While physical fitness gets plenty of attention, mental health should not be overlooked. It has just as many positive effects on your everyday life.
Mental fitness includes the practices of meditation and mindfulness and teaches you to notice your thoughts and emotions in real-time. It enables better conflict resolution, increased optimism, and self-compassion.
1. Increased Self-Esteem
We often hear about the benefits of staying physically fit — increased energy levels, better health, and a sense of accomplishment. But the truth is that working on mental fitness has just as many if not more positive effects.
Taking time to practice mindfulness, meditation or gratitude allows you to slow down, relax and keep your life in perspective. It’s a simple exercise that only takes a few minutes each day, and the payoff can be enormous.
Embracing mental wellness and developing mental resilience is the key to lasting success and happiness.
2. Better Relationships
Unlike mindfulness and wellbeing, which have become a bit of a buzzword that is dreadfully entwined with organic chai tea and meditation zones, mental fitness is a much-needed and practical approach to emotional and mental wellness. Offering mental fitness tools as a business benefit isn’t just a nice-to-have — it’s imperative for creating a resilient workforce.
Investing in mental fitness isn’t just about motivation and catching yourself when you slip, it’s also about learning new skills that can be used to develop your relationships at work. One of the best examples is teaching a friend or colleague something new, which can help you to build better self-esteem and strengthen your connections.
3. Increased Creativity
Creativity helps you think more broadly about problems, which can help you find more solutions. Practicing creativity may also reduce stress and increase your overall happiness, which leads to better health.
If you’re looking to boost your creativity, try changing up your routines. Adding new activities like painting or salsa dancing to your schedule can encourage your brain to use different muscles than it’s used to.
Regular physical exercise is another important component of mental fitness, and studies show that it can be helpful for boosting creativity. Taking part in an engaging class at SilverSneakers can also help stimulate the parts of the brain associated with cognitive functions like problem-solving.
4. Better Decision-Making
They also have better memory and attention spans and are able to focus on one task at a time.
Getting regular exercise can also have a positive impact on your mental fitness, but finding ways to comfortably fit it into even the busiest of schedules can be challenging. But there are simple steps you can take to start incorporating it into your day-to-day routine, including using apps like Rewire.
5. Increased Resilience
Mental fitness involves establishing habits that help you manage stress, lower your blood pressure and keep your thoughts focused. This might include learning a new skill, practicing gratitude or meditation, spending time in nature, or taking breaks throughout the day to slow down and decompress.
Mental fitness also helps you see past challenges as valuable learning experiences. Lastly, it allows you to value yourself as an entire person, not just your athletic achievements.
6. Better Sleep
Getting better sleep is vital to improving mental fitness. Whether you are meditating, coloring, or simply practicing body awareness, mental fitness exercises can help you build mindfulness skills that promote better sleep and help you get the rest you need.
Exercise can also improve sleep, but it’s important to not do it too close to bedtime since it can stimulate certain hormones such as adrenaline and epinephrine. For some people, exercising in the morning or earlier in the day can provide the best results for a good night’s sleep.
When you’re getting a full night of sleep, new brain pathways are forming, which may make learning easier and even improve creativity, according to a study in Scientific Advances.
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