Feeling down, or lacking that “drive” to get through the day? It’s important to stay on top of your mental health to keep you feeling motivated and in the right state of mind. Mental health is one aspect of wellness that often gets skipped or left behind. In regards to training, mental health can be what keeps individuals to continue pursuing their fitness related goals. Here are 5 tips I use to keep my mind in shape!
1) Journaling
Journaling is a great way to sort out thoughts when life gets chaotic. If there’s too many running thoughts in your head, try jotting them down in a journal! By doing this, you’ve emptied the thought chamber and put your thoughts onto paper.
Another way of journaling is to write down goals for yourself. Don’t write down the goal just once – repetition is key. Write down the goal several times on a daily basis. This way, when you do something counter intuitive to your goal, it will feel “off” – you’ll know not to continue that behavior. Goal-oriented journaling is a great way of staying focused and maintaining direction in life.
2) Allocate Time for Yourself
Life gets busy. In the midst of this, its important to make sure to get enough down time for yourself. By giving time to yourself, you’ll be able to recharge mentally. Having more mental energy means having more resources to deal with stress and challenges.
3) Don’t be afraid of negative emotions!
Emotions are there for a reason – they’re there to give us feedback on the environment we place ourselves in. In the case of negative emotions, the tendency is to engage in avoidance, or engage in destructive habits that make us feel worse than before. First, its important to accept negative emotions and know it is okay to feel that way. By engaging in acceptance and self-love, we feel less sucked into the wave of negative emotions, and can come from a place where we can look at them objectively. Only from an objective standpoint we can ask ourselves why we feel that way, and learn more about ourselves.
4) Take care of your body
Physical and mental health are deeply interlinked. Physical activity has been proven by various studies to improve mental well-being. Consistency with physical activity is key!
5) Re-analyze your value system
Values are the metrics in which we measure the quality of our lives. Individuals with unrealistic values often feel unhappy with their lives, while individuals with positive values often become an inspiration to the people around them. Re-analyzing personal values are a lifelong process. Don’t forget the time to self-reflect and find what is truly important to you, and whether those values are constructive for your well-being.
How do you keep your mind in shape? Let us know in the comments!
Written by James Hsin – Client Care Manager
James is currently going into his 5th year at kinesiology at UBC, and grew up a relatively active individual. He has been training primarily in Muay Thai for the past 5 years, training with champions and beginners alike. James is a firm believer that exercise should be like playing around – it’s better if its fun! James hopes he can share how his fitness journey has encouraged him to grow, and hopes to inspire you to do the same.
