Hitting the mental gym

As I walked down to Ideas Victoria tonight, I walked by at least 3 gyms, each busier than I've ever seen them, and I generally walk by them every week at the same time. This isn't too unexpected, it's the first Wednesday I've walked by them since the turn of the new year, and there are resolutions that were made.

A few days in to "sobuary", I've been thinking a lot about mental health, something we as a society seem to pay very little attention to these days. Which is strange, as just like your physical body, if you don't exercise your mental muscles, you will lose them as well. So I've decided to get my mind back in shape for the new year. I've started reading some books that will teach me new, and deep (to me) things. They will also force introspection.

I was introduced tonight to Dual N-Back, a mental exercise that has been scientifically proven to improve working memory and fluid intelligence. You can watch a tutorial and download the game here. You can also play it online.

Once I get back on a mental health path I'm comfortable with, then I will focus on physical health; I figure about the same time most of the physical health resolution gym memberships start to get neglected.

Feel free to join me on my quest to more openly discuss how we're feeling mentally, and ideas on how to improve each other's mental health. Perhaps a good start is removing the word "fine" or "good" as a response when someone asks you how you are,  and replying with something more descriptive and honest.  What do you have to lose?