Wanna feel HAPPIER?

I'm not sure I've come across anyone in the last year who hasn't felt some degree of sadness, melancholy, anxiety, or depression. The magnitude of loss, the feelings of helplessness, and fear of the unknown have left many of us feeling like loose live wires dangling in the wind.

Last week my community had a tragic loss of three beautiful teenage girls. It's rocking this community and the grief is deep and widespread. Sometimes we (I) wonder if the sad and scary news will ever end. We (I) wonder when life will get back to normal. It takes a lot of courage to keep on keeping on.

But what about happiness? That can be elusive these days as well. You may be somebody who struggles to find it regularly, or perhaps you could just use a little more of it in general (who couldn't?). So today I thought I'd share a bit of information on something that we have some control over...The Happy Hormones.

Almost all hormones have some influence on mood—including sex hormones like estrogen and progesterone as well as stress hormones like cortisol, but there's a small group of hormones that have a particularly large amount of influence. They include:

• Serotonin: Often called "the happy hormone," serotonin is a neurotransmitter known for regulating mood, sleep, appetite, digestion, and memory. Serotonin receptors are the target of SSRIs, the most commonly prescribed class of antidepressant drugs. So, when you're walking down the street and the sun is shining and you start to feel relaxed and joyful, you have serotonin to thank. 

• Dopamine: This is another feel-good hormone (and neurotransmitter) that’s intricately involved in your brain’s reward system. It plays a big role in your ability to feel pleasure, as well as plan and execute tasks. When you feel an intense feeling of satisfaction after crossing items off your to-do list or crushing a goal at work or school, that’s dopamine at work.

• Oxytocin: Sometimes referred to as "the love" or "the tend and befriend" hormone, oxytocin (produced by your hypothalamus) is released in response to physical affection and plays a huge role in interpersonal relationships, especially child-parent bonding. It plays a role in social bonding, building relationships, reproduction, childbirth, and breastfeeding. When you feel warm and fuzzy after cuddling with a puppy or a baby, you can thank oxytocin for those feelings.

• Endorphins: Known as your body's "feel good chemicals," endorphins are produced by the central nervous system and work via the opioid system in our body. Their main job is to make us feel less pain, but they also help you feel focused and put you in a better mood. When you feel invincible after a workout, a surge in endorphins gets the credit. 

This quartet works together, and they're responsible for our perception of happiness. They are largely in control of your mood and feelings of confidence, pleasure, happiness, love, and satisfaction on a daily basis.
 

How Do We Create More Feel Good Vibes?

Now that you know about the connection between your hormones and your mood, you might be wondering, How we can make them work to our advantage?

There’s a long list of lifestyle factors that can boost your happy hormones to bring more good feelings into your life, but here's a few ideas to get you started:

1. Eat a gut-friendly diet 

Your gut produces about 95% of the serotonin in your body, and changes in your serotonin level affect your gut as well as your brain, so food, nutrition, digestion, and optimizing your gut health play an enormous role in mood. If you want to increase your serotonin levels, start by making sure you're taking good care of your gut (see this post and this post for more on that), eating a diverse diet and avoiding excess alcohol and sugar. Certain foods have also been shown to help with serotonin production, including eggs, turkey, and healthy complex carbs like oats and sweet potatoes.

2. Exercise

Exercise is one of the most endorphin-boosting things we can do, offering numerous benefits for both our bodies and minds (hence the name “runner’s high”). Movement has been shown to lower cortisol and raise endorphins. Studies show exercise even works similarly to meditation to increase well-being. Note: High intensity and/or long, challenging workouts can raise cortisol, so finding the sweet spot is your goal, especially if you are already experiencing a lot of stress.

3. Embrace the sun & get back to nature

You may have heard about the benefits of sunlight, especially in the context of vitamin D, which we get from sun exposure on the skin, but research has shown that sun exposure can also increase the production of serotonin. This explains why many of us feel down during the winter months when there is less daily sunlight and colder weather. Getting out into nature, no matter the weather, is another great way to lower stress and release your happy hormones.

4. Explore your nurturing side

Oxytocin has the ability to regulate our emotional responses, and that’s the “feel good” rush we experience when taking care of others. Try connecting to your nurturing side by sending a care package or a card to a friend, cuddling with your pet, dropping off dinner for a loved one, or even starting a garden.

5. Connect with others

Human connection can help boost all of the happy hormones, but with the pandemic still happening, we’re in short supply of connection these days. However, most of us can connect with somebody outside in nature, so combine the two and voila: Happy Hormones.

6. Music & dance

Your favorite music has the ability to increase dopamine, but add some dancing to that and you increase not just dopamine but also serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins, the happy hormones.

I love the idea of combining these mood boosters—have a good gut lunch, then go for a walk outside. Or when it's sunny, grab your mask and sit six feet away from a friend while sipping tea.

I'm curious, which of these happy hormone hacks will you start with today?