Developing mental fitness

With the advent of 2011, we generally see a spurt in New Year resolutions. One of the most recurring items on the list for most people is ‘becoming fit’ & there is an increase in sales of jogging shoes, sports clothing & gym memberships. It’s a different matter that most of these resolutions disappear before the credit card statement reaches the individual. Beyond this short-lived phenomenon, there is also currently a general wave of interest in the fitness industry where most people are far more conscious of their health & related physical fitness parameters.

At this critical juncture, I would like to raise some flags on the absence of a focus on ‘mental fitness’.

What is mental fitness & why is it important for all of us? The answer to this question is very simple.

The concept of mental fitness when added to that of physical fitness is what defines “Wellness”. Having a basic level of physical fitness is crucial for ordinary functioning of any individual. Normally all of also possess a basic level of physical & mental fitness which is more than sufficient for the average requirements.

If a person has a very strenuous profession like Timber logging or deep sea diving, the level of physical fitness required is completely different & far more than the average fitness level. In the same fashion most of us are in professions today, where the demands on our mental fitness are far higher than normal. But instead of building our level of mental fitness, we continue to exist at sub-optimal level of fitness & that is the reason why we have all the by-products like hypertension, high blood pressure, diabetes etc

Intrinsically mental fitness is the same as the physical aspect in many ways, but there are some crucial differences too.

On the similarities front we have a similar development cycle as we progress from childhood to adolescence to adulthood. Nature has created opportunities for us to develop the fundamental aspects of mental fitness as we move on our developmental path. In fact the path would be incomplete without the development of key attributes like emotional bonding, exploratory skills, positive attitude, cause-effect relationship & ability to take responsibility for one’s actions. In the same way as development of motor abilities, dexterity & muscular development determines the level of physical fitness, development of the key attributes is the starting point of the mental fitness that we develop & maintain throughout our lives. The level of resilience we develop by our youth is directly proportional to the exercise of each of these key attributes. Larger the variety of situations that we are exposed which exercise the attributes in different ways, leads to a more robust development on each of the “mental fitness” elements. In the same fashion if we choose not to exercise these elements later in life, we also reduce our “mental fitness” levels due to lack of usage.

On the other hand, the level of mental fitness is much more difficult to gauge & it is only in trying situations that this really surfaces. As we progress in life, we actually try to ensure that the demands on our physical fitness reduce over time by all the comforts, conveniences & luxuries that we accumulate. But in case of mental fitness it is exactly the opposite phenomenon. The demands on mental fitness only keep increasing over time due to the challenging workloads & deadlines, pressures due to relationship issues & external factors like economic downturns & recession only add to the fear of layoffs & general sense of insecurity.

So if we actually need to increase our mental fitness, what are some of the actions which will help us in this endeavor?

There can be various things that can help & without any particular sequence, any or all of them can contribute to the process;

- Meditation
- Creating inputs for the brain
- Openness to new experiences

I am sure that there can be many more additions to this list, but rather than trying to create a long list we are better off using some of the simplest techniques available to all of us. Let’s cover each of the above 3 in some more detail;

Meditation is one of the oldest practices available to mankind & is included in virtually every religion in the world. There are many techniques & practices for the same, but most of them can benefit us if we learn to use it to calm our minds. Ultimately meditation is a way to ‘still’ the mind, help it to ‘focus’ and cut out the ‘mental chatter’. So any technique which helps one to achieve the above objectives is bound to be useful. Meditation helps in ensuring that we are impacted less by situations around us & that we can weather the mental storms more calmly. That by itself ensures that we reduce stress, which is the root cause of hypertension, blood pressure, diabetes etc. Obviously we need to inculcate this practice in our lives before the onset of these conditions to reduce the probability of occurrence, but it can also help in controlling these conditions subsequently.

Our brain is amazingly evolved & is capable of far more than we utilize. Right from birth to adulthood we put it through a process of inputs (learning), but somewhere in the mid-twenties the rate of input drops off. We are still learning new things & processing new experiences, but compared to the previous 25 years, it is at a minimal incremental level. Nurturing the brain with new inputs thru reading, learning new skills, new languages, adaption to new situations, pursuing new hobbies etc. is an excellent way of ensuring that the brain is challenged. When there are sufficient challenges for the brain, the mind is always ready for new challenges & can adapt to situations better, is more creative in finding solutions & is more resilient in challenging situations.

Openness to new experiences might seem to be a continuation of the earlier action. But it is very distinctive as it actually precedes the same. The aim of most human effort is actually to make life more comfortable by making it predictive & controlling unknown outcomes. SO we all strive for a ‘comfort zone’ in terms of our personal, social & professional life. While there is nothing wrong in achieving this, it also creates a situation where we shirk away from experiences which would take us out of this comfort zone. Life has the funny ability to presenting situations where we are forced to make choices outside the comfort zone. These are then the most stressful situations for a lot of people, so rather than avoiding new experiences one should look for opportunities which take us outside our comfort zone periodically. It may be an interesting project, assignment or hobby which takes us completely outside our skillsets, experiences or social circle.