Emotional Fitness: Strengthening Your Inner Resilience

When dealing with life’s ongoing challenges and stressors, a strong sense of emotional fitness is not only recommended – it’s essential.

Unlike physical fitness, emotional fitness isn’t always visible, but it’s just as important. Being emotionally fit means having the right tools to manage life’s ups and downs – whether it’s bouncing back from hardships, regulating emotions, or simply achieving greater mental clarity. As you build your emotional fitness, you can improve your own well-being and connect with others more easily, allowing you to form more fulfilling and meaningful relationships in all aspects of your life.

Needless to say, emotional fitness is a valuable goal for anyone who wants to live a more balanced life. This article will guide you through everything you need to know about emotional fitness – including its core principles, benefits, and effective strategies to be mentally tough in any situation that arises.

What is Emotional Fitness?

Emotional fitness refers to your ability to effectively manage stress and bounce back from life’s challenges (1). It’s not just about feeling good – it encompasses your capacity to navigate difficult situations, adapt to change, and maintain a positive outlook – even in the face of adversity.

According to psychologist Dr. Emily Anhalt, a wide-ranging emotional fitness definition is the ability to form and maintain successful relationships and good communication, going beyond simply having coping skills to deal with worry or distress (2).

Essentially, by improving your communication skills and ability to connect with yourself and others, you’ll be better able to make effective decisions and form more meaningful connections. With strong emotional fitness at your side, you can start approaching life’s obstacles and challenges with greater ease and resilience.

The Foundations of Emotional Fitness

Emotional fitness is built on a variety of characteristics, practices, and coping skills that help you better manage emotions and achieve greater emotional balance. According to Dr. Emily Anhalt, the seven foundational traits that are commonly linked to emotionally fit individuals are (2):

• Self-awareness: Ability to understand emotional triggers and internal biases
• Empathy: Ability to understand and relate to the feelings of others, enabling deeper connections and more compassion
• Mindfulness: Being present and accepting of oneself in the current moment
• Curiosity: Openness to exploring new perspectives and ideas and a willingness to learn from experiences and others
• Play: Engaging in enjoyable, lighthearted activities that boost creativity, relieve stress, and allow you to experiment with new ideas in a safe space
• Resilience: More adaptable to change, less discouraged by setbacks or failures, and the ability to recover more quickly from emotional hardships
• Communication: Ability to identify and express needs while setting boundaries

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Benefits of Strengthening Emotional Fitness

Emotional fitness is an invaluable skill that allows you to better view yourself and the world around you in a more positive, productive manner. Here is a breakdown of the mental, emotional, and social benefits of strengthening emotional fitness that can have a profound impact on your life and those around you.

Mental Benefits

The process of restoring emotional fitness often includes ways of managing emotions more effectively in order to improve cognitive functioning and create healthier patterns of thinking (3). Here are the common mental benefits that typically come with building emotional fitness (4, 5):

• Greater cognitive function: Improved focus, memory, better ability to ignore irrelevant information, and a better ability to concentrate
• Improved communication: Better ability to express needs, set boundaries, and think through challenges to provide rational responses
• Increased mindfulness: Ability to stay present in the current moment, helping with information retention, listening, and reducing distractions

Emotional Benefits

Emotional fitness can also deeply influence your innermost feelings and emotions, and when you strengthen it, it can help create a more compassionate outlook toward both yourself and others around you. Here are some common emotional benefits that can arise from developing greater mental toughness (4, 6):

• Increased positivity: Better ability to have an optimistic viewpoint, even during hardships, allowing you to respond in more helpful ways
• Ability to reframe thoughts: Recognizing and reshaping unhelpful or negative thoughts in order to support healthier patterns of thinking
• Improved confidence: Moving through life with greater confidence, self-esteem, and self-efficacy by focusing on your strengths and the positive aspects of life

Social and Professional Benefits

The mental and emotional benefits from emotional fitness also translate to significant improvements in the social and professional aspects of your life. Here’s how honing your emotional fitness skills can have benefits socially and professionally (4, 6):

• Habit building: Better ability to make consistent choices that support your personal and professional goals
• Time management: Better performance and productivity through healthy and constructive work routines
• Greater rapport: Improved relationships with colleagues and acquaintances may lead to more meaningful and fulfilling connections

Read more: 10 Somatic Exercises to Release Stress in the Body

Strategies to Build Emotional Fitness

Similar to physical fitness, building emotional fitness requires consistent practice to strengthen the mind and reshape thought patterns that may be holding you back.

Over time, the brain creates neural pathways based on recurring thoughts, which turn into ‘automatic thoughts’ that arise instinctively in various situations (7). These thoughts essentially become mental shortcuts that shape how you react to daily interactions and your emotional responses without you even realizing it.

Through neuroplasticity (7), working on emotional fitness allows you to reprogram these pathways to adopt healthier, more supportive patterns of thinking that align with your unique life goals and values. Below are a few practical strategies you should consider when building resilience and mental toughness.

• Developing Self-Awareness

Linked to improvements in psychological well-being, self-awareness refers to the ability to fully observe and understand your thoughts, sensations, and emotions (8). It involves becoming more attuned to what you’re feeling internally (and the reasons why), which may empower you to respond constructively rather than react impulsively.

One way to build self-awareness is through somatic education, which includes body-based practices that focus on improving the mind-body connection (9). Most of these practices include paying close attention to bodily sensations and movements while considering the emotions that may contribute to them – directly addressing self-awareness skills.

If you’re looking for more specific exercises, the BetterMe app offers plenty of somatic resources that focus specifically on building self-awareness and emotional strength.

• Practicing Emotional Regulation

Emotional regulation is the practice of effectively managing your emotional responses, which helps you remain calm and grounded, even in stressful situations (10).

Many individuals find regulating their emotions to be quite challenging when intense feelings seem to arise unexpectedly or feel overpowering. If this sounds like you, know that learning to regulate your emotions often takes time and patience.

One technique for regulating emotions in everyday scenarios is deep breathing (11). By taking slow and deliberate breaths, you can help activate your body’s natural relaxation response that works to reduce feelings of worry and distress (12). While there are many structured breathing exercises available, simply inhaling slowly through your nose and exhaling slowly through your mouth can be incredibly effective.

Socratic questioning is another useful technique that involves open-ended questions to explore your innermost belief systems and thought processes (23). Sometimes used in CBT, this method can help you gain a deeper understanding of how your emotions are regulated in a variety of stressful situations.

For those with more severe emotional dysregulation challenges, it’s best to consult a mental health professional to determine the best course of action. If you’re looking for a therapist, the Psychology Today website offers a search feature that allows you to find mental health providers nearby in your area (United States only).

• Building Adaptability and Resilience

Resilience and adaptability are essential for building emotional fitness as they allow you to navigate change and setbacks with greater ease.

More specifically, resilience refers to the ability to bounce back from life challenges (13), while adaptability is being able to adjust to new situations and stressful circumstances. Together, these skills can be highly beneficial for managing feelings of worry, distress, and emotional discomfort.

One highly effective way of building resilience is to prioritize self-care (15). Taking time for yourself allows your brain the time it needs to recharge and recuperate, making it easier to deal with future stressors that come your way.

Gratitude journaling is a common self-care activity that helps you focus on the positive aspects of life, training your brain to identify opportunities for joy and growth, rather than negativities or obstacles (16). Over time, this can allow your brain to more easily adapt to all sorts of life changes and setbacks.

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• The Role of Mindfulness

Mindfulness has gained a great deal of popularity in recent years and for good reason – it can be a highly powerful way to stay present and grounded in the current moment (17). Being mindful involves becoming more aware of thoughts and feelings as they arise, rather than ruminating on emotions from the past or anticipating events in the future.

Practicing mindfulness can take on many forms, including meditative practices, somatic education, or simply pausing throughout the day to notice your internal feelings, sensations, and physical surroundings.

The BetterMe app is a helpful resource for mindfulness techniques and tutorials that can help bring you into the current moment, contributing to greater emotional fitness.

Read more: Somatic Response: Understanding Your Body’s Reactions

Emotional Fitness in Daily Life

Working to improve your emotional fitness is an ongoing process that doesn’t happen overnight. But, the good news is there are small, actionable steps you can take and practices you can include in your daily routine to make the process feel easier.

Remember, everyone’s journey is unique, so it may take some time to form a routine that feels best for you. Below are some strategies and tips you should keep in mind when you first start your journey to strengthen your emotional fitness.

Integrating Emotional Fitness into Your Routine

There are countless ways to incorporate better self-care and prioritize your needs throughout day-to-day life. To help you get started, here are some simple and actionable strategies you should consider when improving emotional fitness and inner resilience:

• Physical exercise: Physical activity is beneficial for both the mind and body, as it releases tension and distress while producing feel-good endorphins (18)
• Mindful meditation: Even a few minutes of meditation per day can improve emotional clarity and mindfulness, which helps promote a clearer headspace (19)
• The BetterMe app offers quick and accessible meditation resources for beginners or those who are seeking more guidance
• Body scan: This includes mentally scanning your entire body to “check in” with yourself, recognize areas of tension, and improve body awareness (20)
• Healthy habits: Basic self-care routines such as eating regular meals, drinking enough water, and getting sufficient sleep all contribute to physical and mental well-being (including your emotional fitness) (21)
• Gut health: Your diet plays a major role in your gut microbiome, which is closely linked to mental health and emotional well-being, so be sure to consume foods that are high in nutrients and probiotics (24)

Overcoming Challenges

The process of improving your emotional fitness can come with challenges, especially if you’re working to dismantle long-established negative habits or thought patterns.

One effective way to navigate this is by setting small, achievable goals and building upon them over time. This can create a sense of progress while nurturing lasting change without becoming too overwhelmed.

For many, the first challenge is simply recognizing a disrupted routine or lack of time for self-care, which may include insufficient sleep, eating unhealthily, or not making time to socialize. Whatever the case, once you’re able to identify this, you can take intentional steps to form better habits that better support your well-being.

Another common obstacle is a long-standing history of unhelpful thought patterns or belief systems that make it difficult to manage distress, handle conflict, and engage in self-compassionate thinking. If you’ve had long-term emotional pain, seeking support from a professional can help you overcome these challenges in a safe, supportive way.

Looking for a therapist? The Psychology Today website offers a search feature to help you find nearby mental health providers in your area (United States only).

Frequently Asked Questions

• How long does it take to improve emotional fitness?

The time it takes to see improvement in emotional fitness can vary significantly from person to person. For some, small changes can be noticed after just a few weeks of consistent practice, such as feeling calmer or more in control during stressful situations, while for others, building lasting emotional resilience may take several months or even years.

The key is regular practice by dedicating time to self-care in a way that suits your needs and lifestyle. It’s important to remember that emotional fitness and growth is a lifelong journey and every small step still brings progress.

• Can emotional fitness help in dealing with life crises?

Having strong emotional fitness can be incredibly beneficial during times of crisis or extreme life challenges (4). By building better resilience and adaptability, you improve your ability to navigate difficult situations in a productive and healthy manner. 

While these skills may not eliminate emotional difficulties, they can help you manage your responses, make clearer decisions, and find constructive ways to cope. During times of crisis, it can also be helpful to seek support from trusted friends, family, or mental health professionals who can provide additional guidance.

• What is the relationship between emotional fitness and mental health?

Emotional fitness and mental health are closely intertwined, but they aren’t the same. Emotional fitness focuses on skills that help you manage your emotions, build resilience, and handle daily stressors – all of which can significantly support mental health.

Conversely, mental health refers to a state of mental and emotional well-being that enables people to cope with life’s challenges and maintain a healthy, positive outlook (22). It’s the overall mental component of well-being that can be maintained through therapy, self-care, and other supportive practices such as emotional fitness.

The Bottom Line

Emotional fitness is a valuable component that allows you to have resilience, adaptability, and emotional strength in every aspect of your daily life. Whether it’s practicing mindfulness, engaging in meditative practices, or simply working to develop better daily habits, there are countless ways you can start improving your emotional fitness today.

For additional resources, the BetterMe app is a great place to find meditation tutorials, self-care activities, and more tools to strengthen your emotional fitness.