Fun is NOT Optional, it is a well needed brain state!

Life teaches us to work hard and keep going yet instead taking breaks and filling your weeks with FUN helps your brain to recharge, connect and reset

Life was shouting at me this week!

There are times when the world seems to be giving me messages that may help me at this time of my life. This week’s message is to FIND FUN! I had the opportunity to connect with new and old friends and it means the world to me to share a moment of connection and a good belly laugh. Sometimes the laugh is unexpected, those are the best kind. I have a Youtube channel, @brainfreshtoday, and I intentionally interview women docs who are providing resources for other docs such as coaching, books, workbook, businesses, retreats, and other youtube channels to bring hope and new ideas of how to stay creative and empowered as a woman doc. Believe it or not when I interviewed Dr. Michelle Gooding, her garden office is ½ of an airbus, she literally sits in an old plane and coaches other docs to remind them the sky is the limit! I also had the opportunity to interview Dr. Sapna Shah-Haque whose kids are typically popping in and out of the video sharing their snacks and or latest books. I love that! I am so proud of Dr. Shah-Haque, she attended my last WAG, Women Doc accountability group, and created a workbook to help other women docs to reconnect with themselves and focus on what matters to them during their busy lives. I also played a few rounds of golf, gardened and walked with a friend, these are my renewing activities that help me recenter. Well, golf challenges me yet I am meeting new folks in my class and spending more time with old friends and my husband outside in beautiful nature chasing a little ball.

My favorite is when a conversation is meaningful, supportive and contains some laughs. When I interview docs we tend to talk about serious subjects and share that we would like to influence the future and change the status quo. We can also smile, connect and build trust with a good laugh about a funny situation or something unexpected. A real laugh is never planned. I had the opportunity to co-interview Dr. Jillian Riggert this week as well. She is an interesting oral surgeon, business owner, youtuber and now trainee again who shines a light on tough life and death subjects in medical training as well as on where to find hope and joy. We came up with this situation to co-interview each other for our YT channels, it was hilarious, chaotic and meaningful. We spontaneously started pretending we were passing a baton back and forth as we would “take the mike”. We were chuckling and entertaining each other while sharing meaningful stories. I do think fun can come in the most unexpected times. I also think we have to schedule it so it does not get off our minds.

Neurologically fun is a great state of the brain, we are connecting with others, feeling positive and physically active. We need to be sure we have a “dose” of fun regularly. I co hosted an event this week with Ivory Howard, for busy women to renew after a packed work week. I shared 6 brain tips to recharge and she led us through a renewing exercise series that we could do after work. It was lovely. I shared about the importance of fun and had folks rate themselves red, yellow or green, on how much fun they had recently. Lots of folks were in the red or low fun zone, like the majority. We are a no judgment zone. Selina Kelley was sharing what helped her find fun such as golf and coloring, this was helpful and inspiring to see simple ways to bring fun into our lives. We acknowledged that at times we are too tired and think everyone else is having all the fun. We decided that even a movie- a-thon and blowing bubbles were great options too. We lit up with the idea that folks could share their fun ideas and hold a workshop on fun to remind people that it is a great needed brain state to help us renew and recharge. I had an idea for a fun club a few years ago, get a group of people together and everyone plans one event a month and before you know it you have one fun thing each month and you only have to plan one. I am not a fan of the planning part of fun yet I do realize that FUN is NOT optional.

What fun did you have this week?

Please share any tips to fit fun into our weeks.

What fun will you schedule for this upcoming week?

Who is interested in attending a fun workshop for busy women docs?

DM me yes or no!

Fun is not optional.

I believe in you.

Mary

thebrainfresh@gmail.com

Categories: : attention, brain tips, burnout, coaching, doc, exhausted, fun