Engage Thriving Mode, Disengage Survival Mode
Daily resets for busy writers, parents and professionals, courtesy of Dr. Calleja Ross’s Green Prescription Club
As a gift to all the incredible Substack writers, parents (fur and plant parents count!) and professionals in our community, I’m excited to share a special three-part Green Prescription from Dr. Mariana Calleja Ross (She goes by Dr. Mariana!).
Dr. Mariana spent a decade in palliative care before “making a U-turn,” as she calls it, and turning toward occupational medicine. Dr. Mariana believes in science-based medicine and is also interested in all the ancient wisdom and knowledge from eastern medicine, such as Ayurveda or Traditional Chinese Medicine. She’s passionate about bridging both Western and Eastern medicine and believes both can co-exist as she helps patients (and readers of her newsletter) find wellbeing and solutions in their health processes.
Today Dr. Mariana is generously offering her wisdom as an extension of her Green Prescription Club.
This morning’s Green Prescription focus is on the mind—specifically, how to reset and recharge your mental clarity with a simple, creative exercise. We all know the pressure of juggling multiple roles—parent, professional, creator—and how that can lead to mental fatigue. This prescription is designed to help you step back, take a breather and give your mind the space it needs to thrive.
It’s a small, impactful way to reclaim a few moments of calm during your day. Let’s begin with this gift for your mind, courtesy of Dr. Mariana’s insight and generosity.
A Green Prescription For the Mind
Our first prescription of the day is intended to encourage a manual, creative activity to get the mind away from the rush of the morning or any stress loads that have started building up. This helps the neurons change gears from stress in order to decompress, which helps in creating neuron connections and releasing endorphins, also known as happy hormones — serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin.
Any of these activities, even if they’re performed for just 5 minutes a day, will allow the brain to switch and relax almost instantly. This Green Prescription is designed to be used like a first aid tool to engage in a creative/relaxation activity and disengage your stress signals. Science is showing us more and more, how creativity works in the brain and how it boosts brain cell connections not only in developmental stages but also as we age.
Interested in the science behind all of this? I have some resources for you.
Here's a good explanation of this by psychiatrist Dr. Grant Hillary Brenner from Psychology Today.
The American Psychology Association has also conducted studies with eye-opening conclusions on the science behind creativity.
Did you know there's even a Society for the Neuroscience of Creativity? It's incredibly fascinating.
I hope you’ll find a way to give yourself a relaxing space throughout the day, while enhancing the brain’s health and supporting future prevention of cognitive and mental health issues.
The examples below will help reinforce an equation I love: “Engage Thriving Mode, Disengage Survival Mode.”
Green Prescriptions To Choose From:
Knitting in the car while waiting for kids at school
Gardening while taking your morning or afternoon cuppa coffee
Practicing music/instrument/singing 10 mins in the day
Having a shower with music or soft light/candle light without distractions (this is a powerful tool to ask for help (subconsciously working the “I can manage everything” syndrome, so common in mothers.)
Going for a short walk with a podcast
Podcast learning while cooking or washing up dishes
There Are More Green Prescriptions Coming Today
As part of today’s generous gifts, Dr. Mariana has crafted a three-part prescription. Stay tuned for the next Green Prescription coming at midday, which includes a simple, energizing movement to keep you feeling refreshed and ready for the rest of your day!
In the meantime, tell us in the comments which Green Prescription was accessible for you this morning.
What did you notice?
Mariana's Green Prescriptions have been immensely helpful for me. I'm excited to see her work here, too!
Love Dr. Mariana—and her thoughtful perspectives on health and wellness! Thanks for having her here, Amanda.
I got up earlier than usual to get a walk in first thing, and was accompanied by a thought-provoking audiobook. It was so lovely to get some fresh air and a pastry before the world woke up…going to try it again tomorrow, too!