What the Heck is DOSE and why does everybody need it in their life?
DOSE stands for Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin, Endorphins and are neurotransmitters, often called the "feel-good hormones" that are responsible for our feelings of happiness. Our brains are wired for survival, when we do something good, we are rewarded with good feelings. For example, we need to eat to survive, so our bodies trigger dopamine when we eat good food.
When all four of these neurotransmitters are created, we feel good, which leads to motivation, which leads to productivity and so on. Long story short...we need to trigger these on a daily basis to create happiness. When we lack one or more of these, this leads to feeling lethargic, unmotivated, anxious, depressed...you get the idea.
How do we create DOSE Daily?
I always say, in order to bake a cake, you need the ingredients and you need to do the action (mixing and baking). Same with DOSE...we need nutrients in our body to CREATE each element. Once we have the ingredients, we need to take ACTIONS to trigger them.
Exercise is a power-booster for your mood. When you grab an exercise buddy, you’re getting the full DOSE.
As you exercise, you are creating happy chemicals and the increased circulation moves them around your body, like when you put oil in your car and drive it around a bit to get it moving through the system. Your blood starts pumping and the machine works out all the kinks.
What is DOSE?
DOSE stands for Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin, Endorphins. These are the mood-boosting Happy Chemicals that are created in your body to reward you with good feelings for doing something good for your survival. Here is a basic breakdown of each one:
Huggers are happier people. As a non-hugger, introvert who would rather be by myself reading a book, I can see the truth in this. I am content by myself, but content is not the same as happy. When I began to be intentional about giving hugs, it magically changed me!
We need human contact to survive
A little girl named Brittany proved this to me. When I met Brittany, she was 13 years old. She was placed in the foster care program after they found her neglected in a crib in a drug house. For FOUR YEARS she was left in that crib, never picked up and rocked, never allowed to run around. They basically propped up a bottle and left her there.
Brittany’s adopted mother was the most amazing person I’ve met. You see, Brittany was in a wheel chair and wasn’t expected to have a very long life. Her mother adopted her and committed to showing her absolute love for what little time she had left.
Our happy hormones run on solar power. Just like the solar panels on your house, our skin soaks up the rays and creates the chemicals in our body that are responsible for boosting our mood.
The simple act of standing in the sunlight for 15 minutes each day can do SO MUCH including:
- Increasing vitamin D production
- Helping you sleep better
- Improving your mood
- Strengthening bones
- Lower blood pressure
What do you do when the sun isn't shining?
In the winter months when we have decreased sunlight, many people suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD. Since we are not exposed to sunlight, our vitamin D and serotonin tend to decrease. There are a few options to turn your frown upside down.
If you want to change the world, start by making your bed. This is one of my favorite motivational speeches by … He is SPOT ON with this advice.
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