The concept of Mental Workout is an inward focus of oneself in developing our psychospiritual life. As we go though life, we accumulate negative experiences in our rash mind and as a result, they gradually wear us down, having a negative impact on our sense of well-being, happiness, and overall outlook on life. With the mental workouts a person improves their self-efficacy and mood, reduce anxiety and mental tension leading to a happier, healthier and wholesome life.
Research shows that these mindful exercises boost reasoning skills, memory and mental processing speed staved off mental decline in middle-aged and elderly people. These skills can strengthen the mind the same way physical exercise protects and stregthnes the body (Vedantam, 2006). Exercisng different parts of the mind can help a persons overall mental clarity, alertness, and concentration.
As I continue to strengthen my body through physical exercise, I continue to strengthen and improve my psychological health though meditation, breathing exercises as well as playing games the exercise the mind, better known as "Brain games".
Reference:
Dacher, E.S. (2006). Psychospiritual Flourishing, Integral Health: The Path to Human Flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publication, Inc.
Vedantam,S. (2006). Short Mental Workouts May Slow Decline of Aging Minds, Study Show. Retrieved on December 4, 2010 from http://www.washingtonpost/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/18/AR2006121901431.html.
I like your decription of a mental workout. This is so true! So many of us do not seem to know how to focus on the positives and just dwell on the negativity of the mind. I have a saying above my desk and I'm not sure who the author is, but it goes like this--"You have the capacity to choose what you think about. If you choose to think about past hurts, you will continue to feel bad. While it's true you can't change the effect past influences had on you once, you can change the effect they have on you now." This is a motto that I live by!
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