Mental fitness is not just the absence of mental illness; it’s a state of well-being characterized by resilience, emotional agility, and a positive mindset. Achieving mental fitness involves cultivating a balanced state of mind that enables individuals to cope with life’s challenges, thrive in their endeavors, and maintain overall psychological health. By being mentally fit you are resilient, self aware, adaptable, flexible, and have a positive mindset.
REGULAR EXERCISE
Engaging in physical activity releases endorphins, which boost mood and reduces stress. Exercise can improve your sense of control, coping ability and self-esteem. People who exercise regularly often report how good achieving a goal makes them feel. Exercise can distract you from negative thoughts and provide opportunities to try new experiences. It offers an opportunity to socialize and get social support if you exercise with others. Exercise increases your energy levels. Exercise causes your brain to release ‘feel good’ chemicals like endorphins and serotonin that help improve your mood. It also improves your fitness, which can help lift your mood. Doing physical activity can also distract you from negative thought patterns. Regular exercise has many mental health and emotional benefits too. It can help you: gain confidence, get more social interaction and cope up in a healthy way. Exercise is especially important in patients with schizophrenia since these patients are already vulnerable to obesity and also because of the additional risk of weight gain associated with antipsychotic treatment, especially with the atypical antipsychotics. Exercise improves mental health by reducing anxiety, depression, and negative mood and by improving self-esteem and cognitive function.
HEALTHY EATING
Eating Healthy, Consuming a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats. Nutrient-dense foods can support brain health and overall well-being. Making sure that your body gets sufficient nutrients for growth and energy also helps in being physically and mentally fit. Avoid eating foods from outside and junk and deep fried foods. Eating healthy keeps our brain healthy and active and thus full of energy. Studies have even found that clean diets consisting of mainly whole, unprocessed foods, can help with symptoms of depression and anxiety. Whereas unhealthy diets have been linked to an increased risk of dementia or stroke.
ADEQUATE SLEEP
Sleeping everyday for 7-8 hours increases the productivity for the whole day and keeps your mind fresh and active. Sleep helps maintain cognitive skills such as attention, learning and memory. Sleep and health are strongly related, poor sleep can increase the risk of having poor health, and poor health can make it harder to sleep. Common mental health problems like anxiety and depression can often underpin sleep problems. Where this is the case, a combination approach to treating the mental health problem and sleep problem in tandem is often the most effective. During sleep, the brain works to evaluate and remember thoughts and memories, and it appears that a lack of sleep is especially harmful to the consolidation of positive emotional content. This can influence mood and emotional reactivity and is tied to mental health disorders and their severity, including the risk of suicidal ideas or behaviors
MINDFULNESS AND MEDITATION
Mindfulness is a way of paying attention to the present moment, using techniques like meditation, breathing and yoga. It helps us become more aware of our thoughts and feelings so that, instead of being overwhelmed by them, we’re better able to manage them. Practicing mindfulness meditation to cultivate awareness of the present moment, reduces stress, and enhances mental clarity. Even a few minutes of mindfulness each day can make a difference. Mindfulness can be used as a tool to manage your well-being and mental health. Some people call mental health ‘emotional health’ or ‘well-being’. We all have times when we feel down, stressed or frightened; most of the time, those feelings pass, but sometimes they develop into a more serious problem, which could happen to any one of us. Doing meditation regularly reduces stress, improves memory, increases attention, enhances will power, helps in better sleep, cures depression and anxiety, lowers blood pressure and also gives you courage. Mindfulness is the practice of purposely focusing your attention on the present moment—and accepting it without judgment. Mindfulness is now being examined scientifically and has been found to be a key element in stress reduction and overall happiness.
LIMIT SCREEN TIME
Set boundaries around screen time and digital media consumption to prevent information overload and reduce exposure to negative content. Prioritize activities that promote mental well-being and connection. While technology offers countless advantages and conveniences, excessive screen time has emerged as a significant concern for mental health. Limiting screen time has become increasingly recognized as a crucial strategy for fostering improved mental well-being. By limiting screen time, individuals can improve sleep quality, reduce stress and anxiety, enhance focus and productivity, strengthen relationships, increase physical activity, cultivate self-awareness, and unleash creativity.
SEEK HELP
Don’t hesitate to reach out for support from friends, family, or mental health professionals if you’re struggling with your mental health. Therapy, counseling, and support groups can provide valuable resources and guidance. It is nothing different and it is completely fine to feel that way, seeking help for it will solve all the problem and one should not hesitate asking for help or seeking support for the problem.
BE IN NATURE
Nature has a very wide definition. It can mean green spaces like parks, woodland or forests and blue spaces like rivers, wetlands, beaches or canals. It also includes trees on an urban street, private gardens, verges and even indoor plants or window boxes. Spending time in nature is good for us for lots of reasons. “Fresh air and exercise” have long been recommended as a way for many to feel better, physically and mentally. Research shows that people who are more connected with nature are usually happier in life and more likely to report feeling their lives are worthwhile. Nature can generate many positive emotions, such as calmness, joy, and creativity and can facilitate concentration. Nature connectedness is also associated with lower levels of poor mental health, particularly lower depression and anxiety.
