The brain has its own team of hormones to “boost” us, naturally improving mood and energy.
The brain has its own team of hormones to “boost” us, naturally improving mood and energy.
The brain has its dream team of hormones to naturally boost mood and energy. You just need to know how to stimulate them. Here’s how.
Simona GOUCHAN
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When winter sets in, our minds sometimes struggle to keep up. Fortunately, a few simple steps are enough to revive vitality and cheerfulness. British neuroscientist TJ Power, a leading figure on social media (with nearly 900,000 Instagram followers), shows in his book “The Right Dose” (a clever acronym for dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins), published by Marabout, how to stimulate the hormones of happiness.
American psychiatrist Georgia Ede, a Harvard-trained specialist in nutrition and metabolism, reminds us in “Nourish Your Brain, Heal Your Mind” (published by Thierry Souccar) that food remains central to psychological well-being. Anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, attention or memory problems… brain chemistry is built upon food choices. Providing essential nutrients, avoiding those that cause stress, and, metabolically, maintaining healthy blood sugar and insulin levels are all crucial. Between simple routines and balanced menus, these two complementary approaches help us get through the cold season with a clear mind and in good spirits.
Regain Motivation and Energy with Dopamine.
Notifications, likes, endless videos… the brain runs on dopamine, the molecule of vitality and motivation. But, constantly bombarded with stimuli for everything and anything, the dopaminergic circuits become depleted. The result: we get bored easily, we procrastinate, we feel drained. Contrary to popular belief, dopamine is not the pleasure molecule, but the one that drives us to act, learn, and create. For our ancestors, every effort (hunting, lighting a fire, building a shelter…) brought a slow but lasting reward, emphasizes TJ Power. Today, a simple click or a like is enough to trigger a mini-dopamine rush, a fleeting pleasure that, in the long run, dulls the desire to act.
