Dr amen 30 day happiness challenge

tldr; i did dr. amen's 30 day happiness challenge, and this is what happened days 1-15.

I realized last year after everything shut down how happy I was. My lil introverted self was. SO. excited. I am no longer working at a job I hate and I'm loving being home: working on home improvement projects, I started this blog, I focused on my side business (marketing, advertising, branding if you're interested😏), spent a lot of time outside, etc. I am still just as content being home, but my extroverted self is dying to come out and play. Oddly enough, I haven't had the kind of depressive episodes I usually have, and it's been interesting...

One thing about me is that I'm obsessed with documentaries, and have always been interested in the way peoples' brains work (catch me watching a murder doc anytime). I first learned about Dr. Amen & Amen Clinics a couple months ago when he was going over Analynne McCord's brain scans and talking about how they can work together to heal her brain from depression and trauma. Here's the follow-up to that video. YouTube recommended I learn about Dr. Amen's 30 Day Happiness Challenge. I was shocked to find out it's actually free?! Here's that video:

I took notes every day and then putting them in blogs. This was originally gonna be a way of keeping myself accountable, but as time went on it's changed into a way of helping spread the knowledge that just the quizzes/tests alone can provide. I can't tell you the amount of times I've been actually shocked at my results, because they make so much sense with my life. My actual notes halfway through the challenge amount to about 30 pages, so I've hyper-condensed the stuff I found most important so I can include them here :) (AKA I'm a psycho who embodies "Show me you're excited about something without telling me you're excited about something")

Anyway the links to each quiz/test will be linked throughout and also again at the bottom so they're all in one spot. Here's to part one of two! Happy learning!

Days 1-15:

The 7 Neuroscience Secrets, 4 Circles of Happiness, Brain Types, "BRIGHT MINDS", and Knowing Your Purpose.

Societally, we’re the unhappiest we’ve been in 50 years, and that is probably still true minus a global pandemic - Depression tripled in 2020. Listen, when your brain works right, you work right. Through a study Amen Clinics did of 500 patients, they found that if you have low blood flow in the front part of your brain, you’re much more likely to be unhappy. You literally need to be happy to be healthy. Knowing what gives your life meaning and what your purpose is in life is critical to your happiness. People who understand this part about themselves are more likely to be satisfied, have better mental health, personal growth, self-acceptance, longevity AND they sleep better, so we got pretty into that stuff too. Here’s some of the important neurochemicals of happiness: dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin & endorphins, GABA, and cortisol.

There are a series of quizzes to find out things about yourself that you never would have thought of before. Like your Happiness Score - Mine was 3.86. This one is good to compare with Day 30 to see if it changed! There are 16 Brain Types, and 6-16 are combinations of 1-5: I’m Brain Type 11(persistent). I also took the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) test. It’s scored 0-10, and if you score 4 or more you have a 12-fold increased risk of suicide, and you’re more likely to get 7 of the 10 most common causes of death... crazy shit. Mine was 3!! (“The patient is at intermediate risk for toxic stress.”) Finally, I took a Memory Rescue quiz to help determine if your memory is at risk. My score was “Low early warning signs, but high risk factor” because Dementia/Alzheimer’s runs in my family.

7 NEUROSCIENCE SECRETS TO HAPPINESS:

Secret 1: Target happiness strategies to your unique Brain Type.

Question 1: Am I focused on what makes me uniquely happy each day? Habit 1: Choose one thing each day that makes your specific Brain Type happy.

Secret 2: Optimize the physical functioning of your brain.

Question 2: Is this good for my brain, or bad for it? Habit 2: Choose at least 1 happy BRIGHT MINDS brain habit from the list. (*We learn BRIGHT MINDS later on.)

Secret 3: Your brain needs targeted nutrients every day.

Question 3: Am I nourishing my unique brain each day?

Habit 3: Take basic supplements and those targeted to your Brain Type.

Secret 4: Choose foods that elevate happiness and avoid ones that steal it.

Question 4: Do I choose foods that I love that love me back?

Habit 4: Increase fruits and vegetable intake. Choose 3 of the Happy Foods.

Secret 5: Master your mind and gain distance from the noise in your head.

Question 5. What went well today?

Habit 5: Question your negative or self-defeating thoughts. Look for micro-moments of happiness.

Secret 6: Notice what you like about others more than what you don’t (within acceptable boundaries).

Question 6: Am I reinforcing the behaviors I like or dislike in others today?

Habit 6: Write down 3 things you noticed that you like about someone in your life.

Secret 7: Live each day based on defined values/purpose/goals from 4 Circles.

Question 7. Does my behavior today fit the goals I have for my life?

Habit 7: Write down 1 decision you will make today to help reach your goals.

THE 4 CIRCLES OF HAPPINESS

Biological Circle: How your physical body and brain function (exercise targeted to your brain type, physical affection, massage, 7 hours of sleep).

Psychological Circle: Developmental issues and how you think (“today is gonna be a good day”, note distressing thoughts, focus on what you like, watch a comedy, write down 5 happiest life experiences).

Social Circle: Social support, your current life situation, and societal influences (call a friend, eat dinner as family, send appreciation text to someone, limit screen time).

Spiritual Circle: Your connection to God (or what/whoever you believe in), the planet, past and future generations, and your deepest sense of meaning and purpose (pray, meditate, volunteer, be a mentor to someone, random act of kindness).

5 PRIMARY BRAIN TYPES

Balanced: A healthy brain. Focused, positive, emotionally stable. Enjoys healthy relationships, meaningful work, being on time and having fun. Hates chaos, missing appointments, being around undependable or negative people.

Spontaneous: Low blood flow in frontal lobes of brain (sleepier brain). Spontaneous, curious, short attention span. Enjoys trying new things, creative projects, moving to new places. Hates boredom, deadlines, waiting in line.

Persistent (mine!): The frontal lobes work too hard (too busy). Strong-willed, routine-oriented, easily ‘stuck’ on thoughts. Enjoys being in charge, big picture, making own decisions. Hates failure, people who don’t do what they said they would, being kept waiting.

Sensitive: The brain’s limbic system works too hard. Sensitive, prone to pessimism (negative thinking), prone to depression. Enjoys alone time during the day, a good night’s sleep, expressing their emotions. Hates negative thoughts, being surrounded by bright lights, going to bed late.

Cautious: The brain’s anxiety centers work too hard. Prepared, motivated, anxious. Enjoys being in calm environments, pro/con lists before big decisions, taking vacations close to home. Hates having too much to do, loud sounds and bright lights, reading about disasters.

BRIGHT MINDS

is a mnemonic (memory device) to help us remember what’s good for our brains.

• Blood flow. Low blood flow = depression, Alzheimer’s, ADHD, unhappiness, heart disease. Exercise 30min a day, get treatment early.

• Retirement/aging. No learning = dying brain, loneliness. Make new learning part of your everyday life (take a class, volunteer to help others).

• Inflammation destroys organs. Bad = fast/processed foods, low omega 3s. Increase omega 3 fatty acids, take fish oil & probiotics.

• Genetics. Mental health, depression, etc. Get serious about your brain health – get screened for family health issues and get in front of it.

• Head trauma. Heading soccer balls, concussions even without loss of consciousness. Wear a helmet when biking, wear a seatbelt, avoid contact sports.

• Toxins. Smoking, drugs, drinking, mold. Download Think Dirty app and scan your products to test how toxic they are. Also, support your kidneys, guts, liver, and skin.

• Mental health. Depression, anxiety, PTSD, ADD, etc. Exercise, adopt brain-healthy habits, increase omega-3 fatty acids.

• Immunity/infections. COVID, low vitamin D, asthma, MS Get more vitamin D, get checked for Lyme disease, eat onions/mushrooms/garlic.

• Neurohormones. Abnormal thyroid, DHEA, testosterone/estrogen/progesterone. Get your hormones tested and optimize them.

• Diabesity. High fasting blood sugar, being overweight/obese (high BMI). Eliminate sugar, be calorie-smart, eat a brain-healthy diet.

• Sleep. Insomnia, sleep apnea. Target 7-8 hours, get evaluated for sleep apnea if you snore, practice good sleep hygiene.

HOW TO ANSWER: “What’s my purpose in life?”

1. Look inward. What do you love to do? My answer: I love to make people laugh and feel like they are special to me, and I love being creative and finding new ways to let that out.

2. Look outward. Who do you do it for & how does your work connect you to others? My answer: I do “it” for my future self, because I never want to look back and be unhappy with how I lived my life or the decisions I’d made. My creative work helps me connect with others who enjoy my stuff or who need help bringing their ideas to life!

3. Look back. Are there hurts from your past you can turn into help for others? In other words, turn your pain into purpose. My answer: I’ve been through a lot emotionally, and doing work like this helps me understand why myself and others might act a certain way and it helps me be more understanding. I’m trying to share that via my blog because one of the five people that read it might benefit from it.

4. Look beyond yourself. What do others need or want from you? My answer: I don’t know what others need or want from me, but I’ve always felt like I’m obligated to help. In whatever way each person needs, but I also think I have a kind of sense for finding that out for them.

5. Look for transformation. How do they change because of what you do? My answer: I think this also depends on the person and how I impact their lives, but I think those closest to me benefit from my positivity? I like to think my optimism is contagious and that I’m a source for finding the light in the darkness... which sounds a lot deeper than what I mean.

6. Look to the end. Does this worry/problem/moment have eternal value? When I die, how do I want to be remembered? My answer: I ask myself these a lot, especially when it comes to social media and how “important” it is right now. It’s the best way to keep in contact with loved ones but also to keep up to date with the world, but in the same breath we’re putting too much value into it. It’s controlling my generation’s mental health too much. I want those to know me to remember me when I’m gone as someone who was always genuine and true to herself and a bright light. I try really hard to think of myself that way too.

I truly cannot express how interesting this kind of stuff is to me, and the fact that I get to learn about this stuff and actually apply it to myself (AND THAT IT'S FREE?) is the best thing... This very challenge, as I'm writing this actually, has inspired me to make a Self Help section of my blogs where I post about this and the Game of Desire stuff because this shit will change your life. I'm a whole ass nerd about this now so please let me know your results (if you're comfy sharing!) so we can discuss! One of my friends did some of these quizzes too and we are basically twins. C R A Z I N E S S.

Anyway, love you the most... pls wake up and choose optimism 🥰

xx,

Happiness Score https://www.amenuniversity.com/oxford

Brain Type https://brainhealthassessment.com/assessment

ACE test https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/03/02/387007941/take-the-ace-quiz-and-learn-what-it-does-and-doesnt-mean

Memory Rescue quiz https://memoryrescue.com/assessment?utm_source=30dhc-au&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=30DHC&utm_term=day3&utm_content=bha