What Is Mental Fitness? A More Relatable Way to Think About Mental Health
Where Did the Name MyndFit Come From...and what is it?
There’s a bit of a play on words going on with the name MyndFit — and it was very intentional.
The original idea was simple: getting our minds into shape.
At the time, “mental health” was deeply misunderstood.
There was a lot of stigma attached to it, and for many people, that stigma created shame which prevented them from reaching out and asking for help.
Early on, I spent a lot of time doing public speaking and presentations, trying to educate people and reduce some of that fear around mental health.
One of the first things I would say in those talks was this:
If you have a body, you have physical health.
If you have a mind, you have mental health.
Turns out that simple comparison was quite powerful.
People could see their body. They understood physical health. They knew that if they went to the gym, moved their body, and ate well, they were taking care of it.
The mind, on the other hand, was invisible — and because they couldn’t see it, it felt like a mystery.
Once people could make that connection though, something clicked.
They could suddenly see that the same proactive approach they took with their physical health could also apply to their mental wellbeing.
That’s where the “Fit” in MyndFit came from.
The “Mynd” part is the play on words.
A big part of the work we do is helping people stop outsourcing their happiness — to relationships, work, circumstances, or other people — and instead take responsibility for it themselves.
Spelling mind as Mynd was a deliberate choice.
It represents “my mind” — and the responsibility each of us has to look after it, condition it, and learn how to work with it.
Because just like physical fitness, mental fitness isn’t something you’re born with or without.
It’s something you train.
I hope that clears things up if the name ever caused a bit of confusion.
What Does “Mental Fitness” Actually Mean?
If I tell someone I work in mental fitness, I often get a polite nod… and a blank look.
Because let’s be honest — most people don’t walk around thinking,
“I’d really like to be mentally fitter.”
What they do walk around thinking is:
“Why am I so reactive lately?”
“I feel stuck and don’t know how to move forward.”
“I’m exhausted, overwhelmed, and everything feels harder than it should.”
“I know what I should be doing, but I can’t seem to live it.”
That’s where mental fitness actually lives — not in the label, but in the experience.
Mental Fitness Isn’t About Feeling Good All the Time
Mental fitness isn’t about being happy, positive, or calm 24/7.
Life doesn’t work like that.
It’s about how you respond when life doesn’t go your way.
Someone who is mentally fit still feels stress, disappointment, frustration, sadness — but they don’t get stuck there. They don’t spiral, ruminate, or lose weeks (or years) of their life fighting reality.
They adapt.
Adaptability Is a Sign of Mental Health
One of the clearest signs of good mental health isn’t happiness — it’s adaptability.
Mentally fit people tend to:
Adjust when things change
Respond rather than react
Keep moving forward instead of freezing or collapsing
Let go of what they can’t control
Deal with what’s in front of them without creating unnecessary suffering
They don’t waste energy wishing life was different. They work with what is.
That doesn’t mean they don’t care.
It means they’re not fighting reality.
From Autopilot to the Driver’s Seat
Many people already know what they could be doing differently.
They know they need better boundaries.
They know they overthink.
They know they’re living on autopilot.
The problem isn’t a lack of knowledge.
It’s that knowing something intellectually and embodying it in daily life are two very different things.
Mental fitness is the bridge between the two.
It’s about moving from:
reacting → responding
surviving → functioning
knowing → living
It’s the difference between feeling like life is happening to you, versus feeling back in the driver’s seat.
How I Talk About Mental Fitness
When I talk to people about what I do, I don’t start with “mental fitness.”
I talk about things like:
Learning how to stop getting stuck in your head
Becoming less reactive and more grounded
Handling life’s challenges without them knocking you over
Reducing unnecessary anxiety, stress, and emotional exhaustion
Building the ability to adapt instead of resist
Mental fitness is simply the capacity to meet life as it is, without breaking down or shutting off.
And like physical fitness, it’s something you can train.
You Don’t Need Fixing — You Need Conditioning
Nothing is “wrong” with you.
You don’t need to be fixed.
Most people just haven’t been taught how to:
work with their mind
understand their emotional reactions
let go instead of holding on
stay steady when life gets uncomfortable
Mental fitness is about conditioning the mind to handle reality — not avoiding it, controlling it, or numbing it.
Because life doesn’t get easier, but you can get more adaptable.
And that changes everything.