Let’s pretend you are a hiker or someone who enjoys camping. Through this performance let’s imagine you are wet, cold, and tired. As an outdoors person, you begin the process of starting a campfire to help warm you up and dry you up. You can start a fire with one log, that fire will be small and the likelihood that the fire does the job is not inconceivable. But now let’s pretend that other hikers/ campers have joined you and are also looking to warm up and dry up. Do you think one log will be enough?
One log can be used to start a fire, but that one log will only last so long. But if you add multiple logs you have now created an environment that can help warm you up and keep you warm, that can help make you dry, you have now turned your campfire into a bonfire capable of providing warmth, comfort, and a place for kinship and universality.
Within our practice of Bright Idea Counseling, we believe in this framework. We believe that for therapy to be most effective we must work as a team to achieve treatment goals and objectives. Our practice operates like this just as our bodies work like this to help us feel motivated, happy, and effective in our daily lives.
The best way to change is through education and learning. This article will help to introduce the super team working within our bodies behind the scenes to help us incite positive feelings and help keep us motivated and happy.
Dopamine:
Dopamine, sometimes referred to as the rewarding chemical or the feel-good hormone, is a neurotransmitter (a chemical messenger that your body can’t function without) that communicates messages from the nerve cells in your brain to the rest of your body. This chemical is released in your brain when you are doing something pleasurable or that makes you happy when you accomplish a goal, and when you anticipate a reward.
Dopamine is involved in many systems within the body and directly impacts several different functions. Dopamine is involved in cognitive function and motor control, motivation, decision-making and impulse control, memory, and attention.
Serotonin:
Serotonin, sometimes referred to as the feel-good hormone or the mood stabilizer, is another neurotransmitter that communicates messages from the nerve cells in your brain to the rest of your body, similar to dopamine. Serotonin is best known for its ability to boost mood while also being essential for digestion, sleep, and brain function. Serotonin also helps to influence learning, memory, and happiness. It also helps to regulate body temperature, sleep, sexual behavior, and hunger.
Oxytocin:
Oxytocin, often referred to as the love hormone aka the cuddle chemical, is a hormone that contributes key aspects to the male and female reproductive systems. Oxytocin plays a role in labor and delivery as well as lactation. The cuddle chemical also is involved in human behavior and social interactions such as sexual arousal, recognition, trust/generosity, romantic attachments, and parent-child bonding. Research has linked the release of oxytocin to life satisfaction levels. Oxytocin also acts as a neurotransmitter that helps regulate stress responses and helps to calm our nervous system.
Endorphins:
We have arrived at the final member of this super team. Sometimes referred to as “the pain killer” or “the runner’s hormone,” endorphins are hormones that are released by the body when it feels pain and stress, this is the body’s natural pain killer. Endorphins are also known as “feel-good chemicals” due to how they can make a person feel better and help improve an individual’s state of mind. The body releases endorphins to help a person survive. This phenomenon is often referred to by athletes as “endorphin high” or “runners high.” This is when an athlete can push their body to the point of pain and discomfort but continue to push as the pain is masked by a euphoric feeling. Endorphins are also released during enjoyable activities such as eating, sex, working out, and rewarding experiences.
This is the super team within our bodies that helps promote happiness, pleasure, and motivation while also working to reduce stress, depression, and anxiety. Remember, happiness is within your reach but it does require personal growth and work.
Our super team is made up of those neurotransmitters that together are unstoppable heroes! While they will not appear on the big screen of your local movie theater, they play out in our lives behind the background but very much present themselves daily in various ways. Let’s dive to better understand ‘Captain S’ aka Serotonin and ways we can be mindful and proactive in making sure this hero is not alone.
What is Serotonin and What Does it Do?
Serotonin, being a neurotransmitter, is like a train on a railroad stopping and dropping off passengers, or chemicals, along the way. These chemicals that are released are absorbed providing different benefits and serving different purposes.
- It helps to clot blood where a cut or opening on the skin occurs
- It helps to regulate sleep
- It affects libido
- It has a role in our learning and memory abilities
- It helps with digestion
- It regulates anxiety and depressive moods
To add it up, serotonin influences our mood, eating and digestion, sleep, and our ability to learn and take in information around us. Now let’s look into effective ways to naturally boost serotonin levels.
3 Ways to Naturally Boost Serotonin Levels:
Sun: Research has shown us that 15-30 minutes of sun per day can naturally boost serotonin and as a bonus, vitamin D. Certain individuals lack vitamin D due to their region and their genetics. For those who struggle to get some sun due to the climate region, research has shown phototherapeutic light-boxes, which can be found online, provide benefits of boosting serotonin and vitamin D.- Exercise and Healthy Balanced Diet: Ever check in with yourself after exercising? You may feel tired, sweaty, and maybe even a little sore if it has been a while but hopefully you feel proud or good about your decision to exercise and that often is a result of serotonin increase due to physical movement. Be mindful of your limitations, consult with your doctor or specialist, and find a routine that works for you but whatever you do, try to move! A balanced diet specifically including foods with tryptophan such as eggs, cheeses, nuts, turkey, salmon, tofu, and some fruits can bump our levels. You can always try discussing your specific needs with your doctor or a nutritionist.
- Meditation: There is a reason why this practice has been around for centuries. It is a helpful way to increase serotonin and other health benefits such as lowering blood pressure and managing stress and excessive worry that goes hand in hand with anxiety and depression. Start with several minutes at a time and if you find it hard to get started there are plenty of great YouTube videos and apps to get you started.
Being mindful of our serotonin levels and doing things to boost or regulate it can boost our mental and physical health. Serotonin levels can be tested by your primary doctor or psychiatrist who can discuss medication such as an SSRI. Yet, medication is not the only option or can be combined with therapy as everyday stressful events can impact our mood, the way we eat, or the way we perceive ourselves and the world around us. If you feel you can
benefit from learning more about our brain chemistry and ways to implement strategies or coping skills please reach out to us for a free 15-minute consultation to see if therapy can provide you with additional support.
