Neurotherapy Institute - Shane Young, MA, NCC, LPC - Trained Neurotherapist

Is Laughter the Best Medicine?

Life can be stressful, and it's vital to find ways to manage stress. Whether through exercise, deep breathing, meditation, or any other method that suits your needs, it’s imperative for your overall well-being and positivity.

One great and underappreciated tool for stress management is humor. When we laugh, our body releases endorphins - natural mood-boosting chemicals that can help reduce stress by lowering cortisol and adrenaline. In addition, laughing helps shift our perspective and brings lightheartedness to otherwise stressful situations.

So, next time you feel stressed out, consider putting on a comedy movie or sitcom, grabbing a funny book, or giving some friends a call for a lighthearted chat. It just might be what you need.

Happy Halloween from Chapin & Russell, Associates / Neurotherapy Institute! Hope everyone has a safe and fun trick-or-treating!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day !!! 🍀🍀🍀

Today is National Hugging Day! Who knew?
SO.......WHO NEEDS A HUG ?!?!?!?!

I’m a hugger! I’ve always been. In times of our greatest celebrations, our darkest sadness, and in the moments in between, many of us seek out hugs from family, friends, and loved ones. Big bear hugs (MY FAVORITE) make you feel safe, warm, happy, comforted and connected. But with the pandemic, people aren’t getting these much-needed embraces. That’s bad news, because hugs don’t just feel good, they come with a host of brain benefits.
That’s right. There are actual brain boosting benefits of a hug.

Hugs trigger the release of oxytocin “the cuddle hormone,” oxytocin is a hormone and neurotransmitter that promotes a sense of well-being, relaxation, and bonding. More recently, it has become known as “the love hormone” as it brings forth feelings of trust, security, connection, calmness, and contentment.

Hugs are a mood booster! Hugging increases levels of the feel-good neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin to elevate moods.
Hugs decrease the stress hormone cortisol and lowers stress levels.
Hugs protect against chronic stress, which reduces “brain reserve,” the extra cushion of brain tissue you have to deal with the curveball’s life throws your way.

Hugs lowers anxiety, depression, and feelings of loneliness.
If hugging your 2-legged friends aren’t an option, try snuggling with your furry 4-legged companion. It can produce many of the same brain boosting benefits!

For the last couple of years, we've all been dealing with some type of uncertainty which has caused more problems in our lives. Here are 10 Tips for Dealing with the Stress of Uncertainty that the American Psychological Association put out to help us cope!

The great unknown: 10 tips for dealing with the stress of uncertainty Findings from the APA Stress in America Survey highlight common ways that uncertainty stresses us out.

It’s a not-so-happy Blue Monday today! The third Monday in January marks 'Blue Monday', an event that gets the award for “Most Depressing Day Of The Year” – how cheery!

After all the excitement of the New Year has faded and all the fun social events of the festive period are over, normal life can seem pretty bleak in comparison.

It leaves many people feeling pretty down in the dumps.
It doesn’t have to be that way though – here are 3 things you can start doing right now to beat your New Year blues!

#1 LIMIT YOUR SCREEN TIME

According to studies, people spend 6.4 hours a day on average glued to a screen! Spending all that time in the virtual world of social media, seeing everyone posting their “perfect life” (which, spoiler alert, isn't realistic) can make you feel inadequate.

And even if you’re not getting discouraged by social media, too much screen time leads to procrastination and stops you from going after your goals and resolutions for the year. Make a commitment to reducing your screen use and get back into your life!

#2 TURN TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY

If you’re feeling lonely, isolated or just a little low, talking to your loved ones is one of the best remedies. Expressing your emotions honestly with people you trust and who care for you will allow you to understand yourself a little better.

When you understand why you’re not feeling great, you can start making changes. Sometimes even just “letting it all out” remedies the problem entirely, so don’t hold back!

#3 DON’T TRY AND DO EVERYTHING

“This year, I want to go on 3 holidays, make an extra $2k a month, be fluent in Spanish and start a small animal charity”. Obviously, this is an exaggeration, but most people set WAY too many resolutions, or they set resolutions that are impossible to achieve in a year.

Seeing all those goals can be motivating at times, but when you’re feeling down, they discourage you and actually demotivate you! You think, “How can I achieve all THAT?”. So, take your goals and either cut some of them out or make them a little more attainable to keep motivation high.

I've known Brandon Ludolph nearly all my life! If you or a loved one is experiencing depression, anxiety, ADHD, suicidal thoughts, PTSD, or any other mental health symptom and you're wanting to try something unique and different, then Equine and Adventure Therapy is a must! You'll gain hands-on experience working with animals and engage in various challenging exercises to help build confidence, trust, and relationships.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/narcissistic-personality/il/tazewell-county/897378?sid=614174284f350&ref=9&fbclid=IwAR0hxzO2CCHAuRj9TZcD_Oz9-ehgzgGVsa184fJ3zgo-wYUJKmR-OT8gMms

Brandon Ludolph, Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, Metamora, IL, 61548 | Psychology Today Brandon Ludolph, Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, Metamora, IL, 61548, (309) 220-5161, At Mended Hearts we use Equine and Animal Assisted Therapy to help build trust, confidence, and relationships. Equine Therapy provides immediate, honest, and observable feedback. This type of therapy can....

Resiliency 2021 – EMPOWERING VOICES THAT BUILD RESILIENCE   Resiliency 2021: Empowering Voices That Build Resilience Thursday, September 9, 2021 | 12-4 pm EST Register Now OUR MISSION:  RESILIENCY & THRIVING Focused on personal empowerment and promoting strategies to enhance resiliency, our Resiliency Forum brings together inspirational speakers, empower...

Shout out to my Mom for the inspiration of my latest article:)

Happy Administrative Professionals Day 2021!

We would like to recognize our administrative professionals who work tirelessly, often behind the scenes ensuring our services run smoothly — we could NOT do it without you! We are so grateful for their awesome work and dedication! THANK YOU: Tiffany, Mallory, Brad, Haley, Ira, Emily, and (not pictured) Carmen and Elissa!!!