Yulit Gordon | Mind over matter: Building those mental muscles

“It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it.” – Lena Horne

PREDICTIONS OF inflation, economic downturn and market volatility over the past two weeks have resulted in excess worry, anxiety and stress for many businesses and households.

An old friend called me from Atlanta and asked me to prepare a budget for a single-income household, as she is seriously contemplating returning home. I prepared what was in my opinion, a conservative and healthy budget; being fully aware that maintaining a healthy lifestyle at our age was non-negotiable. She was in disbelief, especially at the food and insurance costs. She responded with an animated, “Ah, stress!”

Stress is no joking matter. Chronic stress can worsen pre-existing health problems and exacerbate mental health conditions which require access to healthcare. It can also create opportunities for indulgence in unhealthy practices, such as excess consumption of alcohol, tobacco and other substance abuse.

When everything feels uncertain, good mental health becomes your anchor. It is the greatest tool in the toolbox. It builds resilience, optimism, tenacity, and your emotional intelligence. Developing healthy habits is how you train your mental muscles, and those mental muscles are how you sustain those healthy habits. They work together to create lasting transformation.

Creating long and lasting positive change requires us to rewire our brain by building new neural pathways. Research says that it takes an average of 60-90 days to formulate a shift in lifestyle habits, and it can take up to a year for those habits to become sustainable.

KEY ELEMENTS OF HABIT FORMATION

Repetition: Consistency is key. Practising gratitude daily strengthens the neural circuits related to optimism and emotional resilience. How we speak to ourselves matter. Replacing negative self-talk with daily affirmations rewires our brain to respond more positively over time.

Cues: Habits form faster when they are tied to a trigger. The desire or anticipation that drives you to act (phone buzzing, gym shoes, smell of coffee). Dopamine spikes in anticipation, making you crave the action (check your phone, work out, or sipping coffee).

Reward: Celebrate the wins along the way. When you celebrate you release dopamine, the habit-forming neurotransmitter. What gets instantly rewarded, gets repeated and becomes a habit.

Visualisation: Mentally rehearsing success primes your body to follow. When you visualise achieving a major goal, your brain activates many of the same neural pathways as it would if you had already accomplished your goal. This ‘mental rehearsal’ strengthens those pathways. Repetition of positive mental imagery makes your brain familiar with success — so it feels more natural when you achieve it.

Daily challenge: Attempt something challenging every day. Something your brain would normally say ‘no’ to. It could be getting out of bed at 4 a.m. to ride your bike for 40 minutes or walk the mountain for an hour. This builds resilience and discipline; and train your brain that you can accomplish hard tasks even when you do not feel like it.

Rest and recovery: Want to build stronger neural pathways? Prioritise sleep like it is a training session. Recovery is part of strength. You cannot build muscles without rest days. Getting enough sleep (seven to eight hours each night) prevents burnout and is critical for cognitive function, memory, and emotional stability. Your brain needs downtime to absorb and integrate everything you are practising.

Environment: Surround yourself with positive support. Having a supportive community provides emotional support and fosters a sense of security and resilience. Knowing there is a safe space to share thoughts and feelings can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression.

Wellness coaching has emerged as a vital component of the multidisciplinary approach to promoting healthy lifestyle choices and preventing chronic diseases. Today, wellness coaches are partnering with doctors, insurers, employers, therapists, and fitness trainers to increase opportunities for optimal health for patients and clients.

Yulit Gordon is a certified wellness coach. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and yulit.Gordon1@gmail.com.