Anita talks about increasing our happiness by increasing our happy chemicals.
Our state of happiness is determined by the amount of certain chemicals in our brain.
Dopamine is known for being the reward chemical. It helps with mood regulation, focus and concentration. You’ll get a flush of dopamine when you complete a task or achieve a goal; that’s why setting small achievable goals every day is important in increasing your dopamine levels. Celebrate those little wins too, as reward for your efforts. Whilst self-care activities such as having a relaxing bath help with dopamine, lack of sleep disables it.
Seratonin is a mood stabiliser. Meditating, mindfulness and prayer help with the release of serotonin.
Exercise is also a good serotonin release along with exposure to the sun. So, a nice walk outside in nature on a bright day is a great boost, particularly as body movement too is great for increasing serotonin. One important thing to remember though, is that 90% of serotonin lives in the gut so healthy eating is vital!
Oxytocin, otherwise known as the love hormone, is all about human connection and social health. Oxytocin increases our empathic feelings. Touch; playing with a baby, holding hands, petting an animal and hugging are all good examples of how you might increase the oxytocin in your body. Things like giving a compliment or helping other people also improve the levels.
Endorphins are a chemical renowned as a pain killer. Exercise is one of the best ways to increase the level of endorphins in your body. It reduces activation of our amygdala and sympathetic nervous system which are the parts of the brain that generate our stress response. Our bodies are biologically designed to move and the more we move, the more we have the potential to reduce stress. Laughter increases endorphins too along with dark chocolate. A TV night in with chocolate watching a comedy sounds good! You might like to choose a favourite essential oil to burn at the same time because essential oils are a relaxing way of increasing endorphins.
