Ep 131 – 7 ways you can proactively improve your mental fitness.

In a world of technological advancements and continuous innovation, we have several resources and conveniences easily accessible to us. Yet we suffer. Unlike our ancestors who suffered the wrath of nature and lack of resources, we despite the world of abundance we live in suffer from the torment of our minds.

Most adults I interact with regularly are exhausted, overwhelmed, overworked, and underappreciated. We experience chronic stress and are constantly worried about one thing or the other. Our emotions take us on wild rollercoaster rides whenever we have a moment to spare. To avoid facing our emotions, we numb ourselves with endless consumption of content across OTT platforms or doom scroll till dawn. Sleep has become a privilege. Humans being one of the smartest living beings on the planet are suffering unwarrantedly because we are unable to keep our minds in check.

This World Mental Health Day, it’s time we address this madness and stop allowing our lives to be disrupted due to poor mental hygiene.

Hello and welcome to another episode of the Own Your Everyday series of the Being Meraklis podcast. I’m your host and self-awareness coach Shwetha Sivaraman back with insights and micro-practices you can use in your busy lives to Own Your Everyday. In today’s episode, we will look at MENTAL FITNESS, how it’s different from mental illness, the consequences of poor mental hygiene and how we can start actively training to master our minds and not suffer at its whims and fancies.

The word mental health is overused in today’s times. But often misunderstood. Mental health is not just the absence of illness but also about our ability to cope with the demands of our time and energy and thrive. Just as physical fitness ensures our bodies are strong and resilient, mental fitness grants us the inner strength and agility to navigate the labyrinth of life. Mental fitness is loosely defined as a state of well-being where we have a positive sense of how we feel, think, and act.

Growing up, I’ve seen up close the consequences of poor mental fitness. It disrupts the quality of your life and leaves you indecisive, incapable of making choices, and at the mercy of your moods. It impacts self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-worth. It affects relationships with loved ones, not to mention passing on unresolved generational trauma from one generation to the next. One of the reasons I strongly believe in mind mastery and do the work I do in Being Meraklis is because I’ve seen how just poor mental hygiene can diminish our experience of life. We end up suffering through life without tapping into our truest potential.

Mental fitness is the culmination of various practices, habits, and perspectives that empower individuals to maintain and enhance their mental well-being. It means building a positive mindset, fostering emotional resilience, nurturing relationships, cultivating healthy habits, and managing stress effectively. Contrary to mental illnesses, which often stem from disorders and imbalances within the mind, mental fitness is a proactive pursuit to fortify our mental well-being.

Mental Illness and Mental Fitness are two different spectrums. You can have mental ill-health and be mentally fit. Think of athletes who’ve had knee surgeries but can still achieve great heights in sports, it’s the same thing with mental illness. On the contrary, you can have no diagnosed mental ill-health and not be mentally fit. Imagine the same example of an average adult with no surgery or acute knee condition being unable to walk long distances or stand on legs for long. Regardless of whether we are diagnosed with a mental illness, we can proactively work towards strengthening our minds, nourishing our thoughts, processing our emotions, and enhancing our overall psychological health. Like any muscle in our bodies, our minds require exercise to maintain their strength and flexibility.

In an era where the pace of life is relentless, and the pressures of work, relationships, and societal expectations weigh heavily on us, the need for mental fitness has never been more pressing. The modern world’s relentless demands and incessant distractions have known no bounds, exerting an unprecedented toll on our mental state.

A study conducted by the University of California, Berkeley, revealed that individuals with strong mental fitness exhibited a 45% reduction in the development of mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression. Another research from the University of Oxford sheds light on the positive correlation between mental fitness and cognitive abilities, showing enhanced creativity, problem-solving skills, and overall cognitive performance.

If you’d like to thrive in today’s world, and if you’re listening to a Being Meraklis podcast, I’m sure you do, mental fitness is crucial. It is the cornerstone of resilience, adaptability, and perseverance—traits that allow us to rise above adversities and sustain our passion and purpose.

Beginning our journey of mental fitness doesn’t have to be rocket science. Start by weaving it into your everyday existence and daily routines.

1. Watch that self-talk – Our thoughts can make or break us. Whenever you find yourself going down a negative spiral or being overly harsh on yourself, review your thoughts. Objectively assess how true they are. how useful they are? If it’s neither, see if you can redirect your attention elsewhere to stop that negative spiral.

2. Find moments of calm – Amidst the daily hustle and bustle carve out moments of calm to center yourself. This could be journaling, meditation, or something as simple as sipping your cup of coffee in the morning in silence and without any devices. You don’t have to go out of the way, but make it a part of your daily routine and consistently take that time to ground yourself.

3. Maintain a healthy body – Engaging in regular physical exercise, maintaining a nutritious diet, and ensuring adequate sleep all contribute to a sound mind in a healthy body. By engaging in physical activity, we increase the production of endorphins – the neurotransmitters responsible for feelings of happiness and well-being.

4. Develop meaningful connections – We are social beings at the end of the day. We need to feel that sense of connection and camaraderie with the world around us. Invest time in developing meaningful connections. You’ll be surprised at how much this can help us mature as we age and move through various life contexts.

5. Indulge in joy sachets – We all have some activities that bring out the inner child in us and fill us with joy. Identify those activities and consciously make time for them – I call this joy sachet – little pockets of joy amidst all our serious adulting.

6. Consume Mindfully – Similar to the age-old adage of we are what we eat at a physical level, at a mental level we are the constant stream of information we feed our mind. Be conscious of what you’re consuming, avoid doomscrolling, and take frequent detoxes from your devices, social media, and the internet. Maintain a few hours in the day where you’re not actively consuming information to allow the mind some space to process information.

7. Watch out for early signs – Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras says that there are 4 signs of poor mental well-being – **दुःख दौर्मनस्याङ्गमेजयत्व श्वासप्रश्वासा विक्षेप सहभुवः -** Dukha pain, Depression, Tremors in the body, and Inhalation and Exhalation are signs of a mind that’s constantly fluctuating. One I found most useful is observing the breath – the state of the mind is reflected in the state of our breathing. When we start to notice interrupted breathing, short rapid breaths, etc., we can consciously deepen our breaths to slow down the mind. And if it persists realise we need to seek professional assistance to get our life back on track.

We need mental fitness is not a distant and ethereal concept but a practical and actionable pursuit. By prioritizing our mental well-being, we equip ourselves with the tools to face life’s challenges head-on, savour its joys more deeply, and experience deeper personal fulfilment.

Remember, mental fitness permeates every aspect of our lives and is no longer a luxury but a necessity.

So here’s your own your everyday tip for this week, don’t wait for mental illnesses to crop up to begin working on your mental well-being. Proactively work on your mental fitness and start today to train that muscle so that when life throws its inevitable curveballs you are prepared. Pick up practices like journaling and meditation, be mindful of what you consume, and seek professional support when you begin to recognise early signs to ensure you experience life to the fullest, savour each moment, and tap into your fullest potential.

Until we meet again, this is Shwetha signing off hoping you have a phenomenal week ahead.