Beyond the Grades and Goals

The Overlooked Role of Mental Fitness

in Career and Education

by Loren Deutsch

When people contact LAS, it is usually because something in their academic or professional life has not gone as expected. For example, they may have been placed on a Professional Improvement Plan due to difficulties with communication or received a low test score on a high-stakes exam that they must remediate. In both experiences, work and school, we tend to focus more on the goals: job satisfaction and career development, or test preparation and academic achievement, and less on the feelings we have about achieving them. Yet, there is a crucial factor that influences and affects these goals, and is frequently overlooked: mental fitness.

To gauge job satisfaction or assess test-readiness, we must focus on the silent influence of mental fitness. 

Mental fitness is a state of mind that involves emotional health, self-regulation, and cognitive agility, among other factors. For most of us, it is implicit in job satisfaction and academic achievement. Yet, when we gauge these variables, mental fitness is frequently overlooked, to the detriment of mental health.

Imagine a favorite athlete, musician, or artist. Think about all it might take to excel and perform at the highest levels. They practice, replenish, practice again, and endure the monotony of repetition over and over again. These processes do not occur without a plan, and regardless of personal determination or outside pressure, the plan needs to include time to replenish; if not, burnout can ensue, and success is not a given. Job satisfaction and test preparation are no different. Both require mental fitness to perform and achieve at the highest level, and whether intended or not, professional success and high-stakes exams assess more than content knowledge and process skills. Among these variables and others, they implicitly evaluate self-regulation (the ability to manage emotions and behavior) and require mental fitness.

Mental fitness and education

Standardized test-taking requires content knowledge, memory, and skills that include accuracy and efficiency of recall, time management, self-regulation, decision-making, and confidence (among others). These skills call for strong executive functioning and, like an elite athlete, benefit from deliberate practice, sleep, nutrition, structure, support, and accountability. Standardized tests are often demanding assessments because they have implications for academic placement and program admissions. As such, standardized tests evaluate more than content knowledge and test-taking skills, and achievement on them is influenced by emotions and affective states. So, mental fitness is vital to test preparation and a successful outcome. Below are some considerations for integrating mental fitness strategies with test preparation.

An LAS Mental Fitness Strategy for Test Preparation

Why? This strategy is designed to promote well-being for test-readiness. It involves a breathing exercise followed by guided meditation to increase awareness, promote intentional practice, improve self-regulation, sustain focus and attention, and reduce or mitigate symptoms of stress and anxiety. 

When? LAS recommends incorporating this strategy into daily practice, before work, before test preparation, and before test-taking. It can be used more than once a day, and since its benefits require practice, there’s good reason to implement early and often. 

Where? This is a portable strategy and, therefore, can be used in a variety of places during test preparation, particularly with earbuds. Before starting, go to a quiet, private study space and make yourself comfortable. If you plan to do practice questions or implement a self-assessment after this introduction, sit in the chair at the desk, where you plan to study.  

How? Read this section before starting, and then access the Introduction to Mental Fitness by LeBron James or choose another guided meditation. For the record, I do not work for Calm.com or LeBron James, but I have used this introduction and both volumes of Mental Fitness with practicing physicians, fellows, residents, medical students, and others during one-on-one coaching sessions and small group instruction. The feedback is positive and the outcomes are measurable. 

Before starting the guided meditation, plan to sit for 1-2 minutes with your eyes closed and engage in a box breathing exercise. The LAS version of box breathing includes closing your eyes, sitting at the edge of your chair, and inhaling through your nose for 4 counts (fully expanding your lungs), holding your breath for 1 count, exhaling through your mouth for 4 counts (fully contracting your lungs), holding your breath for 1 count, and repeating four or five times before opening your eyes. 

Why box breathing? There are lots of reasons for box breathing, and in this example, it is designed to promote relaxation and focus, while producing a feeling of calm. Within these goals, it can be helpful to focus on your breathing (inhaling and exhaling) when you feel your thoughts drift. This exercise takes practice, and it’s normal for your mind to wander or lose track of the breathing exercise; therefore, we recommend refocusing on your breath and even visualizing what it looks like to you while doing the exercise. 

For more information about LAS Coaching and using mental fitness strategies to promote well-being and higher achievement outcomes in test preparation, click here or call: 847-446-5822.