Learn about Mental Health
Learning how our minds function can strengthen our mental health. Whether this information is new or familiar , it can be helpful to understand where we process and store things, and what parts of our brains affect our emotions and behaviors.
This diagram shows different parts of the brain and what they're responsible for. Learning how we operate and what influences our thoughts can help us to have stronger minds and contribute to overall health.
Important Parts of the Brain
Prefrontal Cortex
Located at the front of the brain, it is responsible for things like decision making, problem-solving, and controlling social behavior.
Amygdala
This small, almond-shaped structure is involved in processing emotions, particularly pleasure and fear. It plays a role in anxiety, depression, and other mood disorders.
Hippocampus
Essential for memory formation and retrieval, it is also involved inr regulating emotions. Damagae to the hippocampus associated with depression and anxiety.
Hypothalymus
This region controlls various autonomic processes and the release of hormones. It is involved in stress response and can influence mood and emotional states.
Cingulate Cortex
Involved in processing emotions and behaviors regulation. It plays a role in emotional regulation and is associated with depression and anxiety disorders
Happiness Chemicals
Serotonin
Often referred to as "the feel good" chemical because it contributes to feelings of happiness. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that plays a key role in regulating mood, emotions, and sleep.
Natural serotonin boosters:
- Sunshine
- Spending time in nature
- Cold showers
- Meditation
- Massage
- Nutritious foods like leafy greens, almonds, avocados (remember most of our serotonin comes from the gut)
Dopamine
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that plays a crucial role in reward, motivation, and pleasure. It contributes to feelings of satisfaction, like when you cross off that to-do list or achieve that goal.
Natural dopamine boosts:
- Completing small tasks
- Learning something new
- Music
- Exercise
Endorphins
Endorphins are a certain type of neurotransmitter produced by the brain, that act as mood enhancers and natural pain killers. If you have ever heard of a runners high, which is when you've already completed a long run and feel like you can keep going for a few more miles, that is because endorphins are released causing feelings of euphoria, making it easier to keep going.
Endorphin boosts:
- Exercise
- Laughter or watching comedy
- Yoga and stretching
- Eating dark chocolate
Oxytocin
Known as the "love hormone", oxytocin is a neurotransmitter that plays a key role in social bonding, trust and emotional connection. This hormone is released during activities like:
- Hugging
- Quality time
- Showing kindness
- Playing with a pet
Nervous System
Our nervous system plays a vital role in our daily lives and overall health. Nervous system dysregulation occurs when our autonomic nervous system becomes unbalanced. Having a regulated nervous system can help us manage our emotional and physical stress. There are many different ways to help regulate our nervous system, like relaxing breathing techniques, yoga, somatic exercises, and meditation. When our nervous system is out of balance, we can be stuck in the "flight or flight" response, or in survival mode. Survival mode is a state of constant stress within the body. It can lead to feelings of anxiety, depression and burnout. Learning to regulate our nervous system can help us feel more relaxed and and at ease.
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What Happens When our Nervous System is Out of Balance?
When our nervous system is out of balance, it can be an underlying issue or contributing factor to symptoms of things like chronic pain, digestive issues, fatigue, anxiety, mood swings, depression, brain fog, and sleep or appetite changes. There are medical treatments and holistic ways to approach a dysregulated nervous system.
What is the Vagus Nerve?
The vagus nerve is a long nerve traveling down from our brain stem through the neck, into the chest, abdomen into various organs including the heart, lungs and digestive tract. The vagus nerve is responsible for a wide range of bodily functions, associated with the parasympathetic nervous system. Activation of the vagus nerve promotes relaxation and reduces stress, which can alleviate anxiety and improve mood. Activating the vagus nerve can help regulate our heart rate, something that can often increase during panic attacks.
- There are methods such as deep breathing exercises, meditation, and cold exposure, that can naturally stimulate the vagus nerve and help us feel relaxed.
- Deep and slow breathing: inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly can stimulate the vagus nerve.
- Cold exposure: splashing cold water on the face or taking a cold shower
- Singing or humming: These activities can stimulate the vagus nerve through the vocal cords
- Physical exercise: regular moderate exercise can improve our overall nervous system regulation.
- Laughter: positive social interactions and laughter can stimulate the vagus nerve.
Benefits of a Regulated Nervous System
1. Can reduces feelings of anxiety.
2. Better Sleep Quality- enhances the ability to fall asleep and stay asleep, leading to more restful and restorative sleep.
3. Enhanced Cognitive Function- helps with concentration and clear thinking.
4. Physical Health- works to maintain a healthy heart rate, and blood pressure.
5. Balanced Mood- helps regulate emotions, leading to a more balanced and positive mood.
Quick Facts
- The human nervous system consists of approximately 86 billion neurons, that foster an incredibly complex network for communication within the body.
- Neuroplasticity- The brain can reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life.
- The human brain's memory capacity is estimated to be around 2.5 petabytes- (or a million gigabytes) which is roughly equivalent to 3 million hours of TV.