ARE YOU MENTALLYFIT?
You’ve shattered your cardio PBs, dragged a rake over your abs and biohacked every move from sexy time to slumber. But how do you become more mentally fit? How do you become the man you want to be on the inside, too? The guy who can power through a break-up, disappoint a partner or friend without shame-spiralling and get what he needs from an infantile coworker without snapping like an angry parent.
That’s where mental fitness comes in. The hard-to-grasp, often awkward and sometimes painful work that you can’t track with an app. Spending time on a hearty mental-fitness practice can create more long-term benefits for your mind and life than virtually anything else you do. And no, meditation isn’t required.
We asked dozens of experts who train people to be mentally fit or study mental health for a living what it takes to forge mental fitness and they all came back to three things: emotional intelligence, vulnerability and resilience. Working on each of these pillars, using the strategies here gets you the mental equivalent of what strength, cardio and mobility training do for your body. “These are the reps men need now, ” says psychiatrist Dr Drew Ramsey. “Once you get a grasp on these three pillars, you’ll see lifechanging results in yourself and how you relate to others.” They’re what let you connect, adapt and really show up for life.
Pillar #1
FINE-TUNE YOUR EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
DON’T MIND THE SQUISHY LANGUAGE. IT JUST MEANS UNDERSTANDING YOURSELF BETTER – BY EMBRACING HOW YOU ACTUALLY FEEL (AND MAN, THAT SURE FEELS GOOD)
The skill of emotional intelligence is simply the ability to recognise your feelings and understand how you’re responding to them – and to do it without judging yourself, says psychologist Dr Susan David, a Harvard Medical School lecturer and the author of . Ever stared at passing clouds or observed an army of ants hustling around in the dirt? It’s like that
