Mental Fitness Reframing

Shaan Puri believes we need to reframe how we think about mental health and relationships, moving from a problem-focused approach to a fitness-oriented mindset. He argues that working on your mental state or relationship shouldn't be seen as fixing something broken, but rather as proactively maintaining and improving something important.

Key Points:

• The current framing of mental health implies sickness or problems:

  • Even the term "mental health" suggests something is wrong or broken
  • People assume therapy means you're dealing with an illness
  • This creates stigma around seeking help or improvement

• We should shift to a "mental fitness" paradigm:

  • Similar to how we view physical fitness and exercise
  • People who go to CrossFit aren't viewed as "diseased" - they're maximizing their potential
  • Logan Ury agrees we're halfway there in this shift (from "mental illness" to "mental health")
  • The next evolution should be toward "mental fitness"

• The same principle applies to relationships:

  • There's an assumption that working on a relationship means it's broken
  • This is "insane" - relationships require ongoing maintenance
  • "Relationship fitness" is different from just addressing problems
  • You don't wait until you're sick to start exercising
  • Sam Parr: "I'm pretty fit and I still go to the gym all the time"

• Benefits of the fitness approach:

  • Focuses on maximizing potential rather than fixing problems
  • Encourages proactive maintenance rather than reactive repair
  • Removes stigma from seeking improvement
  • Creates healthier mindsets and relationships long-term