Emotional Fitness
I am very committed to physical fitness. Beginning as a young teen I started doing push-ups and sit-ups and would run a mile or two over a few block course near my house. I slowly increased my running distance to 4-5 miles. I later joined a gym and began lifting weights more seriously. I loved the feeling of strengthening my body and being in good physical shape. It improved my self-esteem and helped me feel better all around. There have been times over the years when I slacked off a bit, although this has been very infrequent because I recognize the difference I feel when I'm not keeping myself physically fit.
Most people understand the value of physical fitness and many will devote much time and resources to keeping themselves in shape. Truly committed individuals will spend an hour a day, six days a week going to a gym. A lot of people will join specialized fitness centers or pay a lot of money for diet and fitness plans. What never ceases to amaze me as a psychologist is that people spend so little time and resources on their emotional fitness. Life can be very stressful and depression and anxiety are common experiences for many. Countless individuals have experienced family dysfunction and trauma in their early years which often continues into adulthood. In my psychology practice the most common number of visits for a patient is one. What this means is that a large majority of people struggling with depression or anxiety because of recent life stressors or because of deep-seated issues that have been stewing from the past have devoted all of one hour of their time to getting emotionally healthy! In all fairness, let’s say they spent some time outside of my office doing some of the things I asked them to do. So we'll add two more hours to make a total of three hours. Three hours! Just three hours to get emotionally fit after years of being emotionally unfit! Would anyone think for a minute that after living 20 or 30 years of a deplorable physical lifestyle one or two sessions at the gym would result in a physically fit body? Never!
Emotional fitness takes time and consistent effort and it is not just for those with severe emotional disorders but for everyone. We need to take time to consider what is going on inside our heads; what drives us; what stresses us; what soothes us. We should have a comprehensive plan consisting of sleep, diet, exercise, cognitive awareness, and behavioral modification to lead us down the path of emotional fitness. It will take some time but it will be well worth it because little else feels as good as being emotionally fit.