We all know the importance of physical fitness and healthy eating habits.
But did you know that a healthy MENTAL DIET is just as important as feeding your body with nourishing foods?
But what is a mental diet? Simply, it’s a diet related to thinking. A mental diet helps you to redirect and reframe limiting self-talk and negative mental chatter.
Do you ever stop and think how you feed your mind every day? What kind of mental stories you play in your mind? Is your inner dialogue more negative than positive? Do you tend to focus on your problems, fears, shortcomings and failures?
You are not alone. Many of us have so many limiting beliefs about ourselves.
Just like a physical diet, a mental diet can be healthy or unhealthy. So, it’s important to be aware of what you are consuming mentally. The way you think, can change everything.
My diet is important to me. I try to eat healthy foods. But it’s equally important that my mind stays healthy too.
What does my mental diet look like in practice?
- I watch my thoughts and monitor my mental conversations
- I engage in positive self-talk
- I feed my mind throughout the day with positive pictures, stories and affirmations
- I start my day with a positive statement such as “something wonderful is going to happen today”
- Throughout the day, if I catch myself saying something negative like “I should have done better”, I replace it with “What can I learn from this?”
- At the end of the day, I briefly reflect on the day’s events – all the ups and downs – and then, let them go
- I don’t fear negative thoughts or disappointments, but I don’t dwell on them
- I don’t try to suppress unwanted thoughts and emotions. I reframe them in more helpful ways
- I express gratitude daily… even when things aren’t going my way
- Although it’s referred to as a “diet”, for me, it’s more like a fun activity
But cultivating a balanced mental diet – like building any skill – requires practice, discipline and dedication and I monitor my diet continually.
A balanced mental diet is vital for my wellbeing. It helps me to cope with challenges and obstacles and maintain an optimistic attitude. It has helped me to become mentally and emotionally strong too.
Do you think YOU might need to go on a mental diet?
Eila Mikkonen
Counsellor, Coach & Mental Fitness Facilitator