How to prioritize young people's mental well-being by teaching mental fitness

To realize a world in which young people's mental health is prioritized and protected, we propose adding mental fitness to school curricula and employee resources, following a model similar to teaching physical fitness and well-being.

By fostering mental fitness from an early age and continuing that support throughout their working lives, we can equip the world's youth with the tools they need to navigate life's challenges. As practitioners, we – Maya Raichoora and Asheesh Advani – advocate for proactive and preventive measures and self-efficacy in mental fitness.

Mental fitness focuses on prevention

Many schools and workplaces already offer mental health training through workshops and seminars, public awareness campaigns and online self-help resources, with treatment as needed through medication, psychotherapy, crisis intervention and rehabilitation programmes.

Such mental health training is critical to addressing the mental well-being of Generation Z (born from the mid-1990s to around 2010) and Generation Alpha (born from 2010 onwards).

But what about prevention? In Raichoora's TEDx talk, she argues that traditional approaches to mental health often emphasize treatment after issues arise. In contrast, mental fitness is about proactive and preventive care, built on regular, intentional practices that improve and maintain mental well-being.

The concept is akin to how physical well-being requires regular exercise and healthy nutrition for prevention, augmented by medical interventions for injury or illness or how social-emotional learning teaches five core competencies to prevent isolation and disengagement, augmented by direct interventions when students experience trauma. Similarly, mental fitness requires consistent and intentional preventive practices such as visualization, positive self-talk and mindfulness, which help youth build emotional resilience and mental health.

Mental fitness training not only reduces stigma around mental health issues but also increases the likelihood of a healthy society in which proactive mental care is normalized and young people can realize their full potential.

Mental fitness courses can mimic the physical fitness education we know so well. Here's a framework:

Consistency: Help students establish a daily schedule for mental fitness practices similar to physical workouts. Teaching young people that they should consistently work on mental fitness over their lifetime is the first step.

Add cardio: Teach young people to engage in activities that stimulate and energize the mind at multiple points throughout the day, whether that means learning a new skill, solving a problem, reading a book on a new topic, solving a challenging puzzle, listening and debating, or visualizing themselves reaching an important goal.

Maintain a healthy diet: Teach young people to maintain a mental "diet" of positive, uplifting content and reduce exposure to negative social media and grievance politics (the empty carbs of mental fitness). That likely also means reducing the amount of influence that negative people have on your life.Instead, help young people seek out educational and motivational material (the fruits and vegetables of mental health), content that makes them laugh and people who challenge them to be at their best.

Prioritize rest and recovery: Teach young people to develop adequate sleep and relaxation techniques to get the physical rest they need. Show how to incorporate regular breaks during the day to unwind and practice mindfulness and meditation to rest themselves mentally. Take a break from devices and stimulation (emails, podcasts, audiobooks, videos, news) to give the brain the opportunity for free-range creativity. Unwind from people and social commitments so that they can recharge emotionally.

Build strength through weight training: The weight training of mental fitness is how young people build resilience, and they do this by participating in new experiences through which they meet small, manageable challenges, both boosting their confidence and developing a hunger for more new experiences.

For Raichoora, mental weightlifting refers to the visualization work she is known for. She reshapes neural pathways and forms new neural connections by visualizing a specific action or scenario, mentally rehearsing upcoming stressful or difficult situations and visualizing positive and successful outcomes.

For Advani, the learning experiences that stem from, for example, the JA-Z Zurich Foundation partnership lead to self-efficacy, a form of mental weight-training that refers to a person's belief in their ability to succeed despite the challenges and failures that may occur along the way. Like visualization, self-efficacy builds in four ways:

• Mastery of skills and techniques (tackling and completing new tasks through hands-on, immersive learning).
• Access to role models (working with and observing others from a similar background and achieving similar goals).
• Practising optimism (rerouting negative thoughts into positive ones by reframing and other techniques).
• Hearing supportive beliefs (that others – especially people who are important to the student – believe in your ability to succeed).

Visualizing a mentally fit future workplace

Investing in mental fitness training within school curricula, workplace learning and development and community services is essential for preparing the next generation to thrive in a complex and demanding world.

By adopting this framework and normalizing mental fitness, young people can significantly enhance their mental well-being, equipping them with the tools to navigate future challenges with optimism, resilience and confidence.