DAY 29 - LET’S GET CHEMICAL!

Day 29
Of course, our attitude toward life has an impact on our state of mind. However, we can also help increase our happiness by choosing foods and activities that will promote the release of serotonin and dopamine in our brain. These two neurotransmitters both play a role in enhancing the feeling of well-being.

Many foods contain tryptophan which, when taken, will allow the release of serotonin in the brain: turkey, flaxseed/ flaxseed oil, bananas, eggs, salmon, herring, sardines, sour cherries, free range beef, and, my personal favorite, dark chocolate! I finally have an excuse to eat it every single day! Research shows that eating a little piece of chocolate a containing at least 60 % to 75% of cocoa, not only helps in improving the mood, but it also decreases blood pressure, anxiety and fatigue! Hurray!

On the other hand, some food may have the opposite effect: wheat gluten, artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, which can block the formation of serotonin and cause headaches, insomnia, and depression, saturated fats, all forms of sugar, caffeine, alcohol, and processed foods.

As for physical activity, there’s no way around it, it has been proven: regular exercise is a natural mood booster and the easiest way to elevate your energy levels as well! Why doesn’t everybody just do it then? When I get physically active, whether it is an intense workout, yoga exercises or just a brisk walk, I always feel so much better. So what is stopping me? Mentally, it is not always easy to get going! I always seem to find something else to do: food shopping, laundry, cooking, etc.… But, if I’m going to work towards maximizing my happiness, I have to exercise regularly!

There are other joy enhancers… for instance, sunlight. This is why when you go down south, although people might suffer from poverty, they just seem to naturally have such a joie de vivre. It comes with the territory. Sleep is also important in the production of serotonin. Getting an uninterrupted 7 to 8 hour night sleep benefits the mind and the body! (I think someone should share this information with my daughters who seem to regularly come and see me in the middle of the night!) And of course, meditation…

There are so many things we can do to increase our well-being… It is just a matter of making conscious joy-enhancing choices, not only on a spiritual and psychological level, but also on a more practical chemical level!