Brain Chemistry - Endorphins - Page 63 of the book - 'How To Stay Sane In A Crazy World

Download the eBook here for $5

Endorphins are neurotransmitters responsible for our survival. Endorphins are produced as a response to certain stimuli, especially stress, pain or fear. They enable us to press on in spite of circumstances, to endure and survive. 

The primary role of endorphins is to mask physical pain. Endorphins are solo chemicals which means we can make endorphins on our own. We don't necessarily need another human being for the release of endorphins. They are our own private narcotic, our feel-good chemical, our natural pain killer. 

There are more than 20 kinds of endorphins. One type is even stronger than morphine. They are responsible for blocking physical pain but also, for giving us our feelings of pleasure. It's widely believed that these feelings of pleasure exist to let us know when we've had enough of a good thing, such as too much food and even companionship. 

Endorphins also encourage us to go after something in order to feel the associated pleasure. Endorphins originate in various parts: the pituitary gland, spinal cord and throughout other parts of the brain and nervous system. They mainly interact with receptors in cells found in regions of the brain responsible for blocking pain and controlling emotion

Brain Chemistry - Dopamine - Page 65 of the book - 'How To Stay Sane In A Crazy World'

Download the eBook here for $5

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, a feel good chemical responsible for sending messages between the brain and nerve cells of the body. Dopamine is the motivation molecule in charge of our pleasure and reward system. 

Dopamine is a solo chemical, meaning we can make dopamine on our own. We don't necessarily need another human being for the release of dopamine in our bodies. Dopamine motivates us to take action toward goals, desires and needs; giving us a surge of reinforcing pleasure when we achieve them. Dopamine is the feeling we have when we find something we were looking for, or when we accomplish what we set out to achieve: the feeling we get when we cross something off our to-do list. Dopamine ensures we achieve our goals. 

Dopamine is why it is important to write our goals down and cross them off: this act gives us a burst of dopamine. Dopamine is why having a vision is so important; why measurable milestones and goals are necessary. If we feel we are making progress toward our vision, we keep going forward, because dopamine motivates us. Dopamine is responsible for bodily functions such as movement, memory, sleep, mood, pleasurable reward, behaviour and cognition. It helps control nausea and vomiting. If you are feeling sick or nauseous, it may be because your dopamine levels are low. 

Dopamine should come with a warning though - it is highly, highly addictive.

Brain Chemistry - Serotonin - Page 68 of the book - 'How To Stay Sane In A Crazy World'

Download the eBook here for $5

Serotonin is a brain chemical responsible for regulating people's moods. It is our 'happy hormone'. It is the leadership chemical and is responsible for feelings of significance, importance, pride and status. Serotonin is also responsible for social behaviour, appetite and digestion, immune function, sleep, memory and sexual function. 

It has a wide variety of functions which keep us happy and on track. We are social animals and social recognition is important to us. Serotonin re-enforces relationships to give us feelings of fulfilment, love and trust; such as the relationships between parent and child, boss and employee, coach and player, and caregiver and the one receiving care. This is why we have graduations and give out awards. If we fulfilled all the requirements to graduate and simply received an email stating, "Congratulations! Please print your certificate with the attached pdf", we wouldn't feel as good. Instead, we have a big ceremony to celebrate accomplishment. In the audience are our family, friends and teachers: everyone who supported us and watched our backs. We show up on the day, go up onto the stage, receive our diploma and it feels great! 

We feel our status and our pride rise when we have serotonin in our veins and our confidence rises also. The best part is, at the exact moment we receive our diploma, we feel a burst of serotonin go through our body. And our parents sitting in the audience also receive a shot of serotonin and feel immense pride watching our graduation.

Brain Chemistry - Oxytocin - Page 71 of the book - 'How To Stay Sane In A Crazy World'

Download the eBook here for $5

Oxytocin is the neurotransmitter known as the love chemical which creates intimacy and trust, and builds healthy relationships. It helps us to feel satisfied and gives us all the warm and fuzzies. 

Oxytocin occurs naturally, is made in the hypothalamus and is stored and released by the posterior pituitary gland in the brain. Oxytocin is thought to be the superhero that produces nurturing and relaxing sensations, countering the production of cortisol and bringing all of the stress responses back to normal. 

Oxytocin produces an intense feeling of safety, of knowing that someone has your back. It promotes calmness and connectedness. The cultivation of oxytocin is essential for creating strong bonds where people look out for each other and it improves social interactions.

Brain Chemistry - Cortisol - Page 73 of the book - 'How To Stay Sane In A Crazy World

Download the eBook here for $5

Cortisol is the stress hormone made by our two adrenal glands, one located on each kidney. The pituitary gland, located inside the brain, regulates the amount of cortisol released by the adrenal glands. Cortisol is essential for life and helps to maintain blood pressure, immune function and the body's anti-inflammatory processes. We share feelings of stress and anxiety with all other social animals. If we saw a herd of gazelle grazing and if one gazelle thought it heard a rustle in the grass, it would suddenly jerk its head up. This is what cortisol does. 

Cortisol is designed to keep us alive. It is the first stage of fight or flight. It makes all of our senses hyper-attuned to look for danger and it injects glucose into our muscles so we are ready to go in case we need to fight or flee. Cortisol rapidly increases our heart rate and makes us start looking vigilantly to find the source of danger. The interesting thing about cortisol in a social environment is, if others sense that you are nervous, they get nervous too. So, all of the other gazelle go and jerk up their heads. They didn't see anything, they just saw that one gazelle over there startled. So, they all freaked out and all started looking for the danger. This is a good system! The gazelles who didn't even hear the rustle will see the lion, they will all run and will live another day! The same applies in the workplace. If we go to work and someone says, "I think there are going to be layoffs", we all panic. "What do you mean, where, when, who?" We all get paranoid. "Oh, I shouldn't have said or done..." We start to get crazy, our hearts start to race. 

That is what cortisol does, it is trying to keep us alive. If we wake up in the middle of the night and hear a bump, what do we do? Jump and wake our partner up. What do they do? They jump also. As we are visual animals, we trust our eyes and go looking. If there is nothing there, we bend over and give a big sigh of relief. Cortisol then leaves our body, we relax and our heart rate goes back down. To increase our heart rate, cortisol shuts down systems, such as our growth and immune system, to gain energy to fight or flee. We are not supposed to have cortisol in our system all of the time. It's supposed to be present briefly for danger and then gone.

Brain Chemistry - Living With Cortisol - Page 76 of the book - 'How To Stay Sane In A Crazy World

Download the eBook here for $5

Chronic stress is now linked with just about every health problem out there. Stress affects most people at least to some degree and impacts health by sending chemical signals around the body, to the heart and blood vessels, immune system, lungs, digestive system, sensory organs, and brain. Stress has the power to increase breathing, heart rate, pain and muscle tension; change our appetite; and give us sleep-related problems.  Thankfully, there are many ways in which we can reduce stress: 

1. Prayer, meditation and mindfulness: These practices have been shown to help train the brain and body to turn off the stress response and promote more relaxation. These benefits are possible without impairing alertness, concentration or memory. Many studies show that daily meditation or healing prayer for just 15 to 30 minutes can offer significant reductions in cortisol. Participating in a regular, mindfulness-based stress reduction program also offers significant reductions in cortisol and stress-related symptoms or diseases. Using these methods can also improve brain and heart health while bolstering our immune system. 

2. Deep breathing exercises: Taking deep breaths helps turn down the sympathetic nervous system and kick in the body’s natural relaxation response by activating the parasympathetic nervous system. Diaphragmatic breathing is an easy technique to learn on your own and practiced throughout the day will relieve muscle tension and anxiety. 

3. Spending time in nature or outdoors: Studies show that physical settings play a role in stress reduction and being in nature is a well-documented way to promote relaxation. Try going for walks or runs outside, spending time at the ocean, walking through forests, gardening at home, or doing other things outdoors and away from technology to reduce anxiety. 

4. Exercise regularly: According to research published by Harvard Medical School, regular exercise, about 30 to 60 minutes most days of the week, is one of the best ways to manage stress, balance hormones, improve sleep quality and aid normal metabolic functions such as balancing blood sugar levels. 

It's Not Mental It's Physical - Page 77 of the book - 'How To Stay Sane In A Crazy World'

Download the eBook here for $5

You CAN help - Get Involved At some point in their lives, most people will experience a thinking disorder of some degree. Usually, there is someone close to them who knows how they normally think and behave. That person is the first to recognise the difference. Unfortunately, because of the stigma of MENTAL ILLNESS, many will just avoid the person and try not to notice their abnormal, and sometimes embarrassing emotions and changed behaviours. More than 90% of mental health problems can be overcome with early intervention. The distorted thinking needs to be addressed and corrected before it becomes habitual.

It’s Not MENTAL - It’s PHYSICAL The human brain is a physical organ that operates like a computer. It manages our body and protects us from harm. It is more powerful than 200 million iPads. Our brain knows how to make blood, grow fingernails, fix a broken leg and balance the chemicals that our other organs need to function correctly. 

The brain needs correct nutrition, hydration and rest in order to think properly and manage the body and its immune system. Like any computer, if it is not maintained properly, it will malfunction and need some corrective action. Most thinking disorders are actually the brain operating under excessively stressful conditions. Incorrect thinking and perceptions can lead to unusual behaviours. Normal thinking can usually be restored if it is quickly recognised as physical in nature and altered before it becomes established as a chronic thinking pattern. A Brain Buddy will look past the outward MENTAL symptoms and recognise any PHYSICAL conditions which could be causing the brain to think erratically. 

Early intervention can be the key to avoiding long term mental health disorders. Food, Water and Get Some SLEEP The brain requires correct resources.