River Valley's Cue to Be Well

River Valley's Cue to Be Well - September 2021

Published: Mon, 09/27/21

This is your "CUE TO BE WELL" | September 2021

"Never give up on someone with a mental illness. When "I" becomes "We", Illness becomes Wellness."

-Shannon L. Alder

News and Updates at River Valley BHWC

News

Transition is healthy and change can be very good. As we transition into fall, we are reminded of the things we appreciate outside of a fun summer. Some of those things may include structured schedules, cooler weather, new sport seasons, harvesting foods, and beautiful fall colors. A transition can represent a change you want to make within yourself for the better. Take this opportunity to make that change and mark down that you started this new beginning on this date in the fall of 2021.

Circle of Security Parenting Program - Coming in October

At times all parents feel lost or without a clue about what our child might need from us. Imagine what it might feel like if you were able to make sense of what your child was really asking from you. The Circle of Security Parenting™ program is based on decades of research about how secure parent-child relationships can be supported and strengthened.

Learning Objectives of the Training:
• Understand your child’s emotional world by learning to read the emotional needs
• Support your child’s ability to successfully manage emotions
• Enhance the development of your child's self esteem
• Honor your innate wisdom and desire for your child to be secure

Find out more

New Team Members at River Valley BHWC

Angela Eischens, MA, LMFT, Reiki Master - STARTING IN OCTOBER

Angela Eischens is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Reiki Master healer. Angela earned her Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Argosy University in 2007. She uses her extensive training and experience in the treatment of traumatic stress, developmental trauma, intuitive and energy healing abilities, and personal lived experiences to support those who are highly sensitive, experiencing anxiety, stress, depression, and those trying to work through traumatic lived experiences...find out more

Wellness Strategy: 1-2-3 Smile!
An exercise you can use to quickly change a negative emotional state.

"123 Smile" is a simple exercise that can quickly alter the way you are feeling. When we allow our mouth to turn upwards in a smile, we release endorphins in our brain, which activates a chemical reaction and releases neuropeptides that make us feel better. There is science to this, however, the important part is to recognize the power of a smile. When you smile you signal a chemical reaction within your brain releasing certain neuropeptides, including the, let me feel great, neurotransmitters, dopamine, endorphins, and serotonin which contribute to feelings of joy. If you are angry, trying to smile is very difficult to do. If you are able to force yourself, it will completely change the way you are thinking and possibly the entire trajectory of your day!

Early on in my career I worked with a client who had chronic, complex depression. I had no idea what to do. I was sitting with her in her home and I grabbed her hands and said, "Let’s just smile. 1-2-3 Smile!" I looked ridiculously goofy and I’m sure she thought, there is no way this is going to work, she does not know what she is doing. It was enough to make her laugh and...that's right, you guessed it, smile! This exercise became part of her and her children's daily routine, three times a day grabbing hands and smiling with one another, no matter what was going on. From that week forward things started to move in a better direction. While I can not say this was the reason for the movement, I can definitely say it was correlated with a major shift.

Strategy

Simply say out loud, “1-2-3 smile,” and smile a big and silly smile. This exercise can be even more effective when you look in a mirror and say, “1-2-3 smile.” Another way to amplify the effectiveness of this exercise is to grab the hands of a child, a friend, or a partner and as you say it, raise your hands above your head. Do this exercise a minimum of three times in a row.