Our decisions contribute to our overall state of well being.
They help us determine activities that give us true purpose as well as activities that help us comfortably relax. Norepinephrine is the neurotransmitter responsible for the brain’s centralized decision making.
Norepinephrine strongly correlates to our fear resistance. It is the chemical responsible for our fight or flight response. It helps us determine whether we should engage in a situation or avoid it at all costs. We must be mindful of whether a situation is worth being frightened by and if engaging in this situation can help us overcome our fears in the long run.
Norepinephrine is triggered by the brain’s prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for the brain’s ability to perform executive functioning and decision making. A person in active drug addiction has a prefrontal cortex which is overpowered by the brain’s reward system. This can make it difficult to access healthy levels of norepinephrine, making even the simplest tasks anxiety-provoking at first glance.