THE 10 Tactics to feel a Happier & Healthier
THE 10 Tactics to feel Happier & Healthier are my 10 best tips on natural ways to increase Serotonin your “Happy Neurotransmitter,” allowing you to feel happy, calm, and fulfilled.
1. Stress Reduction
The biggest killer of your serotonin is STRESS. When your body is chronically stressed from work, junk food, emotional stress, relationships, finances, and general life, it releases a hormone called cortisol.
Cortisol is an amazing hormone that helps our body adapt to stress when we need it. The problem is that cortisol is great for a short-term response but was never intended to be a long-term solution.
Many of us are under constant stress from work, relationships, technology, sitting for 8 hours a day at work, and eating food that isn’t good for us. This causes our bodies to constantly be producing cortisol all the time.
Over time cortisol begins to lower our serotonin levels, which can make us feel more unhappy, anxious, and less calm.
So naturally, in order to make sure, we keep our serotonin levels as high as possible, we need to help our body better adapt to the stress we may be under. We need to make sure we’re working out, having fun, taking time for self-care, and even meditating to help our body cope with stress that may be unavoidable.
2. Sunshine
Research has shown that variations of the seasons produce changes in our serotonin as well. During winter when most people are indoor and lack sunlight for long periods of time, researchers have noticed decreases in serotonin levels that correspond to the amount of sunlight we get.
So getting more natural sunlight can be a helpful way to increase your serotonin. All it takes is a 20-minute walk in the natural sunlight. Take your calls while you walk outside if possible. Take a break outside. Do whatever you can to get more natural sunlight and it may do wonders for your “happy chemicals.”
3. Exercise
Never underestimate the power of a great workout. It turns out that exercising can have some amazing benefits for your brain and your happy hormones.
Exercise seem to have the maximum benefits of raising serotonin in the brain.
Fatigue as a result of exercise increases the amounts tryptophan that can cross the blood-brain barrier and boosts serotonin production. Psychological benefits of physical exercise can be more readily achieved with consistent exercise training. Brain tryptophan remained high even after exercise.
4. Yoga and Meditation
Several clinical trials, and meta-analyses suggest that yoga and meditation may help uplift mood and improve symptoms of mild, moderate, and treatment-resistant depression.
In fact, meditation activates many parts of the brain important for understanding the self, emotions, problem-solving, adaptability, and increasing awareness. Serotonin plays a role in wakefulness, along with other neurotransmitters, which are all raised in meditators.
5. Music Therapy
Interestingly, music has been shown to increase neurotransmitters like serotonin. In fact, scientific studies on exposing the brain to melodic music (e.g. Mozart’s sonatas) increased the release of more serotonin in their brains.
6. Dance Therapy
An study of 40 students around the age of 16 who participated in dance movement had increased blood serotonin levels compared to the control group, not dancing.
7. Massage
Massage therapy is extremely effective at helping the body adapt better to stress .One study, in particular, showed that getting a massage does more than “rub sore shoulders.” It turns out that massage therapy can affect your brain chemistry.
In this study, they discovered that massage therapy decreased cortisol by 31% and increased serotonin by 28%, as well as increasing dopamine, your motivation neurotransmitter, by 31%.
Make regular “dates” for your own self-care and get a massage. You’ll find yourself much happier, less stressed, and in the long run far more productive because of it.
8. Acupuncture
In a randomized clinical trial, 75 women with fibromyalgia, acupuncture increased levels of serotonin in the serum, compared to placebo
Sutides proved that Acupuncture increased the amount of serotonin released by white blood cells.
9. Socializing & gratitude
Prioritize Social Engagement by socializing, be with people, make new friends or get together to eat or for a happy hour. There’s a physiological neuron transmitters release of oxytocin that only happens during personal interactions. Get yourself out of your shelf, out of your comfort zone and start interacting with people.\
Practice gratitude by taking a few minutes everyday to make a list of 10 things you’re grateful for. I do this everyday before bed and it became my “sweet dreams” ritual.
10. SEX: Keep your body reproductively active
Sex is anti-aging, immune-boosting and stress-reducing to name a few of the health benefits.
The endorphins released during sexual intercourse and orgasms are natural mood-boosters and stress relievers. Regular sex can also boost your self-esteem and increase intimacy between partners. For those in a monogamous relationship, studies have found that semen does contain several mood-altering hormones that can reduce depression and elevated mood.
It's also a natural pain reliever: Sex causes increased production of oxytocin, which is often referred to as the “love hormone”. Before orgasm, oxytocin, released from the brain, surges and is accompanied by the release of endorphins, our natural pain-killing hormones.
Let me hear your thoughts on those tactics 💪🏼😁 hello@anavbk.com
Stay fit and happy.
Ana VBK
NOTICE
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