Dopamine is a Savior

I’m all about happiness. And if you talk to me regularly or are on my classes platform, you know how much I believe that happiness is a choice. A decision. You decide you are going to be happy. Some days – specially now with this whole crisis, choosing happiness can be a choice you just say, “NOPE…today I’m going to stay in bed because I can.”

What Dopamine is?

“Dopamine is one of the “feel good” chemicals in our brain. Interacting with the pleasure and reward center of our brain, dopamine — along with other chemicals like serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins — plays a vital role in how happy we feel. In addition to our mood, dopamine also affects movement, memory, and focus.

Human contact triggers dopamine – so if you like hugs, there is a reason for this! It gives you more dopamine. So HUG EVERYONE. Just be careful not to breathe in germs…ugh…our new normal.

EAT

I bet you didn’t know that Tyrosine is the building block of dopamine….(me neither) And Tyrosine is found in the following foods:

• Almonds
• Avocados
• Bananas
• Beef
• Chicken
• Chocolate – we knew this one!
• Coffee – with flavored creamer? AMEN!
• Eggs
• Green Tea – this is the kitchen sink of herb stuff.
• Milk
• Watermelon
• Yogurt

Other Crap

Exercise, Sleep, Meditate, Laugh, watch something funny on youtube – like those cat bloopers? – do something creative from like Pinterest or the cooking channel. All of these things can trigger dopamine and bring on happiness in your own soul. And who doesn’t want to feel better when the husband is gone or off doing something else?

And really, if you were a bug in the sky and had a chance to fly over to where he is living…I guarantee you will see him doing the SAME thing he would be doing at your house. NOTHING. Nothing exciting that is.

Was he exciting with you?

No.

Well…then…that’s what he is over there…or wherever he is.

Everyone always assumes just because he is not home with you means he’s out having a party. ?? Was he a party when he was with you? Well then he’s not some party animal now that he’s not with you.

If he slept till 12 noon on a Saturday by you…he’s doing the same thing wherever he is.

Men don’t change. They may think they are for like a day…but they don’t. They are creatures of habit. If he was boring at your house – he’s boring elsewhere.

Period.

So he may get a dose of it if he wandered into the arms of someone new. New people, new places, new things all bring on dopamine. But stress, like being away from home, hurting his kids and hurting you, will crash the dose of dopamine into smithereens! (yeah!) And then a low feeling of “alone” comes rushing in (more yeahs!). And those low feelings bring low testosterone.

The “Male” thing

Dopamine brings testosterone. And since most men at 50 only have 1/2 of what they did at 18, a new “something” makes them feel alive. For a little while. Till they see what they have done and then they become depressed and no matter how much this new person is around, nothing fixes the loss and depression.

So time to worry about YOU! YOU!! YOU!!! figure out how to get the dopamine rocking in your system and you’ll be on your way to a happy place soon.