Tips For Change 7/6/22

Hi Everyone,

We are back from the 4th of july weekend I hope everyone was safe and enjoyed their time off. As we jump into this weeks tips. I wanted to know who reads this blog. If you do please leave a comment. I try to post relevant personal development / improvement articles weekly. In that way I can help people grow into the person they want to be. I am here serve as a Speaker, Teacher, Coach and to perform assessments such as DISC, The leadership Game and personality. I find this work to be rewarding even if I only help one person grow and succeed. Now let’s get to those tips!

How Anxiolytics Work and Whether You Should Use Them

If you can control stress, calm your mind and avoid anxiety then you’ll find it has huge benefits for both your body and your mind. The stress response actually makes us stronger, faster and even smarter in the short term. But over time, this can place a serious strain on the body that eventually wears you down and leaves you more susceptible to illness and other problems.

This is why people who experience a lot of anxiety might consider the use of anti-anxiety medications called anxiolytics. But what exactly do these do? How are they affecting your mental state? And should you use them? Let’s look at the way they work in more detail.

What is an Anxiolytic?

Anxiolytics are any drugs that reduce the stress response and to do this, they alter the neurotransmitters and hormones that the brain produces in order to encourage more calm and to act even as a mild sedative.

One of the main neurotransmitters that anxiolytics act on is GABA. GABA stands for Gamma Aminobutyric Acid and is a neurotransmitter that suppresses neuronal activity. That is to say that when it is released, it prevents neurons from firing. This in turn causes you to experience few thoughts and ‘slower’ thinking. It lowers the heartrate and it makes you less attuned to your surroundings.

GABA is one of the neurotransmitters that is affected by alcohol in fact and is responsible for some of the symptoms that we associate with being drunk. This is why some people will self-medicate with alcohol for stress or social anxiety.

Alternatively, some anxiolytics work by increasing serotonin. Serotonin is the ‘feel good’ neurotransmitter and this is also how anti-depressants work such as SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors).

The Problem

To increase GABA, most anxiolytics work by blocking the reuptake of GABA in the brain so that there is more of it free in the brain. When you do this over a long period of time however, it causes changes in the brain and adaptations. Specifically, because there is too much GABA, the brain stops producing as much of it itself and decreases the number of receptors. Now you need to take larger doses of anxiolytics to experience the same heightened levels of GABA and now you will likely feel even more anxious when you’re not using them. This is called ‘tolerance and dependence’ and it can lead to addiction.

What’s more, is that anxiolytics do not address the thinking that leads to the release of those hormones in the first place – it deals with the symptoms rather than dealing with the cause.

And then there are the short term, immediate side effects associated with anxiolytic use such as drowsiness and confusion.

So should you stop using anti-anxiety medication? This is very easy to say but not so easy if you experience frequent and severe bouts of anxiety. You should always listen to your doctor’s advice. But just know that this medication is not a long term solution. Focus on therapy in conjunction with medication in order to address the root cause of the issue more permanently.

We have many more services to offer and I hope this has helped you in some small way. I would welcome you to join me as my client. Let’s connect soon. I love to talk.

I Help you create a clear plan to turn your dreams and goals into reality. To take consistent, productive action on your goals, Improve the goals when necessary and overcome any setbacks or obstacles that appear along the way. I want to be your your accountability partner. https://timfthomas.com/life-purpose-coaching/

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