Relieve stress to boost mental health

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) Many things can cause stress in our lives: work, money, health, relationships. With so many sources of stress, it can be challenging to find time to relax and disengage. But if stress isn’t dealt with properly, it can have negative effects on your mental health down the road. That’s where Dr. Timothy Royer from Neurocore may be able to help!

May is National Mental Health Month. Chronic stress can lead to increased risk of mental health disorders. There are four factors that contribute to someone’s risk of developing a mental health disorder:

1. Genes and biology, which accounts for about 50% of the risk.
2. Environment and lifestyle, which accounts for the other 50%.
3. There is a strong correlation between stress and the development of anxiety and panic disorders, as well as mood disorders, like bipolar and depression.
4. Why? The body’s stress response was not made to be continuously engaged. Yet, as previously mentioned, there are so many stressors in our fast-paced, high-demand, modern society that, for most people, stress is a significant part of everyday life.

Neurocore conducted a survey of Michiganders to get a pulse on how stressed we are as a state. The survey was sent via email to a variety of demographics, men and women of all ages and income levels, and also posted on the Neurocore website. More than 320 people responded. These were some of the results:

• People rated questions regarding emotional regulation and response fairly high, showing these are areas of weakness for the population we surveyed.
• 57% percent of people said they become irritated or feel frustrated “very often” or “fairly often.” Only about 5% of people said they “rarely,” “almost never” or “never” feel this way.
• About 14% of people “always” feel overwhelmed by all the things they have to do. 53% of people said “very often” or “fairly often.” Only about 9% of people responded they “rarely,” “almost never” or “never” feel overwhelmed by their to-do lists.
• 44% of people feel anxious or unable to relax “very often” or “fairly often.”
• Responses related to attention and focus:
• 53% of people said they are easily distracted or unable to focus “very often” or “fairly often.” Less than 10% of people responded “rarely,” “almost never” or “never.”
• 28% of people forget things “fairly often.”
• How often people have difficulty falling or staying asleep was scattered across the board. However, 8.5% of people said they “always” have trouble with sleep.
• Money seems to be a driving force of stress for Michiganders. Nearly 15% of respondents said they “always” worry they do not have enough money.
• The majority (42%) of survey respondents said their annual household income is between $50,000 and $99,000.

Neurofeedback can be used to improve your stress management and mental health. It can help slow the brain down, allowing the brain and body to activate your stress response, or fight-or-flight mode, only when you truly need to.

Regulating your emotions is not as simple as just applying sheer will power. Neurofeedback can help the brain better control your hormone production, which can regulate and improve mood swings and heightened emotional response.

Neurocore works on your breathing and heart rate to improve your overall heart rate variability (HRV).

• The heart does not beat like a metronome, but instead varies in timing between beats.
• High HRV is not only associated with a healthy heart, but with overall psychological well-being.
• Research shows low HRV is associated with difficulties managing emotions, particularly difficulties with emotional clarity (the ability to identify negative emotions) and impulsive behaviors.

Dr. Royer is offering a special deal just for eightWest viewers. Receive a regularly-priced $250 diagnostic assessment for only $150 when you call today. Call 800-600-4096 for the special offer. Neurocore has locations in Grandville, Grand Rapids, Holland, Kalamazoo, Okemos, Livonia, Sterling Heights, and Bloomfield Hills.

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