Reduce stress - with sense of humor.

This weekend I tuned into Rhode Island’s BrainWeek Conference that just came to the end, but is available on the website. There is even virtual theater performance with topic, brain of course. The YouTube videos of events will be available as well.

In the last event that I tuned into a few researchers-clinicians and one veteran spoke about their expertise on the topics related to body and mind, and the patient talked about his journey with PTSD, anxiety with use of conventional treatments, like medications, and guided mindfulness interventions. As I had another conference this weekend I took the video on walk with me and admired first crocuses. Walk makes me focus better and listening and learning in nature became my thing in 2020. That last RI BrainWeek talk reminded me that while we celebrate and encourage mindfulness and meditation there are special circumstances when one should not practice mindfulness without consulting with their clinician, to ease into it with caution. While there is much info on line - apps and websites - devoted to that topic, it is a reminder that our health is a network of delicate interactions and that we should not take that for granted and hand ourselves to techniques and parties without researching them well. Conference was sponsored by a few institutions of RI with excellent quality and track record in research and patient care, like Rhode Island Department of Health and Providence VA, and few schools like Brown and URI, among others.

I think the conference complements well and coincides with Brain Health posts number 1 and 2 that I posted on this site.

This website has a few posts and interviews reflecting positively on mindfulness, meditation and body-mind connection and I have to admit that having multiple outlets to be well is encouraged, but never replaces routine health care in hands of practitioners who know us well.

One thing however I know for sure and am happy to share, evidence or lack of it - there is nothing better for stress reduction and resetting volumes in our head than good humor, light and compassionate conversations and tease that is kind, but funny. With that I leave you to stay sunny, look at a bright side and laugh while you can, after all - spring is here.

Scrubs, what scrubs? In the morning I dress for my cat!