Mayo Clinic On Human Optimization

Mayo Clinic School of Continuous Professional Development

The bar for human performance is higher than it’s ever been. As a result, we all feel the need to do MORE. At the same time, we are becoming increasingly aware of the value of sleep, rest, recovery, and wellness. Accordingly, we also feel the need to do LESS. If you’re like most people, it can be challenging to reconcile this conflict of feeling the need to do MORE and LESS simultaneously, and that is likely contributing to high rates of burnout and decreased performance. So how do we reconcile these seemingly competing desires? That is where Human Optimization comes in. Human Optimization is the process of achieving more (however you define that for yourself) while simultaneously improving your wellness and well-being. Although it’s not easy, it’s certainly possible. Not only is it possible, but it is becoming increasingly essential. On this Mayo Clinic podcast series, we are going to dive into the topic of Human Optimization and will focus on a few key areas including: exercise, nutrition, culture, emotional intelligence, and finding joy in all you do. Learn more about On Human Optimization at:https://ce.mayo.edu/optimizeInstagram: @MayoHumanOptimizationYouTube: The Human Optimization Project - YouTubeEmail: optimize@mayo.edu Listening is free and no CME Credit is available for this series.

  1. E61 How to define your personal values

    2d ago

    E61 How to define your personal values

    Life offers plenty of nice, concrete, mostly attainable goals for us to chase and boxes to check – good job, life partner, maybe a house, maybe kids. But that’s also the classic recipe for a midlife crisis: you work your butt off to get a bunch of those boxes checked only to find yourself exhausted and unfulfilled. Or wondering, “Now what?”  So, how do we ground our goals to make sure we’re putting our energy into things that really matter?  This episode, we are joined by Bridget Berkland, Manager of Employee Well-being at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. She’s a National Board-Certified Health & Wellness Coach, and she’s here to help us learn to combat burnout by aligning our daily actions with our deepest personal and professional values.  The three big questions we discuss with Bridget are:  1. What are personal values and what role do they play in our daily life? 2. Why do so many of us struggle to define our values and put them into action? 3. What practical steps can we take to clearly articulate our values and then use them to drive meaning and inform behavior in our lives? Learn more about On Human Optimization and access Pod-Club questions at https://ce.mayo.edu/content/mayo-clinic-human-optimization Instagram: @MayoHumanOptimizationYouTube: On Human Optimization - YouTubeEmail: optimize@mayo.edu Sign up to receive Mayo Clinic Press emails.  Find us online at Mayo Clinic Press for more health and wellness articles, podcasts and books. Do you have feedback, questions or topic suggestions? Email us at mcppodcasts@mayo.edu.

    46 min
  2. Mar 25

    E56 How to Get More Mileage from Your Brain

    How often do you feel that your brain is functioning at its highest level? If you are like most of us, it’s not as often as you would like. Given the high-pressure world we live in, it’s critical for us to ensure our brain is firing on all cylinders, as often as possible. To make that happen, we need to help our brains be more efficient. Just like mileage on a car, we want to optimize the mileage we get out of our brains. To help us do that, our expert guest today is Dr. Amit Sood, the creator of the Resilient Option program and executive director of the Global Center for Resiliency and Wellbeing. The three questions he is going to walk us through are: 1. What does it mean to "get more mileage" out of our brain, and why are we currently so inefficient? 2. Why is it so hard to stay in "Focused Mode" as our brain tries to pull us towards distraction? 3. What is the solution and what are the specific steps we can take to get the most out of our brains? How to start a Mayo Clinic Human Optimization Project “Pod-Club”: Step 1: Find 2-30 friends who want to get better Step 2: Choose your episodes (can be focused on specific themes or random) Step 3: Listen to/watch the episodes Step 4: Meet with your group to work through the provided discussion questions for each episode, and feel free to add your own! Step 5: Celebrate the fact that you are turning passive knowledge into action! Discussion Questions for this Episode: 1. The podcast defines "getting more mileage out of your brain" as accumulating more experience, learning, insights, and making a difference, rather than just increasing intelligence. How does this broader definition of "brain mileage" resonate with your personal goals for growth and impact? 2. Dr. Sood states that our biggest challenge is our "inability to influence our attention and emotions." In what specific areas of your life do you feel this lack of influence most acutely? 3. The discussion highlights that we spend 60-80% of our time in the "default/automatic mode," which is linked to unhappiness and anxiety. What are some common triggers that pull you into this default mode? 4. The podcast explains that our negativity bias, while once crucial for survival, now often protects our "emotional body." What emotional "threats" do you find yourself constantly guarding against? 5. The concept of "willpower depletion" is linked to poor sleep, nutrition, and lack of exercise. How do your daily lifestyle choices impact your ability to exercise self-control and stay in a focused, intentional mode? 6. Dr. Sood suggests that overthinking occurs when "thinking is happening to you" rather than you choosing your thoughts. What strategies do you currently use, or could you commit to trying this week, to regain control and choose your thoughts more intentionally? 7. The "rum" analogy (Rest, Uplifting emotions, Motivation) is presented as a way to be kind to your mind. Which of these three elements do you find most challenging to incorporate into your daily routine, and why? 8. The podcast suggests that progress in brain optimization can be measured by feeling lighter, less cynical, and experiencing deeper connections. What specific indicators would signal to you that you are successfully "getting more mileage out of your brain"?

    54 min
4.6
out of 5
33 Ratings

About

The bar for human performance is higher than it’s ever been. As a result, we all feel the need to do MORE. At the same time, we are becoming increasingly aware of the value of sleep, rest, recovery, and wellness. Accordingly, we also feel the need to do LESS. If you’re like most people, it can be challenging to reconcile this conflict of feeling the need to do MORE and LESS simultaneously, and that is likely contributing to high rates of burnout and decreased performance. So how do we reconcile these seemingly competing desires? That is where Human Optimization comes in. Human Optimization is the process of achieving more (however you define that for yourself) while simultaneously improving your wellness and well-being. Although it’s not easy, it’s certainly possible. Not only is it possible, but it is becoming increasingly essential. On this Mayo Clinic podcast series, we are going to dive into the topic of Human Optimization and will focus on a few key areas including: exercise, nutrition, culture, emotional intelligence, and finding joy in all you do. Learn more about On Human Optimization at:https://ce.mayo.edu/optimizeInstagram: @MayoHumanOptimizationYouTube: The Human Optimization Project - YouTubeEmail: optimize@mayo.edu Listening is free and no CME Credit is available for this series.

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