Mental Wellbeing

Mind Fitness is intended for those functioning but not optimally, those who wish to uplevel their daily mental lives. It points the way to a middle ground that threads between reactive and painful mental distress and being overly optimistic.

So, how about a no-sweat workout for your mental health? We use a functional training approach to engage in our mental health program that combines mindfulness with self-directed learning theory. When we incorporate cognitive self-direction based on what is achievable, we pursue authentic acknowledgment of not only the good but the painful times in our lives. This is not magical thinking; it is mindfulness on self-directive steroids.

Mental wellbeing is not automatic. As we have daily nutritional and physical needs, we have daily mental care needs. We need to do something each day to support our mental wellbeing, or our ability to stay balanced and healthy begins to decline. Before you know it, you feel anxious, impatient, and/or cranky in this uncertain world. You’re depressed from all the sadness surrounding you, or you start blaming and raging at anyone who does not do or think the way you do, even though—of course—they should! These are (shall we call them?) normal responses. They are all too frequently the troubled, below-the-line attitudes or forms of thinking. We are all familiar with it. Are they abnormalities? I don’t know, but they are downward, negative mental patterns, and they afflict most of us. They are not balanced or happy states of mind.

Everyone has their moments of struggle. Everyone has situations where they need to pause and self-regulate emotionally. This book is not geared towards those who suffer from diagnosed severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, depression, or psychosis. It is intended for those functioning but not optimally, those who wish to uplevel their daily mental lives. It points the way to a middle ground that threads between reactive and painful mental distress and being overly optimistic. This is not goodie-two-shoes, Pollyanna stuff. Have you heard of pumping iron? This is pumping mental health.

Where did we ever get the notion that our mental health would care for itself? We certainly do not think that about our bodies. So why do we think we can handle all life’s demands without doing something to support our mental wellbeing? Why would we be so cavalier to think that our minds could go on autopilot for decades? The constant on-call lifestyle of Western culture speeds up the pace of our days, continually drawing our attention outward and taking us away from ourselves and our wellbeing. Focusing on inner quiet is usually the least of our routine actions.

But strengthening our thinking patterns demands as much attention as strengthening our bodies. So, how about a no-sweat workout for your mental health? We use a functional training approach to engage in our mental health program that combines mindfulness with self-directed learning theory. It facilitates mental self-care that distinguishes between the extremes of severe mental illness and what has been labeled toxic positivity. Toxic positivity is the “everything is just peachy keen” denial of real feelings.

When we incorporate cognitive self-direction based on what is achievable, we pursue authentic acknowledgment of not only the good but the painful times in our lives. This allows all these emotional states to live within us simultaneously, lessening the prospect of being dragged down by unacknowledged anxieties, depression, and unmet expectations or covering it all up with a ‘just be positive’ mindset. As we train our minds through reality-based reflection and self-awareness, we develop well-practiced tools to hold onto and reach for when times are tough. This is mindfulness on self-directive steroids.

We have practiced fitness for our body’s wellbeing for years; now it’s time to practice fitness for our mental wellbeing.

Joy Watson