Stress kills, and too often people ignore their stress levels until it is too late, and they find that the stress had had a major impact on their mental and emotional health and quality of life.

We are all undoubtedly familiar with the phrase “fight or flight” and its significance as it pertains to our bodies’ ability to correctly distinguish between situations that are or are not of serious consequence.

Meant to heighten our awareness of potentially dangerous external stimuli, the stress response is all too often called upon unnecessarily by our brains being bombarded with everyday stressors.

More so than any period in our history, our collective attention is almost constantly diverted by external stimuli, and there is not much time allotted for the mind to decompress, which it so desperately needs to function properly. Continue reading →

Basic facts about the brain:

• Without a brain, there is no awareness of self or the world
• The human brain is the most powerful learning tool in the world. It is an intricate and complex network comprised of 100 billion neurons that meet at over 500 trillion synapses that travel 300 miles per hour
• Signals that travel through the neuronal brain network form a complex highway that is the basis of feelings, thoughts, and memories
• Throughout a human life, the brain codes memories, skills, thoughts, emotions and a sense of self by creating patterns of activity

The health of your brain is primarily regulated by the presence and action of special hormone like compounds known as neurotransmitters. These neurotransmitters ensure and facilitate the transmission of nerve impulses across neurons in the brain, in order for the brain to signal an appropriate response for the body to take. Continue reading →