Therapy Living, PLLC

12/24/2025

12/17/2025

After childbirth, a woman’s body undergoes one of the most dramatic hormonal shifts known in human biology. In just 72 hours, estrogen and progesterone levels can drop by more than 1000%, a change so extreme it has no real parallel elsewhere in the lifespan. This sudden collapse doesn’t just affect mood; it impacts the brain, nervous system, metabolism, sleep regulation, and emotional processing all at once. Calling this experience “just being hormonal” dangerously understates what’s actually happening.

These hormones don’t only regulate reproduction, they also stabilize neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine, support stress resilience, and protect emotional balance. When they fall so rapidly, the brain experiences what many researchers describe as biochemical whiplash. This can manifest as anxiety, sadness, emotional numbness, overwhelm, intrusive thoughts, or deep exhaustion, often while the body is simultaneously healing, producing milk, and adapting to sleep deprivation.

This is not weakness. It’s physiology.

The postpartum brain is rewiring, the endocrine system is recalibrating, and the nervous system is under immense load. Support, rest, compassion, and understanding are not optional during this phase—they are protective medicine. Dismissing postpartum symptoms as overreaction or moodiness only deepens isolation and delays recovery.

The postpartum period deserves to be recognized for what it truly is: a profound biological reboot that requires care, patience, and respect—not minimization.

12/16/2025

Neuroscience suggests that the highest form of intelligence is not raw IQ or memory power, but metacognition, the ability to think about your own thinking. Metacognition allows the brain to observe its thoughts, question assumptions, detect errors, and adjust behavior in real time. It is essentially self awareness at a cognitive level.

From a brain science perspective, metacognition is closely linked to the prefrontal cortex, the area responsible for planning, reflection, emotional regulation, and decision making. When this system is active, people are better able to pause before reacting, evaluate their beliefs, and choose responses instead of acting on impulse. This is why metacognition plays a major role in wisdom, emotional intelligence, and long term success.

Psychologists explain that people with strong metacognitive skills learn faster because they can recognize what they do not know. Instead of defending mistakes, they analyze them. This creates adaptive learning, resilience, and growth. It also reduces cognitive bias, because the brain becomes aware of its own blind spots.

Metacognition is also essential for mental health. Being able to step back from thoughts helps reduce anxiety, rumination, and emotional overwhelm. Rather than identifying with every thought, the brain learns to observe them as mental events. This skill is widely used in cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness based psychology.

Importantly, metacognition is trainable. Practices like reflection, journaling, mindfulness, and questioning automatic thoughts strengthen these neural pathways over time. Intelligence is not fixed. The brain becomes more powerful when it learns to understand itself.

Thinking about your thinking is not overanalysis. It is the brain operating at its highest level.

12/14/2025

Researchers agree that the first three years of life are the most important window for building the brain’s foundation. During this period, young children form neural pathways that shape learning, emotional balance, and problem solving for the decade ahead. Simple sensory play, such as exploring textures, listening to sounds, and moving freely, activates far more brain regions than structured tools like flashcards or digital gadgets.

Real conversation is equally powerful. When children hear language, respond to voices, and participate in back and forth dialogue, the brain strengthens circuits for communication, social skills, and emotional understanding. These early exchanges become the roots of confidence and future learning ability.

Giving toddlers small moments of autonomy also has a major impact. Allowing them to choose a toy, attempt simple tasks, or explore safely helps build executive function. These experiences teach focus, flexibility, and decision making, skills that support success long after early childhood.

Many parents unintentionally rely on screens during this stage, which can overstimulate some pathways while limiting real world sensory and problem solving experiences. Prioritizing play, conversation, and independence helps children develop a stronger, healthier brain foundation that provides lasting advantages throughout childhood.

12/14/2025

Men must understand that childbirth is not a moment but a long healing journey. After a woman gives birth, her body and mind undergo changes that continue for months and even years. Internal wounds caused during delivery can take up to six months to heal completely. Physical recovery, including muscle repair and stamina restoration, often requires around twelve months. Hormones shift dramatically during pregnancy and childbirth, and it can take two full years for hormonal balance and brain function to stabilise again.

Beyond the physical and biological healing, there is a deeper process that many overlook. A woman may need up to five years to reconnect with her sense of self, reestablish her confidence and rediscover her identity after motherhood. This is not a sign of weakness but a reflection of how profoundly childbirth transforms the human body and mind.

Understanding these timelines helps build empathy, patience and support within relationships and families. Recovery is not linear and every woman experiences it differently, but the healing process is real and significant. When partners recognise the true duration and intensity of postpartum recovery, they create a healthier environment where mothers can rest, rebuild and grow without pressure.

Motherhood reshapes a woman in extraordinary ways, and acknowledging this journey is one of the greatest forms of respect and support.

12/14/2025

Clutter affects everyone, but research shows it impacts women on a deeper biological level. Studies from UCLA’s Center on Everyday Lives of Families found that when women walk into a messy home, their bodies produce a measurable rise in cortisol, the primary stress hormone. This happens because women tend to interpret clutter as unfinished responsibilities. Their brains read visual mess as a signal that there is work left to do, which activates the stress response even if they are not actively thinking about it.
Men in the same studies showed little to no increase in cortisol when viewing the same level of clutter. Psychologists believe this difference comes from social conditioning and cognitive load. Women are often expected to manage the emotional and physical environment of a household, and their brains track these responsibilities automatically. When the environment feels overloaded, their internal system becomes overloaded as well.
Clutter also divides attention and makes it harder for the brain to process information efficiently. Women report greater irritability, lower mood, and reduced focus in messy spaces compared to men. Over time, chronic exposure to clutter can drain energy and increase mental fatigue.
This does not mean women are “overreacting.” Their brains are responding in a real and measurable way. Restoring order, even in small steps, helps regulate cortisol and creates a sense of control and calm. A tidy environment becomes more than clean space. It becomes psychological relief.

12/11/2025

🚨 Big Parenting Update from Denmark! 🚨

Denmark is officially moving away from the “cry it out” method after 700+ psychologists warned it can harm babies’ emotional development. Ignoring a crying baby isn’t just “tough love” — it actually spikes stress hormones like cortisol, which can affect brain growth, emotional health, and stress regulation for years to come.

Babies cry to communicate, not manipulate. Responding consistently helps them feel safe, loved, and secure, building strong bonds and healthy brains. Experts now say: trust your baby’s cries — it’s the foundation of lifelong emotional well-being.

💡 Parenting tip: Listen, respond, and nurture — your baby’s brain and heart will thank you later.

12/08/2025

Keeping a baby close to you and providing more hours of touch offers numerous benefits across physical, emotional, and cognitive development.

▶️Physical Benefits
📑Improved Physiological Stability: Close contact helps regulate the baby’s heart rate, breathing, and body temperature, creating a stable environment similar to the womb.
📑Enhanced Sleep Quality: Babies who experience more physical touch and closeness tend to sleep more soundly and for longer periods, which is crucial for brain development and overall health.
📑Better Weight Gain and Growth: Skin-to-skin contact, particularly in premature infants, has been shown to improve feeding tolerance and promote faster weight gain and growth.
📑Stronger Immune System: Physical closeness and touch can lead to reduced stress levels, which in turn helps support a robust immune system.

▶️Emotional and Social Benefits
📑Secure Attachment: Frequent physical contact helps the baby feel safe, secure, and loved. This builds a strong, secure attachment (bonding) between the baby and caregiver, which is foundational for future emotional health and relationships.
📑Reduced Crying and Colic: The soothing nature of touch, combined with the familiarity of a parent’s smell and heartbeat, significantly reduces crying, fussiness, and symptoms of colic.
📑Improved Parental Confidence: Holding your baby frequently can increase a parent’s confidence in their ability to care for and understand their baby’s needs and cues.
📑Enhanced Emotional Regulation: By providing comfort and soothing through touch, parents help their babies develop the ability to regulate their own emotions later in life.

▶️Cognitive Benefits
📑Brain Development: Positive touch experiences release oxytocin (the “love hormone”) and reduce stress hormones (like cortisol). Lower stress levels and increased oxytocin production support healthy brain development and function.
📑Improved Cognitive Function: Studies have shown that babies who receive more physical affection may demonstrate improved cognitive scores and fewer behavioral problems later in childhood.

12/08/2025

🎤🎶 Scientists have discovered that singing can trigger a powerful boost in the immune system, raising levels of the protective antibody sIgA by up to 240% in less than an hour. This antibody is essential for defending the throat, airways, and digestive system against viruses and bacteria. Researchers say the effect comes from the deep breathing, emotional release, and vocal vibrations involved in singing — all of which activate key immune pathways.

In laboratory studies, people who sang for just 30 to 60 minutes showed an unexpected surge in sIgA, regardless of how well they could sing. Even those who considered themselves “bad” singers experienced the same immune increase. Scientists believe that the combination of controlled breathing and vocal resonance signals the body to strengthen its frontline defenses almost immediately.

The immune boost can last for hours after singing, suggesting that regular singing may help support long-term health. Choir members and singing groups have also been shown to experience fewer colds, reduced stress, and better mood overall. While singing is not a substitute for medical treatment, it’s a simple and uplifting way to enhance the body’s natural ability to protect itself.

This research highlights how closely our voice is linked to our well-being. Something as joyful and accessible as singing may be one of the most surprising — and enjoyable — ways to boost immunity.

What's your go-to song to belt out? Does singing help you de-stress?

Disclaimer: This content is for informational and educational purposes only.

12/08/2025

The right people feel like exhale energy—steady, gentle, and safe.

As you heal, you naturally attract relationships that honor your nervous system, not overwhelm it.
May you be surrounded by softness, consistency, and real care.
💗✨