5 Habits to Improve Mental Fitness

The first time I heard the term ‘mental fitness’ I admit that I pictured someone training intensely for a seriously fierce world sudoku championship.  Do they have those?  I wonder. I giggled ridiculously at an image in my mind of a big time super buff brain flexing madly all over the Sunday New York Times crossword, striking a pose in the mirror every time they solved one of the words with synonyms flying like sparks in every direction.  Let’s just say, I have an active imagination.  However, what does mental fitness mean?  Is it all brain games and memory boosting superpower berries?  Think of it as a concept that expands well beyond crossword puzzles to encompass a wealth of improvements that contribute not only to the health of our brain, but to our overall well-being.  Imagine activities and habits that boost our mood, improve resilience, increase mental flexibility, build on effective coping abilities, may help to delay the onset of neurodegenerative conditions, and in general allow us to experience life from a lot of interesting positive angles.  So how do we improve our mental toughness, build a rugged brain, flex those synapses, and flip from negative thoughts to positive actions?  Here are five ways you can use to start building your mental fitness routine:

1.      Focus on your strengths:  I know, it sounds easier said than done, but imagine it this way…it’s a lot less challenging to eat healthy if you put the junk food out of the way…the same goes for our thoughts.  Push the clutter to the side and spend some time thinking about what makes you unique. 

2.      Sleep!  Your brain oversees the whole show, but how many of us try to perform day after day after day without adequate sleep.  Take a good look at your sleeping habits and see where you can improve to create a healthier sleep routine. 

3.      Talk.  Seriously, why are you holding that stuff in? There are countless studies that show that letting it out decreases stress, improves coping, and increases problem solving ability, whereas, holding it in allows the aforementioned thought clutter to build.  If talking about your problems to another person seems super scary (because honestly sometimes it just is) you can try writing it out in a journal.

4.      Move your body.  Uh huh.  Yep. Exercise helps the whole body, even your brain.

5.      Connect.  You are a social person and your brain wants to spend time with friends.