We all know what to do to maintain our physical fitness, but we often don’t think about our mental fitness.
Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my weekly podcast for your mind, body, and heart. Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests.
Today’s clip is from episode 57 of the podcast with body image and mental health campaigner Natasha Devon MBE.
In this clip, she explains why it’s so important to keep our mind fit and healthy and gives some great tips for maintaining mental fitness.
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Actionable Insights
1. Ring-Fence Daily Mental Fitness
Dedicate a specific amount of time each day, aiming for at least half an hour, to activities that restore your chemical balance and empty your stress bucket, which is essential for mental fitness.
2. Diversify Mental Fitness Activities
During your daily mental fitness time, engage in activities from three categories: physical activity, relaxation, and creativity, such as listening to or making music, writing in a journal, or going for a walk.
3. Exercise Outdoors for Joy
Exercise in nature to magnify endorphin production and experience joy, celebrating your body rather than punishing it, as looking at natural fractals can also lower stress hormones.
4. Prioritize Intrinsic Value
Engage in activities for their intrinsic value and enjoyment, even if you don’t excel at them, rather than solely pursuing external validation or perfection.
5. Embrace Natural Body Diversity
Recognize and accept the radical diversity of human body shapes, particularly for women, instead of aspiring to a narrow, unrealistic ideal of beauty.
6. Seek Mental Health Diagnosis
If you are struggling with mental health symptoms, seeking a diagnosis can provide significant relief and enable you to make necessary alterations to your life to manage the condition.