Building mental fitness

Imagine being able to train your brain to cope more easily with the stresses and strains of everyday life.

It may sound too good to be true, but mental health experts believe you can treat the mind like a muscle, using exercises to make it stronger and more resilient, while better equipping you to handle any issues and prevent them from escalating. It's known as mental fitness. And it's easier to attain than you might think. Here's what you need to know.

What is mental fitness?

Mental fitness means having a healthy mind that can handle stress, adapt to change, think clearly, and manage emotional responses. Also known as mental strength, it's found in people with the ability to make difficult decisions and maintain a positive outlook, even during challenging times.

The key aspects of mental fitness include:

• Emotional regulation: Managing your emotions effectively and calmly;
• Resilience: Bouncing back from setbacks and staying positive;
• Focus and clarity: Being attentive and making wise decisions;
• Self-awareness: Understanding your own thoughts, feelings, and behaviours;
• Social connection: Building strong, supportive relationships that promote mental wellbeing.

The overall aim is to train your mind to be strong, flexible, and balanced, so that you can perform better and feel happier, both at work and in your personal life.

What's the difference between mental health and mental fitness?

Working on your mental fitness can help your mental health, but mental health is a much wider area of psychological wellbeing.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the definition of mental health is "a state of mental wellbeing that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realise their abilities, learn and work well, and contribute to their community."

In other words, good mental health is not just the absence of mental illness but also the ability to lead a fulfilling life as an active member of society.

Mental health conditions, meanwhile, include "mental disorders and psychosocial disabilities as well as other mental states associated with significant distress, impairment in functioning, or risk of self-harm".

There's no WHO definition of mental fitness. But psychologists define it as a "state of wellbeing and having a positive sense of how we feel, think, and act by keeping your brain and your emotional health in good shape".

The benefits of mental fitness

While a low level of mental fitness can make you miserable and unmotivated, a high level improves your chances of feeling happy and fulfilled. It's also good for your cognitive function longer term, making you less likely to suffer from dementia in your later years.

On an immediate level, the upsides you can expect to experience include:

• Less stress: Being mentally fit allows you to handle challenges calmly and recover more quickly from setbacks, reducing stress overall.
• Improved focus and concentration: A fit mind stays sharp, making it easier to think clearly and make good decisions in all areas of your life.
• Enhanced emotional balance: An inability to regulate your emotions effectively can cause a wide range of problems, from anxiety to anger, but mental fitness can help with that.
• Greater resilience: When you are emotionally stable, it's much easier to accept change and find ways to bounce back from difficulties.
• Stronger relationships: Emotional awareness and empathy help to improve your communication skills and develop deeper connections.
• Increased productivity: From home improvement projects to workplace tasks, it's much easier to perform well when you are focused and motivated.
• Higher self-esteem: Self-confidence is hugely important to mental health, and being mentally fit helps to have a positive image of yourself.
• Better physical health: Cutting back on stress and sleeping better can help with physical health conditions such as high blood pressure; they also help to boost your immune system.
• Happier and more satisfied: Feeling better about yourself, having closer relationships with loved ones, performing better at work...the upshot is a healthier, happier you.

About the author

Nic Paton is one of the country's foremost journalists on workplace health, safety and wellbeing, and is editor of Occupational Health & Wellbeing magazine. He also regularly writes on the health and employee benefits and health insurance markets.