When people hear the term mental fitness, they often assume it’s just about “thinking positively.” But the truth is, mental fitness is far more than that. Just like physical fitness, it’s about what we consume (through all our senses), how we move, how we recover, and, most importantly, our daily habits. The good news? Everything you need to build mental fitness is and has always been within your reach.

Author and neuroscientist TJ Power, in his book The DOSE Effect, compares the way we used to live to how we live now. Many modern conveniences, while making life easier, are actually contributing to poor mental fitness, leaving us with low energy, feeling tired, stressed, and disconnected. Consider this:

Not long ago, our mornings were spent outdoors, exposed to natural sunlight (resetting our circadian rhythm for great sleep). We did hard things, put in effort and worked with others (building oxytocin) to gain rewards like food, shelter, social connections, and good quality sleep. Moving between different tasks and locations required time, allowing our minds to transition naturally (regulating our dopamine).

Now, compare that to how many of us, especially in real estate, start our mornings today:

• We wake up and immediately reach for our phones, scrolling through social media or emails, triggering massive and rapid context changes.
• Dopamine spikes instantly from the digital stimulation, followed by another surge from a high-sugar breakfast straight from a cereal box.
• We get dressed, hop into our car, drive to the office, park undercover, and start our workday, all without getting any natural sunlight or physical exertion.
• By mid-morning, that dopamine high comes crashing down, leaving us tired and unfocused. To compensate, we reach for an energy drink or sugary snack for another artificial boost.
• Feeling flat and isolated in our cubical at work, we once again jump on social media, scrolling the endless loop of screen images and videos but not really connecting with actual people.

These first few hours of the day significantly impact the neurochemicals and hormones that regulate our mood, emotions, and energy.

Now, I’m not advocating that we need to live like ancient hunter-gatherers. Rather, let’s learn from our natural history and rediscover simple habits we can apply to our modern lifestyles. If we’re not intentional with our habits, we can find ourselves caught in an endless cycle of highs and lows, struggling with motivation, focus, loneliness and overall well-being.

Optimizing Your Morning for Mental Fitness

Becoming mentally fit requires a shift in our daily habits, doing more things that naturally boost our energy and emotions while allowing us to function effectively in today’s modern world. Dopamine is just one of over 100 neurotransmitters that influence our state, and learning to regulate these chemicals is a critical part of the mental fitness journey.

For this week, let’s focus on avoiding the dopamine rollercoaster in your morning routine. There’s plenty of research on the power of a strong morning routine, and two thought leaders who have had a big impact on mine are leadership coach Robin Sharma and neuroscientist Andrew Huberman.

Your Mental Fitness Challenge for the Week:

For the next seven days, try these three simple habits that have had a positive impact on my energy levels:

• Avoid your phone and social media – TJ Power calls this a “phone fast.” Personally, I go for the first 30 to 60 minutes upon waking without checking my phone.
• Get outside – During that 30 to 60 minutes, go for a walk, stretch, hike, or run in natural sunlight and, if possible, in a nature setting like a park, garden, bush, or beach. 
• Eat a healthy, balanced breakfast, avoiding highly processed, sugar-laden foods. If you practice fasting, delay your first meal and enjoy a refreshing herbal tea or black coffee instead.

NOTE: Level Up your oxytocin (the connection hormone) by doing some or all of the above with someone you can talk too.

Looking Ahead

There are some great variations and additions to this routine that we’ll discuss in upcoming articles. A simple shift in your morning routine won’t just give you more energy for the day, it will also improve your sleep quality, which is vital for long-term mental fitness.

Over the coming weeks, we’ll continue to dive into how different neurochemicals impact your life and explore habits you can develop to ensure you are mentally fit, with optimal energy, mood, and connections.

For now, let’s commit to these small but powerful changes this week. Your mindset and your results will thank you.

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