Love Your Brain. It’s a No Brainer!

No Brainer Day

Have you heard of International No Brainer Day? I admit that this day has not been on my calendar, but this is now a day that I am willing to celebrate to show my brain some love in February.

It might be a no brainer what this day is all about, but so there’s no second-guessing, I will explain. No Brainer Day is observed on February 27 each year to give your brain a rest. This is a fun holiday listed on days to celebrate across numerous calendars.

Clearly, someone used her brain to create this holiday. No Brainer Day is the brainchild of Adrienne Sioux Koopersmith, known as “America’s Premier Eventologist.” She has dubbed over 1,900 different holidays (including the obvious) earning herself the aforementioned title.

February 27

During the month of love, February, No Brainer Day has some valuable lessons to teach us about our brain health and wellness. Think about it: a planned vacation day for your brain, every single year. I share this for two purposes:
1) the intent to learn something new and
2) to mark No Brainer Day on your yearly calendar as a reminder to prioritize your brain care… that’s February 27^th.

A Brain Getaway

It is easy to celebrate No Brainer Day. However, we can use its existence to be purposeful with our brain wellness. Plus we can glean a few lessons from the overall intent of the day; a brain getaway.

First, in the context of problem-solving and decision-making, a no brainer implies that an answer is known. The Oxford Dictionary defines no brainer as, “A decision or a problem that you do not need to think about much because it is obvious what you should do.” Another way to conceptualize this term is something that requires little or no thought (making the brain work). Essentially, this is a day to remind us that many problems we encounter on a daily basis have easy solutions, once we relax and aim to tackle them. This makes our ideal option appear like a no brainer!

When we are stressed, tired or emotional, decision-making becomes more difficult versus when we are well-rested and in a positive mood. We can leverage our brain-healthy habits to optimize our decision-making performance, such as staying hydrated, eating to fuel the mind and body, exercising the brain and body, and engaging in restfulness to set ourselves up for success.

Second, No Brainer Day is a great reminder to many of us to unplug and relax. Our brains require breaks and downtime for optimal performance. Restfulness is crucial to our overall health and goes beyond our nightly sleep routine. We must work at fostering moments of rest and relaxation throughout our day to energize our brains and bodies. A few minutes to spark joy, uplift our mood, smile, and laugh can give us a burst of energy, as well as taking moments to go inward through breathing exercises or meditation. Our minds and bodies may require different exercises at various times for a boost. Try different things to see what works best for you. (I suggest a quick glance at 50 ways to take a break to generate some ideas to begin.)

And last but not least, this day is a great reminder to play, have fun and be creative. Have you ever explored the different holidays available each year to celebrate? Real or not, these days can provide us with something new to learn about, something to explore, or even a task to accomplish depending on the holiday. Holiday celebrations can still be fun and whimsical without causing our brain too much strain (overthinking) and an appropriate level of challenge (making our brain sweat). After all, it is No Brainer Day.

Brain Challenge

In closing, one brain challenge we can all think about is creating our own holiday. We could light-heartedly think through the initial planning steps:

• Who would be interested in this holiday?
• What would the holiday be called?
• When would the holiday be held?
• Where would people celebrate this holiday?
• Why would people want to celebrate this holiday?
• How would people celebrate the holiday?

The above are just a few questions to get your creativity flowing for your holiday. Feel free to share your ideas below in the comments. Please do not be shy! There is a National Answer Your Cat’s Questions Day (January 22), National Name Yourself Day (April 9), National Talk Like Yoda Day (May 21), and even a National Sneak Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor’s Porch Day (August 9), which is exactly like it sounds. A no brainer!

Clearly, the spectrum of holidays is strangely creative and a bit adventurous, to say the least. This is an opportunity to share your excitement about something you love. Have fun with the process! Enjoy this exercise with friends, family and children. You might just start a new family holiday and tradition, who knows. The world of holidays is your oyster.

Our brain care is our self-care and I hope No Brainer Day may inspire you to continue to prioritize your brain wellness. May this continue your love for your brain.

In brain health & wellness,
Krystal

P.S. After writing this blog I learned that Make Up Your Own Holiday Day is March 26. Perhaps it was a no brainer? Back to the drawing board I go…