Mental Fitness can be as simple as accepting what is, protecting what matters, doing what we can, and waiting a little longer.

Life comes in waves. Sometimes the seas are calm. Other times, it can take everything we have just to stay above water.

It's easy to think that the storm we're in is our life, not simply a part of our life that will pass.

We can work through what we must and survive when we must. Calm waters are ahead.

Now is not forever.

Mental Fitness can be as simple as taking a few deeper breaths to reset the nervous system, refocus attention, and get back on target.

We are overloaded. The next thing to do is always on our mind.

Media, messages, calls, emails, reading, watching. There is always something right in front of us demanding our attention.

It's hard to remember to stop and take a few deeper breaths.

A deep breath in, hold, suck in a little more air, then exhale all the way out.

Just a few breaths.

What if being hard on ourselves isn’t pushing us forward the way we think it is?

We can recognize when we screwed up, acknowledge what could have gone better, and learn what we would do differently next time.

Staying stuck in criticism doesn’t help our mood, relationships, or performance. We can recognize what needs to change, make a plan, and move on.

It’s easy looking out. Not so easy looking in.

What if being hard on ourselves isn’t pushing us forward the way we think it is?

We can recognize when we screwed up, acknowledge what could have gone better, and learn what we would do differently next time.

Staying stuck in criticism doesn’t help our mood, relationships, or performance. We can recognize what needs to change, make a plan, and move on.

It’s easy looking out. Not so easy looking in.

What if having an opinion, giving advice, or trying to fix someone isn't helping the relationship the way we think it is?

We see the faults in others. We recognize their shortcomings, how they struggle, and the different ways they could be doing things.

Most of the time, people don't want our help and don't want or need to be fixed. We can simply watch, learn what drives them, adjust how we relate, and leave it alone.

We don't always need a desired outcome.

What if waiting for the next marker is just another way of putting off the start?

Tomorrow. The end of the week. The New Year. There always seems to be another point on the calendar that makes starting feel like it will make more sense.

We don't have to wait another minute or another day. We can notice what we're waiting for, focus on what we can do now, and start.

What if the frustration is not coming from how long something takes, but from how long we think it should take?

Delays, complications, waiting on other people, waiting for resources. Even simple projects can take longer than anticipated.

We can spend our energy complaining about how long it is taking, or we can accept what is, focus on what can be done, and get on with it.

Things take as long as they will take.

What if giving advice or correcting isn’t helping the way we think it is?

We mean well when we show someone a better, smarter, or more efficient way to do something. But constant correction can come across as arrogance, control, or a reminder that someone isn’t doing it well enough.

Sometimes the better move is to notice, listen, ask, and let them learn their way.

What if the way out of our head is back into our body?
We spend all day evaluating, judging, rationalizing, calculating, thinking, overthinking, and analyzing.
Because of our comfort, we spend very little time in our bodies unless it’s intentional.
Close the eyes, start at the toes, scan the body, and remember we do not have to remain stuck in our thoughts.

What if we could reset our attention through the sense of touch?
Our visual life overloads us with evaluation, attention, threat detection, desire, pleasure, judgment, and simply navigating.
It’s easy to get fractured, being pulled in so many directions.
Close the eyes, feel what is within touch, and let the visual signal calm down.

What if we could reset by closing our eyes and letting sound take over?
We spend all day looking, scanning, evaluating, reading, and watching.
Everything is competing for the real estate of our eyes and attention.
Close the eyes, take a few breaths, listen for what catches attention, and recalibrate what’s coming in.

What if the thing we are rushing through is something we will one day miss?
We’re in a rush to get it over, even when what’s in front of us might be one of the last times we get to experience it.
Life goes fast, even when things seem to take forever.
When we slow down, appreciate what we have, and notice what’s here now, we don’t have to rush past the moments that matter.

What if the words we use are building the life we live?
We can frame our responsibilities, tasks, and conversations as things we have to do.
When that language becomes complaint, it shapes our thoughts, actions, habits, and identity.
When we reframe have to into get to, we create more opportunity, less burden, and a different reality for ourselves and the people around us.

What if correction is making life more bitter than it needs to be?
We are quick to fix, judge, condemn, and put down what we see as insufficient or wrong.
When we expect others to become a copy of us, relationships suffer and frustration grows.
When we look for what is working, praise what we want more of, and learn from the difference, life tastes a whole lot sweeter.

What if the minute we resent is the minute we needed most?
We go through our days locked in, focused on what needs to get done, what is in the way, and how to move forward.
When we see good things as obstacles, we miss the moments, people, and beauty right in front of us.
When we pause, look around, and appreciate what is here, a well-spent minute becomes worth far more than the time it takes.

What present blessings do we lose while living in opinions about how it could be different? Incongruence brings frustration, and we give up what is here and now for what it could be. Choose to see and accept most things exactly as they are and enjoy what is.

What do our opinions and judgements cost us? We place demands on those we love, withdraw from the bank of our relationships, and value our things over our relationships. Ask what matters more, set reasonable ground rules, and make more deposits than withdrawals.

What if there is more to see when we take the time to look?
We rush through the day, assuming the people, places, plants, animals, and details around us are the same as yesterday.
When our eyes sweep over everything, we miss the richness, fullness, nuance, and change happening right in front of us.
When we focus in and really look, we find deeper layers of clarity in the life we usually rush past.

What if looking in is the first step to recalibrating?
We can run on autopilot all day, reacting our way through each task, conversation, and stimulus.
When irritation, frustration, and impatience run in the background, they drag down our mood, relationships, and performance.
When we check in often, we can shift our attitude, find the good, and put energy back into what we can control.