I know what you’re thinking. Adding “something new” to your already long list of things to do? Yeah right! But it might interest you to know that unfamiliar experiences trigger the release of dopamine, which is responsible for the feelings of reward and pleasure. Your “new thing” can be as big as bungee jumping, or as simple as listening to a new song.  A study conducted by Valorie Salimpoor, a neuroscientist at McGill University in Montreal, found that music triggers activity in the portion of the brain that releases dopamine, which can provide motivation and energy to help you to tackle difficult tasks.

Often times, our clients express feeling overwhelmed and stressed, due to pressures at work or home. As we have all experienced at one time or another, stress can cause us to respond the wrong way to a situation and to make unhealthy decisions. When stress starts interfering with your ability to live a normal life, it becomes dangerous – for both your mind and body.  One simple way to counteract those feelings is to get outside of your routine and try something new.

RDF has taken on this challenge, with our First Annual “Explore” contest. From November 1st through January 31st, we’re encouraging each other to overcome fear, stimulate creativity, and above all, have fun! After all, staying happy and healthy means we can work better together as a team as well as better help our clients. Over the next three months, we’re logging our new experiences in 3 categories – adventure, food, and place.  Each time we try something new, we get points.  As a bonus, we get extra points if we get friends to join us in our activity.

The bonus points are important because there is evidence that connection and community increase happiness and longevity.  In addition, teams work more effectively when they know each other’s strengths and weaknesses and can better figure out how to delegate tasks when they know each other better.  So, our RDF Team can increase our satisfaction as well as work better together by trying out new things?  Sign us up!

We invite you to join in on this challenge and share your activities with us on Facebook and Instagram with the hashtag #ExploreWithRDF. We will keep you updated on our progress, share some of our favorite new experiences, and hope you do the same.