Why you can train your mind – and where the fitness comparison reaches its limits
«I train three times a week – but for my head I actually do nothing.» – «Do I always wait until I’m feeling bad before I look after myself?»
Do you know these thoughts? Training the body is obvious to us: we jog, lift weights, stretch – not only when something hurts, but so that it never gets that far. With the mind, most of us do exactly the opposite. We attend to it only when it goes on strike.
This is precisely where the term «emotional fitness» comes in – one of the big mental health trends of this year.
1. What lies behind the term
The term was coined above all by the American psychologist Dr Emily Anhalt, whose book Flex Your Feelings appeared in 2025 and who has also been featured by the American Psychological Association. Her core idea: mental health is not something you either have or don’t have – it’s something you can work on proactively, just like physical fitness. Anhalt describes seven trainable traits, among them self-awareness, empathy, mindfulness, curiosity, resilience, communication and playfulness.
Honesty requires this caveat: those seven traits are not a scientifically validated model. They are based on more than a hundred qualitative interviews, not on controlled studies. «Emotional fitness» is therefore primarily a useful image, not a research construct.
But – and this is the interesting part – the trend strikes a nerve: the Global Wellness Summit lists preventive mental health as one of the top trends for 2026. As a society we are beginning to understand that prevention applies to the mind too.
2. The image holds up nonetheless: what the research says
Even though the trend term is young, the idea behind it rests on solid foundations. Emotion research, in particular the work around James Gross at Stanford University, has shown for years that emotion regulation can be learned.
One example is cognitive reappraisal: the ability to deliberately give a situation a different meaning. «My boss ignored my email – he doesn’t take me seriously» becomes «He had three meetings today, maybe the email simply got lost». That isn’t glossing things over, it’s a mental shift of perspective – and it can be practised, just like a movement in the weights room. This technique is also a cornerstone of cognitive behavioural therapy, one of the best-researched forms of therapy there is.
So the muscle comparison fits surprisingly well: what you practise regularly gets stronger. What you never challenge doesn’t waste away – but it doesn’t grow either.
3. Where body and mind meet
And then there’s an area where the fitness comparison is even literally true: movement. Meta-analyses show that physical training – including strength training – demonstrably reduces depressive symptoms. Anyone who trains their body always trains their mood a little as well. Why that is and how much movement is worth it is described in more detail in the article How exercise affects our mood.
One clear boundary matters to me here: depression cannot be «trained away». Movement is an effective building block – but with an illness, treatment belongs in medical or psychotherapeutic hands.
4. Your training plan for emotional fitness
What does such training look like in practice? Here are four exercises for everyday life:
🟢 Take stock of where you are.
No training without a starting point. Take ten minutes and ask yourself: how am I really doing right now – with stress, mood, relationships? A good place to start are the free self-tests at check.chw-coaching.ch – they’re no substitute for a diagnosis, but they give you an honest snapshot.
🟢 Name your feelings precisely.
Not just «stressed», but: disappointed? overwhelmed? hurt? People who perceive feelings in a differentiated way can regulate them better. That’s the basic exercise – the warm-up, so to speak.
🟢 Practise reappraisal on small situations.
The door slammed shut, the curt reply in a chat: once a day, deliberately ask yourself «what other explanation would also be possible?». Small weights first – the heavy moments come soon enough.
🟢 Keep moving – physically and socially.
A walk with a friend combines two protective factors at once: movement and relationship.
5. Staying honest: no cure-all
Appealing as the trend is, a warning belongs with it. «Emotional fitness» must not turn into the message that everyone is solely responsible for their own mental well-being. Chronic stress at work, financial worries, loneliness: burdens like these cannot simply be «breathed away». Training strengthens you – but it replaces neither fair living conditions nor professional help when you need it.
Incidentally: much of what is called «emotional fitness» here has long been known in psychology as resilience – it too can be learned and is not an innate character trait. What exactly lies behind it can be read in the article What exactly is resilience?
Conclusion
«Emotional fitness» is a trend term – but one with a true core. Emotion regulation can be practised, movement strengthens mood, and prevention makes just as much sense for the mind as for the body. What matters is the attitude behind it: don’t wait until things break down, but work on yourself regularly, in small units. Your head deserves the same training plan as your body.
Would you like to start your personal training for the mind?
In coaching we develop your training plan together – tuned to your everyday life, your goals and whatever is challenging you right now.
Your progress is my joy.
