MAPS-Chicago: A Focus on Well-Being and the Reality of Women's Exhaustion

To commemorate the conclusion of the 2024 WIB-Chicago Mentoring Circles Program, the MAPS Committee held a motivational event with Dr. Arin Reeves, author of the books Smarter Than a Lie and In Charge: The Energy Management Guide for Badass Women Who Are Tired of Being Tired. Her talk inspired the audience to rethink how we prioritize and sustain our energy. Dr. Reeves demonstrated how energy should be managed like money. Thinking of energy as a resource that can be managed and replenished authorizes it to be divided into four key components: physical, emotional, cognitive, and environmental. Start by reducing activities that drain your energy, and then focus on ways to increase energy. She also provided these quick tips to boost energy in five minutes or less:

• Listen to uplifting music: Choose a song you know by heart that is associated with positive memories.
• Release emotions: Spend two minutes screaming, cursing (in a safe environment), or letting your emotions out.
• Practice "catastrophe thinking": Consciously imagine the worst-case scenario to free your brain from worry and gain perspective.
• Write before bed: Spend two minutes journaling to clear your mind and wind down for the day.

Attendees were introduced to Meesha Dogan, who will be replacing Roslyn Taylor as the new MAPS Committee Chair next year. Mentoring Circles is a 6-month program that includes in-person and virtual events to facilitate bonding within the cohort and encourage networking. The application cycle begins in April.

Submitted by Genesis Chase