Ruby Wax is the founder of Frazzled Cafe, a peer support group for anyone who is overwhelmed by the stresses of modern life. As Ruby says, our brains just don't have the bandwidth. If that describes you, check it out. But bring your own coffee. The meetings moved online, a Zoom meeting on account of... you know.
Showing posts with label cortisol. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cortisol. Show all posts
Frazzled Cafe and Ruby Wax - Yes, I am a Fan
Ruby Wax is the founder of Frazzled Cafe, a peer support group for anyone who is overwhelmed by the stresses of modern life. As Ruby says, our brains just don't have the bandwidth. If that describes you, check it out. But bring your own coffee. The meetings moved online, a Zoom meeting on account of... you know.
Six Ways to Heal the Holes in Your Head
Do you ever feel like you have holes in your head? Actually,
you do. Ventricles are the spaces between the grey matter (brain cells) and
white matter (wiring that connects the brain cells) in your brain. Depressive
episodes, manic
episodes, and psychosis all
burn up brain tissue, leading to bigger ventricles. (Image: Effects of Western diet on the brain. See companion image, Effects of Mediterranean diet below.)
This loss of brain cells hits the hippocampus (in charge of
memory and emotion regulation) particularly hard. In the early years after my last mental health crisis, I talked about my “Swiss cheese brain.” At my worst, I
lost bills, I lost words, I lost everything my wife said to me on the way out
the door in the morning. She took to writing down what I said I would do before
she got home, never more than two items.
I lost the list.
I lost the list.
Labels:
antidepressants,
anxiety,
art,
bdnf,
brain,
change,
cortisol,
creativity,
depression,
exercise,
food,
hippocampus,
hypomania,
mania,
mindfulness,
mitochondria,
psychosis,
recovery
Bipolar and Cortisol
Y'all know about Bipolar as the mood disorder of Up and Down. You have seen the movies, watched the soap operas and dramas. The medications promise to reduce the number of trips around the loop de loop.
That's important, because what goes up must come down, and the fall can be mighty. But there is more to is that that.
In a person with bipolar, a whole series of mis-timings and misalignments in our internal and external cycles results in a failure to maintain balance. The list includes: dysregulation of hormones, neurotransmitters, and immune system; irregularities in communication between brain cells and within brain cells; and wonky wiring among the networks that connect the thinking, feeling, and evaluating parts of the brain.
In other words,
That's important, because what goes up must come down, and the fall can be mighty. But there is more to is that that.
In a person with bipolar, a whole series of mis-timings and misalignments in our internal and external cycles results in a failure to maintain balance. The list includes: dysregulation of hormones, neurotransmitters, and immune system; irregularities in communication between brain cells and within brain cells; and wonky wiring among the networks that connect the thinking, feeling, and evaluating parts of the brain.
In other words,
Over the next few weeks, I will sample this list, especially the items that are true all the time, even when not on that roller coaster.
Dysregulation of cortisol is one of my favorites, to use the term loosely. Cortisol is the get-up-and-go hormone. It gets you out of bed in the morning and manages energy throughout the day in response to stress.
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