What’s the difference between mental health & mental fitness?
Think of it like physical health & fitness.
We all have a state of health but not everyone trains their fitness.
Mental fitness isn’t just a new term for mental health, it’s a separate concept. Think of it like physical health & fitness. We all have a health, good or bad, but you’re only physically fit when you stay active, go to the gym or play sports.
What is mental health?
Mental health is the state of your emotional, psychological and social wellbeing. It affects how we think, feel, and perform. Mental health exists on a spectrum from thriving to getting by to struggling to living with a diagnosed mental illness.
When we are in positive mental health, we feel more confident; make decisions easily and enjoy ourselves more. When we are in negative mental health we might avoid social situations, struggle to focus and become physically ill.
What is mental fitness?
Mental fitness is active maintenance of a positive mental health. It is the consistent actions we take to rest & recharge, to become more self-aware and to grow. Think of mental fitness as analogous to physical fitness.
With physical fitness, we follow deliberate training routines to build consistency and develop our strength & skill. Whether that’s running a marathon, setting a new PB at a gym or playing a sport.
The same is true for mental fitness. It is about those small actions we take consistently. Whether that’s techniques like mindfulness & journaling for developing self-awareness or self-talk & visualisation for rewiring our neural pathways and improving how we think, feel & perform.
How is mental fitness different to mental health?
Mental health is a state of being, whereas mental fitness is on going process. We all have mental health, but we are only mentally fit when we take consistent action to train our mind.
This doesn’t just mean taking a break when you’re struggling with mental health - feeling stressed, anxious or burnt out. It means continuous improvement and learning.
Want to train your mental fitness? Join Remap’s next event.
