Stressed out? Grumpy? Tired all the time?
You need a mental fitness regime.
For months, therapists have reported a significant increase in clients anxious, worried, or depressed about current events: the Covid-19 pandemic, economic problems, and civil unrest. And while they can teach coping skills, such as regulating emotions, to help fight stress, they say it’s also important for people to take proactive steps to stay mentally healthy, just as they would if they wanted to be fit. “If you wait until a major stressor arrives to try to boost your mental health, it’s like trying to inflate your life raft while you’re already drowning in the sea,” says Wendy Troxel, Rand Corp.’s senior clinical psychologist and behavioral and social scientist.
Many people go for therapy, exercise, meditation and a healthy diet to do so. Shirlee Hoffman, a 75-year-old retired marketing consultant in Chicago, limits news consumption to about five minutes a day. Erin Wiley, 50, a licensed psychotherapist in Toledo, Ohio, uses an app to keep track of the things she’s grateful for. Rhonda Steele, 62, special education teacher in Sellersburg, Ind., Prays and reads devotions. Dwight Oxley, 84, a retired doctor in Wichita, Canada, reads and plays the piano. Rachel Glyn, 66, a narrow-minded esthetician in Philadelphia, tries to do as many things as possible for others. Michael Schauch, 40, an investment portfolio manager in Squamish, British Columbia, climbs, he says, that perspective gives him perspective. Stedman Stevens, 62, general manager of an aviation technology company in Wilmington, North Carolina, takes 15 minutes each afternoon to sit alone without distractions. “I listen to what my mind shows me,” he says. “That restores my mental strength.”
What steps should you include in your mental fitness regimen? Here are some expert tips.