Mental fitness toolkit: How to support your mental wellbeing | Medibank

Just like exercise strengthens your body, mental fitness supports your mind and emotional wellbeing. It’s built through small, everyday actions – like practicing mindfulness or spending time with people who lift you up.

These habits can help you untangle when you feel tied up in knots.

We’ve partnered with Smiling Mind, a leading Australian not-for-profit dedicated to empowering generational change in mental health, to help you get started.

What is Mental Fitness?

Just like eating well and moving our bodies supports physical fitness, small daily habits can support our mental fitness, too.

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Research shows there are things we can do everyday to build mental fitness and support our ability to thrive – things like being present, growing our connections with others, acting on our values, and getting good sleep.

Most of us are already practising mental fitness without realising it, like when we savour our morning coffee, get outside for a walk, spend quality time with people we love, or get into "flow" during a hobby or at work.

In these modules, you'll build on what you're already doing and explore different ways to make mental fitness part of everyday life.

Practice

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This week, make time to intentionally repeat something that helped you feel good in your mind and body. If nothing comes to mind, here are a few ideas:

Spend some time outdoors in nature

Do something creative, like drawing, writing, or playing an instrument

Go for a walk, swim, or other movement you enjoy

Get immersed in an interesting podcast or your favourite album

Text or call someone you care about, just to say hi

Eat your favourite food and really savour every bite

Write down a few things you're grateful for

Choose something that feels most doable right now. It can be just 5–10 minutes of your day. Mental fitness is built through small, consistent moments.

Growing Mind

When we practise tuning in to what's happening in our body, thoughts, and emotions, we become better at catching ourselves on autopilot, understanding what we need, and choosing how we respond to situations rather than simply reacting.

Learn

Many of us spend a lot of time stuck in the past or worrying about the future.

Mindfulness invites us back to right now; to notice our thoughts, feelings, and surroundings without judging them. This small pause matters: it gives us space between what’s happening and how we react.

The STOP practice is a quick check-in you can use anytime, anywhere, to pause, notice how you’re feeling, and respond thoughtfully.

Practice

Try it now:

S is for STOP. Stop what you’re currently doing, just for a moment.

T is for TAKE A BREATH. Breathe in slowly through your nose. Feel your breath expand through your chest and belly. Exhale slowly out through your nose or mouth.

O is for OBSERVE. Observe what's happening at this moment. What thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations are showing up for you right now? Try to notice with openness and curiosity, rather than judgement. There’s no need to try and change anything.

P is for PROCEED. Ask yourself, ‘What would support me in this moment?’. Maybe it’s a quick break, stepping outside for some fresh air, a chat with someone, a cup of tea, something to eat, or a bit of movement. Proceed with something that will support you.

If you'd prefer to be guided through this practice, you can also listen to the audio version below:

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Healthy Body

Our body and mind work together. When we take time to rest, sleep well, and move, we feel more energised, think more clearly, and handle tough moments better.

Learn

Sleep is how our minds and bodies recharge. While we rest, our brain sorts through the day, and our body repairs itself, and rebuilds energy for what's ahead.

A calming wind down routine is a simple, proven way to improve our sleep. Stepping away from screens, dimming the lights, and doing something quiet like meditation, reading, listening to music, or gentle stretching, signals to the brain that it's time to slow down and prepare for rest.

Practice

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This week, try incorporating a simple wind down routine into the 30-60 minutes before you plan to sleep.

A few ideas and tips for your routine:

Pick a consistent start time for your wind down routine (your body settles into new habits faster when there’s a rhythm to them)
Keep the lighting low and warm (bright overheard lights tell you brain that it’s daytime)
Choose a calming activity to do during your wind-down time, like the meditation above or reading, journaling, stretching, or listening to music.
Try a ‘brain dump’. If your mind tends to race at night, try jotting down tomorrow’s to-dos or anything else on your mind. This helps clear the mental clutter and create space to relax.
Avoid screens if you can. You might like to leave your phone or tablet to charge in other room.
Keep it low-pressure. Some nights you might do all of it, other nights just five minutes. It all counts!

At the end of the week, reflect on how it went: Was it nice to carve out some time for yourself? Did you fall asleep faster? Or wake up feeling more rested?

Meaningful Connections

Feeling connected to others is one of the biggest contributors to our wellbeing. Practising gratitude is a simple way to build that connection.

Learn

Practice

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This week, see if you can put some more gratitude into practice to deepen your connection with others. Here are two ideas to try:

Call, text, or tell someone in person why you appreciate them. Notice how it made you feel to share it, and how you think the other person felt.
At the end of the day, take a moment to reflect on one small moment of connection. Maybe it was a nice chat with the barista, or someone holding a door for you, or a shared laugh with a coworker. Try to really savour the feeling that comes with thinking about these moments.

Two people having fun on a walk together

You build your mental fitness, we'll build your points balance.

Join our 4-week Mental Fitness Challenge and get rewarded for building healthy habits with tools and techniques developed in partnership in with Smiling Mind. Complete the challenge and earn 1,000 Live Better points.*

Join now

Has participating in the Mental Fitness practice helped you feel more confident in managing your mental health?

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Things you should know

* Must be 16 years or over to register for Medibank Live Better Rewards in the My Medibank app. Some program partners and earning activities require a person to be at least 18 years of age to be eligible to earn and/or redeem a reward. Must be a Medibank member with hospital cover, extras cover, or hospital and extras cover, and be up-to-date with premium payments. Excludes Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC), Ambulance only cover, ahm covers and other selected covers. Live Better Management Pty Ltd, ACN 003 457 289 has entered into commercial arrangements with Medibank Live Better program partners and may receive commissions. Additional terms and conditions may apply to points earning activities and rewards. Points earning activities and rewards are subject to change without prior notice and may be subject to availability. See full Medibank Live Better Rewards terms.

While we hope you find this information helpful, please note that it is general in nature. It is not health advice, and is not tailored to meet your individual health needs. You should always consult a trusted health professional before making decisions about your health care. While we have prepared the information carefully, we can’t guarantee that it is accurate, complete or up-to-date. And while we may mention goods or services provided by others, we aren’t specifically endorsing them and can’t accept responsibility for them. For these reasons we are unable to accept responsibility for any loss that may be sustained from acting on this information (subject to applicable consumer guarantees).

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Mental Fitness Toolkit

What is Mental Fitness?

Growing Mind

Healthy Body

Meaningful Connections

You build your mental fitness, we'll build your points balance.

Has participating in the Mental Fitness practice helped you feel more confident in managing your mental health?

Things you should know