News
Happy chemicals!
We may have been hearing quite a bit about banned drugs over this summer of sport, but did you know that your brain is programmed to release lots of ‘happy’ chemicals quite naturally? …..and these ‘happy’ chemicals can actually reward you with even more good feelings whenever you do something that the brain perceives as positive for your survival.
With the trials and tribulations of this summer’s events testing all our emotions, deciding which of these four natural chemicals we want more of, and deciding when we need them, could be the key to unlocking and finding that all-elusive thing we call happiness!
OXYTOCIN for trust & belonging – this is the bonding chemical that exists in plentiful doses when a new born baby and mother connect at that vitally important time, post-birth. When trust is broken for us, the betrayal means we hold back, leaving us feeling as though we don’t belong anymore. You can build more trust by:
- Being trustworthy – when others know they can trust you, you’re more likely to feel you can trust them, too.
- Having a massage – taking time to apply body lotion can make a difference to feelings of well-being. As it is touch that stimulates oxytocin production, reach out for more hugs from your partner, friends and family.
- Finding a proxy – trust takes time to build, so you could get yourself a pet to be loyal and true to you, join a group where you won’t be judged or play a sport where you can share all your ups and downs.
ENDORPHIN for euphoria & determination – this is nature’s pain relief, which has evolved for our survival. Stimulated by pain, we need it to switch on and off so we don’t carry on walking when we may have broken a leg. Find the right amount to push you through your pain barrier, whilst still promoting your well-being.
- Laugh – a real, belly-aching laugh is the cheapest and best form of medicine there is! Genuine laughter, the sort that makes your face ache, releases in-built fear, shaking up your insides in a healthy way.
- Cry – holding back tears builds up tension, whereas if you let go when you need to, it provides a physical release in the body, especially in the diaphragm where our gut can tie itself into terrible knots.
- Exercise – working the same muscles leads to wear and tear, so change things around a bit and look for new movement to get an endorphin rush. Make it fun so you can keep on laughing at the same time!
- Stretch – this is a great way to boost your circulation by lengthening those muscles. Yoga and Pilates go even deeper, stretching muscles you didn’t even know you had!
DOPAMINE for motivation – this helps us release the energy we need to get the rewards we want. Sometimes known as the addiction chemical, in survival terms it relates to food and water, but we can also benefit from this in other ways.
- Take baby steps – break tasks up into manageable chucks so they’re more do-able and your brain will reward you with dopamine each and every time you succeed in meeting a milestone, helping you achieve your ultimate goal.
- Do a victory dance – congratulating yourself on any little achievement will make you feel good. It might not give you the huge surge a marathon runner gets crossing the finishing line, but it’s a whole lot better than trying to always out-do someone else!
- Raise the bar slowly – no matter how much you want to, it’s tough to go from not wanting to cook to hosting an enormous dinner party! Make your goal a realistic one to begin with, and build it up from there.
- Take action – set aside 10 minutes a day to work on concrete actions where you can see the results – the dopamine produced will help you generate the energy to carry on doing more of the same.
SERATONIN for safety & respect – in a mammal, this is released when it sees itself bigger or stronger than another. Having the advantage creates a feeling of security. Social recognition can be fleeting and unpredictable, so finding good routes to achieving self-respect is vital.
- Enjoy where you are – it’s not always best to be in the driving seat, so be happy being the passenger on occasion; just like financial shares, your status can also go up and down!
- Notice your influence – without being controlling or arrogant, you can see when people have taken your lead. Don’t look for credit, just take the time to appreciate your efforts.
- Surrender control – if we don’t know now, we never will – that we can’t always control what’s happening! So why frustrate ourselves attempting the impossible? Choose one control habit that you want to let go of and see how you get on without it in your life. How about simply not checking the weather forecast for a change or no longer looking at your watch, or better still not bothering with the news for a few days!
- Take pride – make up your mind to say, “Look what I’ve done” without being tied to another person’s reaction – accepting that it may not always be what you want to hear shows a massive leap in your development. By tuning in to your own moral compass or internal sat-nav, it means that you’ve learnt to choose to listen more carefully to your inner voice’s truth and not to everyone else’s voices on the outside.