Hormones and neurotransmitters are involved in many essential processes, like heart rate and digestion, as well as your mood and feelings. They are the body\u2019s chemical messengers, and some of them are known for their ability to help people bond, feel joy and experience pleasure.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s boost some of the natural \u2018happiness hormones in your body by understanding the things we cannot control, and the aspects we can!<\/p>\n
Dopamine<\/strong><\/p>\n This happy hormone is a neurotransmitter that drives your brain\u2019s reward system. If you are acknowledged at work for performance, thanked for the extra effort you put in at home or achieved your exercise goals – you\u2019ll get a delicious dopamine hit, resulting in feeling happy, excited and stimulated, which, in turn, drives pleasure-seeking behaviour. Boost your dopamine levels by setting realistic tasks or goals and achieving them.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Serotonin<\/strong><\/p>\n This hormone (and neurotransmitter) helps regulate your mood as well as your sleep, appetite, digestion, learning ability, and memory. When we trigger Serotonin, we can help reduce the symptoms of depression. The most effective and natural way to boost Serotonin is by exercising daily. Exercise not only keeps us fit and healthy but also protects us from disease and degeneration. Save 20 minutes for a brisk walk, run, bike ride, or other physical activity – it does wonders for your mood.<\/p>\n Carbohydrates increase serotonin levels, which partly explains why we crave sweet, starchy foods when we are feeling down. Manage this by eating healthier options such as dark chocolate \u2013 in moderation!<\/p>\n Oxytocin<\/strong><\/p>\n This hormone is often called \u201cthe love hormone\u201d and can help to promote trust, empathy, and bonding in relationships. Hugs and kisses between humans can be used to display love, kindness, protection and lust. To increase your Oxytocin, spend time being kind, caring and having fun with family, friends and your pets. This will help stimulate \u00a0Oxytocin – and feel the love!<\/p>\n Endorphins<\/strong><\/p>\n Endorphins are your body\u2019s natural pain reliever, which your body produces in response to stress or discomfort. Once you remove the pain part of the equation, endorphins can feel like a \u201chigh\u201d or even just a nice relaxing feeling.<\/p>\n Endorphin levels also tend to increase when you engage in reward-producing activities, such as spending time outdoors, eating or working out. It\u2019s even been argued that endorphins cause the joyful feeling you get from deep belly laughs! The contracting of stomach muscles is enough \u201cpain\u201d to release a few feel-good endorphins into your body!<\/p>\n If you feel consistently unhappy or experiencing stress and anxiety, please speak to a professional counsellor at LifeAssist now.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hormones and neurotransmitters are involved in many essential processes, like […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12815,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[239,42],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12809","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2021-july-articles","category-your-wellness-body"],"yoast_head":"\n