What is a mental health gym? Can you attend online?

 

We’ve all heard that physical exercise is good for your mental health, right? And many people seek therapy to address more emotional and mental health issues. But what if there were a way to do “emotional push-ups” and “weight-lifting for your mind”? Virtually? There is.

 

Liberate Mental Fitness Studio, available online since May 2020, offers classes via zoom that “decrease stress and increase joy.” Taught by a certified instructor, the classes offer a combination of mindful movement (think yoga), journaling, conversation and meditation.

 

Coa, started around the same time, bills itself as a mental health gym. Coa sessions were designed by a clinical psychologist, are led by therapists, and are built around seven traits of emotional fitness: self-awareness, empathy, curiosity, mindfulness, playfulness, resilience and communication.

 

Your Life Gym, self-proclaimed as the first mental health gym of all, is focused equally on physical and mental health, positing that physically fit individuals are also mentally resilient. The gym’s mission is to “emulate positivity, unity, and transformation.” While most of their classes are only available in person at the gym in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, mental health classes are available virtually.

 

Inception, also self-proclaimed as the first mental health gym of all, uses a circuit model training approach focused on relaxation as the pathway to mental health. Relaxation is promoted through physical experiences (infrared sauna, lymphatic suits, salt therapy) and brain training. Because many of their activities require special equipment, it looks like the Inception experience is only available in person at their Farmington Hills, Michigan location. Or you can buy some of their relaxation-promoting products online.

 

None of this is free, of course. But then, neither is going to a physical exercise gym. Fees for mental health gyms are structured essentially the same way as your fitness emporium. For some, a monthly fee gives you access to a variety of pre-recorded sessions and resource materials and a maximum number of exercise sessions. Additional services are priced accordingly. Other mental health gyms simply charge by the class or activity.

 

Finally, mental health gyms are not a substitute for professional counseling or therapy. Think of it more as preventive medicine.