Fear, Fun & New Activities - Keeping Your Brain on it's Toes

I’ve always tried to do new things, which moved into extreme adventures of pushing my limits, and then into activities that others would be shocked or astounded I’d done. Little did I know, I was re-wiring my brain every time. I’m no expert in neuroscience but I’ve read enough now to know my prescription of fear, fun and new is making my brain healthier. (Harvard Education, …) In the short term I feel excited, happy, young and alive. Long term, I believe it builds confidence, self-esteem, resilience, and a more open and innovative mind. I’ve had a trifecta of fear, fun and new in the last month!

FEAR: I gave my hubby sky-diving for his birthday, something we’d never done before, and we went to Montreal Parachute. But we didn’t just do the normal jump, we asked what was the MAX we could do - 18,000 feet. This increase from the normal 11,000 ft jump, added the need for oxygen on the plane, 20 sec of hypoxia when we jumped, 90 sec of free-fall vs 30 sec, and free-fall speed of 220 km/hr. We were in! Standing in the open doorway of a plane at 18,000 feet, definitely pumps up the fear. I believe fear is always highest right before you do something. It is that ‘courage moment’ that takes you from ‘fear > courage step > amazing’!

FUN: I love roller coasters. My reaction is laughter. I laugh, scream, hoot and holler. When I’m stressed, I crave laughter. Funny movies do the trick, but roller coasters take it all the way for me, in all out roaring belly aching laughter. When I heard that Canada’s Wonderland was building the longest, fastest, highest roller coaster, called the Yukon Striker, I had to get there before the kids got out of school. We ran from ride to ride with our Fast Lane Ticket, riding all 16 of the Aggressive Thrill Rides, plus a repeat ride on three of them.

NEW: During this same time period I traveled every week for work. In Vancouver I stayed at the Hyatt Regency and I noticed there was a big painted stairwell doorway by the elevators that said Hyatt Nature Hike Challenge. After passing it a few times, I asked the Concierge, and he said ‘open the door and see where you go!’ So I did. Into the unknown, something new. An amazingly beautiful stairway climb of 34 floors decorated as if you are hiking in the mountains.

Fear, Fun and New activities will wake up your brain, re-wire new neural connections, and give you a more engaged and interesting life. It doesn’t have to be extreme or costly. Be creative. Try to stay out of the rut of what is comfortable and do something that is fear, fun or new every day or week. Walk in a new community, go to a community market, smile and say hello to everyone you pass, visit a neighbour, volunteer, take a dance class, watch a movie you’d never normally choose, stand facing everyone on the elevator, skip down the street, and laugh, yell and cheer out loud. Keep your brain on it’s toes! You will feel good right a way.