The Cost of Emotional Fitness

How much is your emotional well-being worth to you? What would you be willing to do to be emotionally healthy? If I were to say to you it will take an hour of your time each day, would you be willing to make that sacrifice? This is what I frequently tell my clients when they come to see me because they are struggling with anxiety or depression. I say, “Your homework assignment is to spend an hour a day working on your emotional fitness.” I’ll be honest, many are reluctant. They don’t feel they can devote that much time out of their busy schedule to work on their emotional fitness. I think a lot of individuals who decide to see a psychologist or therapist feel one hour out of a whole week to go to their therapist’s office is about all the time they can allocate.

Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but in order to be emotionally fit, it will take a commitment on your part. You will need to allocate sufficient time to become emotionally fit and to maintain this level of fitness. Don’t think your therapist is going to accomplish this in one hour a week in their office. If you don’t take ownership and see yourself as responsible for your emotional fitness, it’s not going to happen. Here is the good news---I’m not asking you to spend an hour a day analyzing all of your thoughts or studying complex psychological theories. The hour you are going to devote to your emotional fitness can and will include a variety of activities such as physical exercise, meditating, healthy social interactions, reading a good book, or learning a new skill. There are a host of different things to do in various aspects of your life that will help improve and maintain your emotional fitness.

I want to teach you many things you can do for your emotional fitness. You will need to choose which areas of your life need your focus, and then do it. Some things like physical exercise may become a routine part of your emotional fitness regimen. Other activities you may choose to do for a few weeks and then shift to doing something different. Some of these activities could take place once or twice a week, like engaging in fulfilling social interactions or participating in recreational activities. Don’t be afraid to experiment.

As you start improving your emotional fitness, you will recognize you become more efficient at work and fulfilling your daily obligations, because your body has more energy and your mind is sharper. Ultimately, you will have more time, and devoting an hour a day to your emotional fitness will become much easier. The ultimate pay-off is you will feel emotionally fit, less anxious or depressed, and far more confident than before. Let’s do it—I promise, it’s worth the cost!