In 2013, at the peak of my singing career, I lost my voice.
Not metaphorically—literally
I could speak, but I sounded hoarse and strained.
At first, I thought it was temporary. But days turned into weeks, and weeks into months. Doctors couldn’t find a clear cause. I tried everything rest, therapy, medication, but nothing brought my voice, or my sense of self, back.
As my voice faded, so did my mental health. I spiraled into anxiety, depression, insomnia, and deep self-doubt. I felt like I had lost not just my sound, but my soul.
No one teaches you how to handle invisible losses. The world moves on, but inside, you’re stuck in a loop of fear and fatigue.
How I felt: Overwhelm, Helplessness
“All doors are closed,” I thought. “There’s no way out. How can I possibly find a breakthrough when the very tool that made my career possible—my voice—is missing?“
I felt like I was losing everything that made me me.
The Turning Point: My Experimental Healing Process
After countless failed therapy sessions and dead ends, I decided to try something radically different: I experimented with my mind. I used music, not to sing, but to heal.
I started to create sound loops, each one linked to specific emotions, thoughts, and memories. This wasn’t just music—it was an exploration into my subconscious using the power of sound to change how I felt.
I began combining these loops with visualisation, movement, and positive self-talk—a process I had never used before. Every sound became a tool for transformation.
I was training my mind to create positive emotional associations and reimagine my reality – how I wanted to feel, how I wanted my life to be, and be open to possibilities beyond what I could see in my current situation.
The Shift: How I Rebuilt My Voice and My Mind
Something incredible happened. Slowly, I began to recover my voice. Against all odds, my voice returned. My doctors were baffled. But more importantly, I emerged mentally stronger than ever before. The process rewired me.
But the best part: The mental resilience I gained through the process. I rebuilt my mind. I had unknowingly developed habits, frameworks, and self-belief that were helping me see the strengths I didn’t know I had
🧠 15 Mental Fitness Habits That Rewired My Mind – and you can practice them too.
These are raw, practical, and rooted in real experience, not theory.
1.Express Your Emotions (Even When It’s Hard)
Bottled emotions don’t vanish—they fester.
Let them move. Cry, talk it out, write, paint—whatever helps you release.
Reflection: What emotion do you need to express today?
Let your feelings move, speak, or flow out. Do it regularly.
Tears, voice notes, art, or quiet conversations—whatever helps you release.
Reflection: What is the one emotion that you want to express today?
2.Master Visualisation: Train Your Mind to See Possibilities
Your brain believes what you show it repeatedly.
Visualisation is rehearsal for the reality you’re building.
Feel it, see it, practice it—until your body believes it’s possible.
Pro-tip: Think of a specific scene from the life you want. Visualise it with feeling. Remember, you can’t force the feeling. So use tools like music to help you feel the right energy.
3.Learn From Pain—It’s a Powerful Teacher
The hardest lessons come from the most unexpected teachers—grief, failure, silence.
Ask not “Why me?” but “What can this show me?”
Pain can be your mirror, mentor, and map.
Reflection: What did you learn from something negative that happened? That last breakup, recent rejection, or health challenge – what are the lessons?
4.Create Rituals, Even When Your Mind Rebels
Your mind will rebel against structure when it craves comfort.
But routine is self-respect in action. Create tiny rituals that support your transformation and growth, even amidst all the chaos.
Pro-tip: Choose your daily rituals. Things that make you feel amazing when you do them. What are your daily non-negotiables?
5.Be Grateful for the Problem
Our default reaction to problems is that we want to get rid of them or solve them as quickly as possible. But problems are secretly asking you to evolve, not escape.
And this way of thinking requires regularly training your mind to appreciate that which went wrong and practice gratitude for the disruption. It changes everything.
The way I see it, every problem = a portal to your hidden wisdom, strength, and abilities.
Reflection: What problem are you grateful for? Why?
6.Step Into Creativity
When logic limits, creativity opens hidden doors.
Expression unlocks new answers, not just new art.
Dance with the unknown—you might just solve what thinking couldn’t.
Pro-tip: Start the creative project you’ve been delaying.
7.Curate a Positive Mental Diet
Your ears are gateways to your mindset.
What you hear regularly becomes your inner soundtrack.
Feed your mind the sound of possibility – Listening to songs that inspire you, listening to people that uplift you. Fill your ears with hope, strength, and inspiration.
Pro-tip: Who are the people you want to listen to? What songs inspire you instantly?
8.Change Your Self-Talk—Again and Again
Pay attention to the stories you’re telling yourself. If they’re not helping, change them.
Your inner voice shapes your outer world. So choose the right way to show up, and you feel.
Pro-tip: Replace “I can’t” with “I’m learning. When you catch yourself in a negative thought loop, pause. Edit the script. And repeat until it sticks.
9. Create More, Consume Less
Interrupt the pattern of mindlessly scrolling or simply consuming what others are doing. Instead, ask yourself, “What is one thing I can create or do today?”
Does the ratio work for me? Consume: 20%, Create 80%
Reflection: Everyone is creative in their unique way. There is an art to doing everything. What is something you would like to create?
10.Do the Thing—Overthinking Kills Momentum
Overthinking convinces you you’re preparing.
All the analyzing and comparing can leave you with half-finished projects and a whole lot of frustration. Simply do and learn things on the go.
Pro-tip: What is the one thing that you have been procrastinating on for a while? Go, get started, and see how amazing it makes you feel afterwards.
11.You Are Already Enough
Do you ever notice how some people with fewer skills or less experience get more recognition? They somehow make it further, even with what seems like mediocrity.
The truth is, it’s often because they believe they’re enough. They’ve practiced confidence, not doubt. This is why it is important to master the art of feeling ‘I am already enough’
Pro-tio: Catch yourself when you’re obsessing on your weaknesses. Shift your focus. Double down on your strengths.
12.Your “Weird” Is Your Superpower
The quirks you’ve tried to hide are your brand.
Your “too much” might be someone’s “exactly what we need.”
Own it. Lead with it.
Reflection: Feel like you don’t fit it perfectly. Realize this – what makes you different is precisely your strength.
13.Move to Release Stuck Emotions
Emotions don’t just live in the mind—they lodge in the body.
Dance, stretch, stomp, breathe—let it move through you.
It helps you ‘get out of your head’. There are specific techniques, but sometimes, just moving to a rhythm while visualizing what you want can work wonders.
Pro-tip: Move to music and rhythm when you feel stuck.
14.Enjoy Your Own Company
Solitude is not loneliness—it’s a sacred space to
- reconnect with your emotions, without running away from them.
- Observe your thoughts, so you know which ones to change.
- See your worth and what you bring to the table
Learn to love your presence. It changes everything.
Pro-tip: Go out on a coffee date with yourself. Read a book or listen to music instead of scrolling on social media.
15.Find joy in the little things
We are often stuck in an “If ____, then _____” loop of happiness. If or when that happens, then I will be happy.
In the meantime, we completely miss out on the joy of the little things.
Permit yourself to enjoy the small moments: a warm cup of coffee, a smile from a stranger, the soothing sound of rain.
Reflection: What are those little things for you?
A New Path to Mental Resilience Through Music
From my journey, I discovered and developed a unique practice—one I now share with individuals and organizations around the world: Mental Fitness Programs through music.
❌ No mystical sound healing techniques.
✅ Harnessing the power of music to take control of your thoughts, not use it as an escape.
❌ No toxic positivity or unrealistic productivity hacks.
✅ Learning to embrace, accept, and release negative emotions—without avoiding them.
It’s about building the emotional and mental muscles that help you stay grounded, calm, and capable—no matter what life throws your way.
✨ Want to Build Mental Fitness & Resilience into Your Culture?
Whether you’re leading a team or navigating a personal transition, mental fitness training can shift everything.
I offer programs for:
- Organizations looking to reduce burnout and improve emotional well-being
- Events need mindful, multi-sensory experiences that help people reconnect
- Individuals who are ready to rebuild from the inside out
📩 Contact Jeena or visit www.jeenaearthiva.com to learn more about Motivation and Mindset Speaker.
Let’s co-create spaces that don’t just perform, but heal.
Which of my 15 Mental Fitness Habits is your favourite? Why?