Mental Fitness for Families: How Fit is Your Fam?

When we say fitness, we don’t mean how long can you hold a plank or how low is your BMI. We’re talking emotional resiliency, the ability to deal with stress, and your overall well-being. 

These are tools for success, especially when there seems to be a new crisis around every corner. 

At it’s most basic level, mental fitness is a state of well-being. It involves and impacts how we think, what we do, and how we feel. 

When you look at the science and see the benefits of being mentally fit, there is no down side. To name a few:

increased happiness,

improved emotional regulation (any moody or overly sensitive souls in your household?),

improved decision-making,

lowered anxiety and depression,

better sleep,

increased optimism, and

better relationships.

Best of all, our mental fitness is something we can effect. So, the question becomes: how can we improve the mental fitness of our kids? (And ourselves!)

The key to mental fitness are learning key life skills and developing healthy habits. 

Like with physical fitness, we can learn skills and routines to improve our mental fitness level. Activities include: mindfulness meditation, quality sleep hygiene, positive psychology exercises, yoga, and gratitude journaling.

The whole family can get involved. Challenge each other to pick up a new mental fitness routine, such as a daily gratitude practice. Go around the table over dinner and share one thing you are each grateful for. 

The whole family benefits when our we involve our kids in regular mental fitness habits and routines. WinWin!

Interested in ways to introduce mental fitness to your family? Check out the dripdrop app. We like to call it “The Mental Fitness App for Families.” Make it fun for your family to take small, incremental steps  towards improved well-being!

Or, gather the family together to listen in to the dripdrop podcast. Get together, have a laugh, and learn something new on our mental fitness variety show.

 

Jason Brown is a proud father of a teenage son and the co-founder of dripdrop.gg