The human brain is complex. The brain is made up of over one hundred billion neurones or brain cells; all of which have to constantly interact and send messages to each other. It is these billions of interactions between the brain cells that shape our emotions, behaviours, thoughts and even our mental health.
Regarding anxiety-related symptoms, the communications between the brain-cells are very crucial. If things are not right with the way the neurones send and receive messages among each other, anxiety and other psychological conditions can be the resulting factors.
Now, for communication to take place between the brain cells, neurotransmitters are necessary. Neurotransmitters are chemical substances sent between neurones to deliver different messages to different parts of the brain.
Neurotransmitters are simply messengers of the brain that convey different messages to various part of the brain. Examples of the neurotransmitters connected with anxiety include, dopamine (for feeling good), serotonin (regulates mood, sleep and appetite), norepinephrine (for mental alertness and extra energy).
Two Keys Statements About Anxiety and the Brain:
- A similar message sent to different parts of the brain can be interpreted differently, depending on the nature and healthiness of the brain cell receiving it. The effect of this can generate anxiety.
- If there is a problem with a neurone or neurotransmitter, the resulting effect can also be anxiety and panic.
Of course, the above two statements seem overly simplistic compared to what actually goes on in the brain. However, these two statements can help you understand, at least to some extent, why you may feel anxious or stressed without reason.
Here are some possibilities that may have contributed to the generation of your anxiety:
- The body does not produce sufficient neurotransmitters to deliver messages across neurones. If this happens, shortages of communication can occur. When a message of calm and peace is supposed to be sent to the right part of the brain that will implement it, there is no transmitter to carry the message across. To you, it then means that you will remain stressed, anxious and miserable longer than normal.
- The body may have produced too many neurotransmitters, meaning that too many messages are being sent at the same time. If this happens, internal confusion becomes the order of the day. And of course it does have an effect on your emotional well-being. Let’s say that “a slight danger alert”message is to be sent to another part of your brain that is responsible for your stress response. If you have too many neurotransmitters trying to deliver the same message, chances are that your body will receive the message as a “high danger alert” instead. Simply because too many neurotransmitters are delivering one message. This is when people make a mountain out of a hole hill.
- A communication problem between neurotransmitters and neurones. This means that a positive message may not be receive by the right neurones because of an internal fault. If a dopamine, a neurotransmitter for “feeling good” is not being received by appropriate part of the brain, that means you will not feel good, even though everything around you suggests that you should be feeling good.
As you can now see, the brain is complex. For emotional wellbeing, the entire faculty of the brain must work perfectly together in harmony, receiving and sending right messages adequately with any internal or communication fault.
Of course, one cannot always guarantee a perfect harmony in the activities of neutrons and neurotransmitters. This is where medications such as antidepressants can be helpful. They regulate the chemical imbalances or shortages and can even correct other neurological faults to ensure that your anxiety is brought under control.
Having said that, medications are not supposed to be a lasting solutions for anxiety-related disorders. They offer temporary solutions until a lasting solution is found.
If you suffer from anxiety disorder and have been on medications for a long time but would love to find out about a natural recovery programme that deals with the root-cause of anxiety, you can download free my recovery ebook: The Essential Guide To Anxiety Panic disorder.
Natural Solutions To Start Using Immediately:
Constant relaxation exercise can eventually normalise any abnormalities of interactions between neurones and neurotransmitters. Relaxation is your natural tranquilliser. If you can do relaxation exercise regularly, your body will eventually get to a place where it regains its original power to heal itself naturally.
Likewise, relaxation activates the para-sympathetic nervous system that is responsible for your “rest and digest.” So, when you are struggling to cope with the activation of your stress response (fight or flight response), you can set in motion your “rest and digest” response to neutralise your stress and anxiety.
The key here is to incorporate muscular relaxation exercises into your daily routines. Do not relax only to cure your stress. Rather make it a habit. This is how you can eventually transform your emotional experiences. It won’t happen overnight, but it will be worth it in the end.
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