mental health | Dr. Valerie Brooke

Valerie Brooke, MD

Jul 63 min read

The 4 F's - Flight, Fight, Freeze, Fawn

When I first heard someone mention the “4 F’s,” I immediately thought of the swear word...

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Valerie Brooke, MD

Mar 278 min read

Scam 101

The phone call couldn’t have come at a worse time. It was the day before we left for our move to Alaska and the movers were shuffling...

351 views2 comments

Valerie Brooke, MD

Feb 283 min read

Did I fail?

I’ve been going through my home, room by room, organizing for my upcoming move to Anchorage, Alaska for a new inpatient rehabilitation...

282 views8 comments

Valerie Brooke, MD

Feb 205 min read

Last Call

By last call I don’t mean the last call for alcohol before a bar closes; those nights are long behind me fortunately, way back to my...

100 views1 comment

Valerie Brooke, MD

Feb 64 min read

Rest

I am not good at resting. I recently said to my husband as he sat on the couch watching one of his favorite TV series, “I need to learn...

78 views1 comment

Valerie Brooke, MD

Dec 26, 20235 min read

The Whistling Santa

Yesterday, on Christmas Day, I flew from my home in Reno, NV, to Minneapolis, MN, to start a new traveling physician job at a...

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Valerie Brooke, MD

Nov 27, 20234 min read

The Science of Gratitude

Many years before I studied to become a physician, giving thanks for the blessings in my life was the first part of my morning prayers. ...

85 views3 comments

Valerie Brooke, MD

Oct 18, 20234 min read

Change

As the plane descended from the ash-colored clouds over Burlington, Vermont, I looked over the blunted orange and dark green leafed trees...

81 views5 comments

Valerie Brooke, MD

Jul 23, 20234 min read

The Big Leap

“When we get quiet enough, for long enough, we can hear the whispers, of what is right, of what is true, and most importantly, which way...

160 views3 comments

Valerie Brooke, MD

May 4, 20233 min read

Responding to Suffering

Last year I started attending monthly lectures put on by the Nevada Physician Wellness Coalition (NPWC), an organization in line with my...

98 views0 comments

Valerie Brooke, MD

Apr 24, 20233 min read

Restoration

It's been a long time since I've written, too long for sure, but a lot has happened in my personal and professional life in the last...

108 views0 comments

Valerie Brooke, MD

Dec 6, 20226 min read

Things that Get in the Way

I recently picked up a dusty book from the overflowing self-help shelf on my bookcase: The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown. I’d had...

88 views1 comment

Valerie Brooke, MD

Aug 28, 20225 min read

Perfect Versus Good

It was Voltaire who is attributed with the aphorism “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.” I have been contemplating this...

66 views0 comments

Valerie Brooke, MD

Aug 21, 20224 min read

Make Friends with Reality

I had been looking forward to going to Yosemite for years. We finally lived in a place that was within easy driving distance. I could...

71 views0 comments

Valerie Brooke, MD

May 9, 20225 min read

Love and Money

It took me many drives to work to realize what bothered me about this billboard. At first, I thought it was because I could not for the...

78 views0 comments

Valerie Brooke, MD

Apr 10, 20223 min read

Pretzel Twists and Introspection

When I first stepped onto a yoga mat in my late twenties, I had no idea yoga entailed so much more than just moving my body into more and...

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Valerie Brooke, MD

Mar 8, 20223 min read

The Health Benefits of Yoga

In one corner of my vision board for 2022 are the words yoga, flexibility, and keep moving forward. Right next to them is a photo of a...

46 views2 comments

Valerie Brooke, MD

Mar 1, 20223 min read

I Wish I'd Known

Yesterday I was invited to give a talk to a group of about fifty freshmen undergraduates at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR). These...

104 views0 comments

Valerie Brooke, MD

Feb 14, 20223 min read

Imposter Syndrome

I will never forget the first medication I ordered as newly practicing physician. It was my first internal medicine rotation of...

89 views0 comments

The Stigma of Mental Health Illness in Medical Professionals

Valerie Brooke, MD

Feb 7, 20224 min read

The Stigma of Mental Health Illness in Medical Professionals

The other day one of my physician colleagues shared a story with me about some seemingly helpful advice he was given during the first...

107 views1 comment