The Power of Mental & Emotional Fitness, by Calodagh McCumiskey
Recently, I worked with a group of HR managers to plan their wellbeing programmes for 2026. We looked at the different pain points they’re facing right now in companies ranging from 25 to 2,000 staff. We reviewed the challenges their wellbeing programmes could address - what’s working (and what isn’t) for their people and for the organisation - and we looked at global trends in the sector. Of the seven themes we explored, one stood out above all: mental and emotional fitness - and how a focus here can prevent so many of the other issues currently draining leaders, teams, and performance, and adversely affecting businesses across Ireland and around the world.
When mental and emotional fitness is weak, the symptoms show up everywhere: poor productivity, lack of focus, fractured relationships, reactivity, less-than-optimal decision-making and innovation, and rising overwhelm. When it’s strong, everything else gets easier - relationships strengthen, communication improves, people recover faster from stress, and productivity and innovation soar.
What the data is telling us
This isn’t just a hunch; the wider evidence shows that:
Workers’ stress, anxiety, and burnout are trending upwards across industries and countries. A 16-country AXA–Ipsos study reported by Euronews earlier this year found 1 in 3 people aged 18–75 live with at least one mental health condition. Mental-health-related sick leave now accounts for 27% of all sick leave - up four points from 2023 - and difficulty sleeping, trouble concentrating, and decision fatigue are widespread. Young adults are particularly affected. https://www.euronews.com/health/2025/03/27/more-workers-struggling-with-stress-anxiety-and-burnout-study
Healthcare workers are in crisis. A WHO/EU survey - the largest of its kind with 90,000 nurses and doctors - aims to map the scale of burnout and stress. One in three doctors and nurses in Europe are depressed, and one in ten reported passive suicidal thoughts over the last year. 44% are experiencing acute stress and 37% anxiety, with frontline staff at higher risk. Working conditions are worsening mental health. https://www.euronews.com/health/2025/10/10/europes-doctors-and-nurses-are-facing-burnout-despair-or-violence-who-warns
From 2019 to 2023, global average emotional intelligence (EQ) scores declined by 5.54%. According to the report, the world has entered an “emotional recession”—characterised by low wellbeing and high burnout. https://discoveringthepowerofyou.org/journal/global-report-state-of-the-heart-2024/
In 2022, the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) reported findings on loneliness across Europe. 20% of Irish people said they felt lonely most or all of the time, compared with 13% of Europeans overall (Berlingieri et al., 2023).
What mental & emotional fitness really means
Just as physical fitness supports physical health, mental and emotional fitness are trainable habits that steady attention, regulate stress systems, and strengthen mental and emotional agility - and intelligence. Invest here and you will see compound returns: clearer, better decisions; fewer rework loops; healthier relationships; better collaboration; and more consistent momentum.
Why this matters even more now
We’re operating in a world where the pace of change is accelerating and innovation cycles continue to compress. With AI rapidly reshaping roles, workflows, and expectations, people are processing more inputs, adapting to more change, and making more decisions with less certainty. Whether the exact multiplier is 2X or 4X every couple of decades, the human effect is the same: without deliberate mental and emotional fitness, cognitive overload and stress rise - and performance, judgement, and relationships suffer. Strengthening these capacities is central to sustainable high performance.
Three mental-fitness habits that will make a massive difference for individuals
Quality sleep
One third of adults in Ireland sleep less than six hours a night; globally, about a third are sleep-deprived. Most of us need 7 to 8 hours. Sleep is the number-one performance-enhancement tool (apart from preparation). Treat it as essential.
Quality recovery
Time outdoors, hydration, deep relaxation, and real downtime matter. Even 2 X one-minute breathing practices a day make a big difference. Good recovery fuels clarity, emotional regulation, and overall wellbeing. Scrolling isn’t recovery - it adds to stress!
Boundaries with tech
You don’t need to check your phone every time it pings. If possible, stay off your phone for the first and last hour of the day for one week and notice the difference. Two clients tried this initially for a week; after four days they were amazed by how much calmer and more present they felt. One month on, they’ve kept it up.
Three things organisations can do now
1) Resource leaders and managers first
Invest in managers’ mental and emotional fitness. Run targeted training for people leaders (regulation skills, coaching conversations, workload triage). Map stress bottlenecks and fix them at source. When managers are mentally and emotionally fit, teams stabilise - and performance improves.
2) Design psychological safety on purpose
Make connection and candour the norm. When people feel safe to connect, learn, grow, and challenge, quality and outcomes improve.
3) Smarter email, comms, and meetings
Set simple protocols that protect time and energy while keeping communication clear, kind, and fast - such as email clarity, appropriate focus norms, and meeting hygiene (clear purpose, tight agenda, right people, finish early).
If you’d like support to strengthen the mental and emotional fitness of your people, we deliver talks and workshops that blend stories, science, and practical tools leaders can use immediately - tailored to your needs, context, and goals. Contact us
