Mental Fitness–It’s a Thing!

Mental Fitness–It’s a Thing! We know that physical fitness is important to our wellbeing.  Physical Education classes, gym membership, Jazzercise, yoga practice, running and walking for health is a standard in our society.  We get it! For many years, the message that mental health is akin to physical health has been shared.  Yes, our brain is a body part and it can have disease, injury and other health troubles, too! So we understand that just like one would go to the doctor if you had a broken arm or an infection on your leg, it is socially expected to go to a doctor, therapist or counselor if you are experiencing anxiety, depression, or suicidal thinking.  As a society, we are starting to get this message clearly!  This is great progress. The next leap of awareness is that regardless of clinical mental health concerns, all people can increase mental fitness.  Not only is our brain a body part, but it is a muscle; it is an incredibly complex and critical muscle!  We can exercise it to get better performance results in many areas. The area we will focus on here is positive thinking.  Have you ever found yourself in a negative thinking rut?  Or met someone who sounds like Eeyore, the character in Winnie the Poo? “It will never work!”  “There is no use in trying”, “Why bother–it will just rain!” Mental Fitness is how you can learn to improve your positive intelligence.  Mental Fitness includes abilities to respond to life circumstances, troubles, stressors and adversities with increased compassion and empathy, possibility thinking, problem solving and navigation skills, and actions that help resolve complex issues and connect to others in healthful ways. It only takes a second to employ small mindfulness practices that help us switch from negative mindset habits (such as judging ourselves and others; overthinking; and hyper-achieving) to a more positive mindset.  Actions as easy as rubbing two fingers together so that you can feel the ridges of your fingerprints; listening to the sound farthest away from you and then the sound closest to you; or noticing the temperature of your breath as you inhale and exhale, help you switch from left-brained thinking to more positive right-brained thinking.  These are all free and simple actions that take minutes!  Can it really be so easy to break out of habits of negative thinking? Yes…BUT there is work to it.  Just like lifting weights to improve strength in your core, arm or leg muscles, it takes many repetitions to improve fitness.  Ideally, one practicing mental fitness would do 100 reps a day to embed new habits that help flip our mindset from old behaviors we used for protection and survival and responses that often sabotage us in relationships, to behaviors and responses that draw on our wisdom and positive intelligence, and improve relationships (think parenting, partnering and leadership).  In the long run the more mental fitness we have, the more positively we interact with ourselves and others, and the healthier our families, neighborhoods and communities become. Strengthening mental fitness is good for everyone–just like getting some physical exercise of some sort is healthy for everyone.  To learn more check out the book or audiobook called “Positive Intelligence” by Shirzad Chamine. Youth & Adult Board of Directors Positions!  WFCN has an open seats for individuals between 14 and 18 to serve as directors of our board. There are three open seats for adults to serve as well. For youth, these are leadership development positions and can be helpful for scholarship, college, work and other types of applications. These are great for young people who want to explore the fields of business, social services, political science and finance. All directors are volunteers who serve approximately 8 hours per month by attending meetings and engaging in the work of the organization. Candidates do not need experience, just interest to invest in our mission to “promote the well-being of children, youth, and families by convening and supporting communities to build their capacity.” You can learn more about us at www.wfcn.org If you are interested to apply, contact ExecutiveDirector@wfcn.org

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