When people talk about improving physical health, there are many tangible things that come up. Changing our diet, the importance of exercise in our lives, or simply taking care of our bodies. But when the topic of mental health comes up, I’ve found that we don’t necessarily talk about how to improve our mental strength. Just like the muscles in your body, your brain can be strengthened with a variety of exercises. And when performed consistently on a regular basis those exercises have the ability to greatly improve our mental toughness and resiliency.

Just like running works for some people and not others (I’m so not a runner), mental exercises impact people in different ways. Knowing what works best for you is critical. This week our team had a discussion in which everyone shared how they strengthen their own mental health. I’ve composed a list here of what was discussed.

1. Meditation - even five minutes a day can help calm you down, slow your breathing and reduce stress and anxiety.

2. Exercise/Yoga - physical exertion has been proven to improve memory, reduce stress and help you sleep better.

3. Doing things you love - whether cooking, golfing, making something, or playing video games, it can provide an escape and bring joy to your day.

4. Spending time in nature/under the sun - I wrote a MIBE Message about the impacts of this a few months ago.

5. Doing something creative - coloring, sketching or painting can calm your brain and provide a relaxing distraction to everyday life.

6. Building connections - whether with animals by walking the dogs, or investing in friendships and relationships with the people in your life, focusing on others gives us a greater sense of purpose and place in this world.

7. Expressing emotions - I like to do this through journaling, others during therapy sessions and one of our team members by spending an extra five minutes in the car before going into their house at the end of the day.

8. Blocking out negative influences - turning off the news, avoiding negative people and being mindful of the self talk that we all have were things that came up when discussing how to have more positivity in our lives.

9. Volunteering our time - gives us a new perspective and also makes us feel valuable for the contribution we are able to make.

10. Daily gratitude practice - our family does this each evening at the dinner table and simply making note of what you are grateful for each day helps remind us that we are part of something bigger than ourselves.

Mentally tough leaders are more consistent, they have a clear goal of what they are working towards and they are more resilient in pursuit of those goals. The other thing that makes mentally strong leaders unique is that they consistently build people up around them. They are not threatened by the success of others, but instead know that it is much more meaningful to help others achieve new levels of success. I hope this week (and beyond) you’ll make some time to add in some mental exercises to your daily routine. In as little as five minutes each day, you may just start to see some meaningful results.