If you know me personally or have had a session with me, you know I like to represent the happiness molecules. You might see my serotonin necklace or my serotonin and dopamine tattoo (and if you didn’t know, now you do!).
So, let’s talk about things you can do to increase these hormones!
Dopamine (the REWARD chemical):
Complete a task
Indulge in self-care
Eating food (in general, as well as almonds & bananas)
Take a walk, climb some stairs
Check off small tasks
Celebrate life’s little wins
Serotonin (MOOD stabilizer/booster):
Meditate
Deep breathing exercises
Get some sun
Walk in nature
Smile
Get a massage
Certain foods like bananas, and pineapples
Take a good quality probiotic
Oxytocin (the LOVE hormone):
Play with a dog or baby
Give/receive a hug
Cuddle
Give a compliment
Do yoga
Eat foods like eggs, bananas, and peppers
Random act of kindness
Endorphins (STRESS reducer):
Exercise for 30min
Laugh
Volunteer
Take a hot bath
Eat spicy foods or dark chocolate
Watch a comedy
A note on these hormones:
Sometimes, an imbalance creates mental health issues like ADHD, depression, anxiety, bipolar, etc. While living a healthy lifestyle of good sleep, healthy foods, and activities like the ones listed above can certainly help, sometimes you may require more help like medication that helps balances these out. There is no shame in that whatsoever! Remember: your brain is an organ just like your heart, kidneys, etc. Just like living a healthy lifestyle helps keep these things healthy, sometimes you need a little extra help.
Helpful supplements I recommend for overall brain health and to help balance the production of these are:
Omega 3 (including DHA+EPA - most supplements contain these)
Vitamin D
Vitamin B12
Probiotic
Usually a good quality supplement will have some of these in them, as well as other vitamins and minerals that help increase absorption. And I do have to mention: I am not your doctor, so be sure to talk to your general practitioner before taking these.
What are you going to do to begin to increase these hormones in your life?!
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