9 Science-Backed Insights To Boost Your Mental Fitness and Thrive in 2025

The science of thriving never ceases to amaze me.  In 2024, researchers discovered or confirmed 9 ways to boost mental health. Beyond fascinating research, it helps to have practical tools to work with. So, in this latest Spark Blurbs™ post, I’m offering some easy-to-try ways to incorporate these 9 mental fitness boosters into personal and workplace wellbeing practices.

9 Ways to boost mental health

1. Writing by hand beats typing for learning and memory

✅ Personal Wellbeing: Keep a handwritten gratitude journal or use a notebook to jot down daily reflections and affirmations.

✅ Workplace Wellbeing: Encourage handwritten note-taking during meetings or brainstorming sessions to improve memory retention and engagement. Methods like bullet journaling and mind mapping can make this fast and effective. Also, online mind-mapping tools can make it collaborative.

2. Your gut microbes can affect your mood.

✅ Personal Wellbeing: Incorporate fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, or kimchi, and fiber-rich vegetables into your diet to support a healthy gut microbiome.

✅ Workplace Wellbeing: Provide healthy snack options at work, such as nuts, fruits, or yogurt, and educate employees on the link between diet and mental health. Side note - sugar is very bad for our guts, so consider reducing or replacing typical office snacks like donuts!
 

3. Working late in young adulthood may lead to depression and poor health in middle age.

✅ Personal Wellbeing: Set boundaries for work hours and prioritize evening routines like exercising, relaxing, or spending time with loved ones.

✅ Workplace Wellbeing: Promote a culture that values work-life balance by encouraging employees to log off after hours and providing flexible work schedules. Side note - research shows that once someone works past 50ish hours a week, cognitive abilities decline sharply, including mental acuity, focus, and decision-making abilities. A tired brain is less effective.  

4. About 40% of dementia cases could be prevented or delayed by improving daily habits

✅ Personal Wellbeing: Engage in brain-boosting activities like puzzles, reading, or learning a new skill, and maintain regular exercise and a balanced diet.

✅ Workplace Wellbeing: Offer lunchtime learning sessions, fitness challenges, or meditation breaks and tools to encourage healthy habits among employees.

5. Talking to your "parts" (your inner critic, worrier, etc.) can help you deal with stress, and maybe change your life.

✅ Personal Wellbeing: Practice self-compassion by identifying and dialoguing with inner "parts" (e.g., ask your inner critic what it needs to feel safe).

✅ Workplace Wellbeing: Introduce mindfulness or coaching programs that help employees manage stress by understanding their internal dialogue. Also, normalize discussing needs, feelings, and mindset. This could be as simple as starting 1:1 meetings with a mental check-in or team meetings with a mental fitness practice.

6. Weight training can help with anxiety and depression (among other things).

✅ Personal Wellbeing: Incorporate strength training into your weekly routine, starting with bodyweight exercises or light weights.

✅ Workplace Wellbeing: Offer discounted gym memberships or host fitness challenges that include weight training options.

7. Ultra-processed foods are linked to poor mental health, too.

✅ Personal Wellbeing: Cook more meals at home using whole, minimally processed ingredients, and limit fast food consumption.

✅ Workplace Wellbeing: Provide healthy catering for meetings and events. Stock vending machines with wholesome snack and drink options. Offer nutrition and lifestyle management classes and tools. Also, encourage employees to take time off for lunch so they don't feel pressure to 'rush out for fast food' as their best option around in a busy workday.

8. Scientists are learning how the brain removes waste and what that means for Alzheimer's, headaches, depression, and more. Hint: This happens when we sleep!

✅ Personal Wellbeing: Prioritize quality sleep by maintaining a consistent bedtime, avoiding screens before bed, and creating a restful environment that is dark, cool, quiet, and dedicated to sleeping.

✅ Workplace Wellbeing: Educate employees about the importance of sleep for brain health and implement policies that discourage overwork and promote rest. Teach them to reduce blue light exposure, which improves sleep. Examples: Use blue light filters or low blue light mode or dark mode - often built into modern monitors and phones. Follow the 20-20-20 rule—Every 20 minutes, look at least 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Work in a well-lit room to maximize lighting and minimize screen glare.

9. A high-fat, low-carb diet (like Keto) could help some people with mental illness

✅ Personal Wellbeing: Experiment with this kind of diet by incorporating healthy fats like avocados, nuts, seeds, and olive oil while reducing processed carbs (pasta, bread, packaged foods), and sugars. Work with a healthcare professional to ensure the approach is safe and tailored to your needs.

✅ Workplace Wellbeing: Provide educational resources or workshops on nutrition and mental health, including the potential benefits of different dietary approaches like Keto. Offer Keto-friendly snack options in the office, such as cheese, nuts, and low-carb vegetables with dips.

From chatting with your inner critic to swapping late-night work for better sleep, these 2024 findings are packed with the potential to improve your life and career so you can thrive in 2025.

Remember, thriving is all about taking small, intentional steps that add up over time. Every little change is a win.

Go on, give these a try, and let them help you build your Sparkable Life™!