• Episode 5: Increase mental flexibility with courage & curiosity
    Apr 4 2024
    Much like physical flexibility, developing mental flexibility is the process of adapting your nervous system to stretch and recover from a stressed state by navigating stress in a healthful way that includes understanding and respecting your physiological limits. Challenging yourself in a safe, controlled, and healthful way is one way to prepare your nervous system for the everyday stresses and challenges of life that often pop up unexpectedly. Practicing courage and curiosity are two ways to help challenge and develop mental flexibility and increase resilience by navigating stress in healthful ways. As with any health and fitness practice, it's important to be aware of any health needs or conditions you might have by consulting a clinical care provider before making any major changes to your lifestyle or wellness practices to ensure proper care and consideration for your health and well-being. If you are managing a mental, neurological, or brain health condition, exposing yourself to stress triggers may put you at increased health risk, so please practice according to your own health needs and ability level. Please remember that fitness practices are meant to REDUCE risk, not increase risk. Always put your health and safety FIRST, no matter how much you want to conquer your fears and achieve your goals. Courage does NOT mean bulldozing ahead without proper guidance or preparation but rather doing what's most healthful in the moment even when it's most challenging --- that may require extra time, care, patience, and support to achieve your goals.
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    7 mins
  • Episode 4: Increase mental flexibility with gratitude & empathy | Why empathize with my enemy?
    Mar 11 2024
    There's a lot of talk about the importance of gratitude and empathy that often lack discussion and understanding of how gratitude and empathy function in your brain and nervous system (and why they can be more challenging for different people and different situations). Gratitude and empathy are considered practices in mental flexibility, challenging your brain and nervous system in a safe and controlled way with a healthful amount of stress and returning to a safe and relaxed state again. Much like physical flexibility, developing mental flexibility prepares you for those unexpected challenging moments that require the ability to navigate your stress response in a healthful way to reduce risk and prevent injury. One listener asks, "Why should I empathize with someone who hurt me?" Good question, and the answer might surprise you (in a healthful way!)...
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    11 mins
  • Episode 3: Increase mental flexibility with creativity | How to teach mental fitness to kids?
    Feb 21 2024
    The mental fitness level of Flexibility is much like physical flexibility. Challenging yourself with healthful stress within your control just to the point of discomfort before relieving that stress and tension back to a place of peace and comfort again can help train and prepare your nervous system to healthfully navigate stress and challenge in healthful ways without causing pain or injury. We also answer our next listener question about teaching mental fitness practices to kids. The answer might surprise you and inspire you too!
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    11 mins
  • Episode 2: Breathing exercises to optimize mental function | Why limit stressful media?
    Feb 7 2024
    You may have heard of breathwork for stress management, but do you know how and why it works? In this episode, you'll learn two quick breathing exercises in the first minute followed by an explanation of how it works and why it's an important mental fitness practice to optimize mental function. Then Scott answers a listener question, "How do I limit news media when there's so much I need to know about what's happening in the world?" Is this a challenge for you too? Listen to learn more.
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    10 mins
  • Episode 1: Practice emotional awareness | Power of creativity (my story)
    Jan 31 2024
    Welcome to the first episode of Mental Fitness Minute with Scott Mikesh! This week, we'll explore and practice emotional awareness, and the power of creativity, to help you balance and regulate your unconscious nervous system. 💡 What brings you to the show? Submit your questions to be included on a future episode (anonymously, of course, to protect your privacy).
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    18 mins
  • Mental Fitness Minute with Scott Mikesh (Trailer)
    Jan 30 2024
    Please share your questions for a future episode! This show is all about empowering YOU to feel and do YOUR best, to achieve YOUR goals — whatever your goals and abilities might be each day.
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    1 min