emotionally healthy and prevent yourself from burning out or becoming overwhelmed with stress and anxiety (anxiety is the absolute worst so I’m trying everything I can to fight against it).
Why is it so important?
Mental fitness is essential as it plays a significant role in all areas of our lives. If you’re mentally rundown and your mind is not in a good place, then it becomes almost impossible to function properly. You struggle with daily activities as your mind keeps distracting you with negative thoughts. Going back to physical fitness, bad mental fitness will make you feel unmotivated, and you’ll find it tough to go out and actually exercise.
If you’re mentally fit, then your brain is more dialed in, and your mind is clear. Everything becomes easier – from decision making to feeling motivated; your life is far easier to navigate through!
And now, the million dollar question; How do you improve your mental fitness?
Thankfully, there are plenty of things we can do to improve our mental fitness. You don’t have to be a mental health expert, and you don’t need a masters of clinical mental health counseling to understand what might be causing your mental health issues. All you need to do is look inside yourself and assess what’s wrong in your life. Perhaps take a little time before going sleep and go through what’s bothering you/stressing you. Once you have detected the issue, the road becomes a little clearer.
Maybe you’re having issues at work? Or are your studies bringing you down? What’s causing your mind to work overtime and never shut down? Try to find out the causes, and then you can address them.
There are plenty of good practices you should consider to almost train your mind into being ‘fitter’. Don’t worry, I’m not saying you have to spend hours doing brain training exercises – it’s a lot simpler than that! Something as straightforward as reading a book is a great way to train yourself mentally. It calms your mind, takes you away from your regular life, and gives you time to unwind and de-stress. An hour of book reading every night (instead of spending time on your phone) will work wonders for your mental fitness, trust me!
Apart from this, adding more organization to your life can help you as well. This enables you to stay on top of your daily tasks, meaning you don’t have to worry about remembering everything – which often causes stress and anxiety.
Finally, make more time for yourself. Sit down and do something you enjoy, like watching a TV show, listening to music, or just giving your best friend a call. Find time in your day to forget about everything else and focus on you – it helps a lot.
So, if you knew nothing about mental fitness before today, then I hope this has shine some light. If you truly care about your overall fitness, then start taking care of the mental side of things along with the physical. I’m not quite there yet but that’s why it was important for me to share, because it seems a lot easier when we all try together.
Hope you found this helpful and if you have any other topics you would like me to address/research or discuss, leave me a comment!
