I'm not a huge fan of math in general.

Which is probably kind of a dumb thing to say.

Like, "I'm not a fan of underwear." Which may be true for some (ew? or yeah!) but undies are pretty ubiquitous and make sense in lots of situations!

But the kind of math I'm talking about today isn't the computational kind.

It's neurofeedback!!

I have recently purchased a sensor and app from HeartMath where I can practice working on my HRV or heart rate variability.

Sounds super fun, right?

But it actually kind of is! I mean my kids don't love it but I may incentivize it a little (early Halloween candy? cash??) because the returns can be huge!!

And just to get this out of the way, I'm not an affiliate and don't have any association with HeartMath. I just think their stuff is so cool and there may be other companies you like better and that's great too; let me know what they are!

So why should you care about HRV?

First off HRV is a biomarker for physical and mental health so it can give us a lot of information when it changes from baseline.

I care about it personally for myself and think pretty much every single human can benefit from some training in this area!

But it also may be yet another awesome resource for your clients!

A higher HRV means better stress resilience, emotional regulation, cognitive flexibility, and improved sleep!

Here are some specific benefits:

• Cope better with stressful situations
• Increased emotional flexibility
• Improved ability to switch between emotional states
• Better balanced autonomic nervous system
• Reduce depressive and anxiety symptoms
• Improved attention and focus
• Better sleep quality and duration
• Improved emotional and physical recovery during sleep

I know. It seems unreal that one single thing could impact so much, but that's what the data points to!

There is a course for mental health providers through HeartMath that I just signed up for! But I've only just started so I don't have anything to say about it yet. I'll keep you posted though.

And this is something that you could offer to clients as a resource or even as part of your own work (if you decide to get certified)!

This is a wellness device so it's not an FDA approved treatment for mental health conditions.

But it's just one more awesome thing that YOU can provide before referring someone for meds who may be more hesitant, on the fence about meds, or just super motivated to do this type of holistic work first!

Sometimes things really are too good to be true, but I don't think that's the case here.

It's just another non-sexy, non-quick-fix type or thing like exercise or getting enough sleep or fresh air. It takes commitment!

But this app also makes it pretty fun. And the one that I have doesn't even require a sensor!! It can track my HRV data just from holding my finger over the lens of my iphone camera.

Sometimes technology kicks ass!

And so far the tension + noise level in my house seems to be a bit lower! Kids recover a little faster and I yell way less.

Coincidence?

Maybe! But I'm going to stick with this app and my training and see where it takes me!

Cheers to healthy brains,

Dr. B

Jessica Beachkofsky, MD

Your friendly, online psychiatrist!

P.S. I live just north of Tampa and we got VERY lucky. Again! Lost some branches and power for a day and a half but otherwise we're all good at my place! I know everyone wasn't as lucky and anything you can do to help is fabulous and appreciated!

P.P.S. We're on our way to Vermont for a few days. Time to show my kids what FALL is! Fall in Florida is tricky and doesn't look anything like what "autumn" is on TV! This will be an educational visit (hopefully with apple cider donuts!)