Boost Your ‘Feel Good’ Hormones with These 8 Easy Steps

Rebecca Lewis January 19, 2017

Bad day? We all experience it once in a while. But did you know you have the power of inducing more happiness in your life no matter how tough your situation is? You can do this by boosting your ‘feel good’ hormones. And here are some easy ways to do just that:

Go outdoors.

Getting your daily dose of sunshine can significantly boost your mood by kick-starting the production of serotonin in your brain – the hormones that stimulate positive feelings. And even in there’s some cloud cover, you can still get vitamin D by going outdoors. So try to spend some time outdoors in the morning or afternoon. Treat it as a great opportunity to go somewhere beautiful and relax.

Cut down on your sugar intake.

Do you always crave for sugary food? If yes, chances are, you are low in serotonin. That is because insulin is needed in creating some of the components of serotonin. While eating sugary treats can quickly increase your insulin levels, they can backfire and cause serious damage to both your physical and mental health. For instance, it can lead to mood crash (as your insulin levels go up and down). You don’t just feel groggy after a sugar overload, you’d also feel less positive.

Practise self-care.

You should put self-care above anything else if you want to feel good all the time. Practising self-care doesn’t simply involve taking care of your outer look. It should most importantly include taking care of your emotional health, giving time to address your feelings, taking time off, and doing things that will improve your mental health.

Sweat it out.

Exercise does great wonders to your mental health. So try to squeeze in time for extra workouts within your week. Regular exercise instantly increases the amount of your feel-good hormones, leaving you feeling positive most of the time.

Boost your B vitamins.

You also want to up your intake of B vitamins, especially B12 and B6. Most people benefit from 50-100mg per day of vitamin B but do check with your GP to know how much your body needs.

Book a massage.

For many, there’s no better self-pampering tool that a good massage. You probably know that massage boosts one’s mood through releasing muscular tension. But it does more than that. Research shows that serotonin levels peak after a session and reduces cortisol (stress hormone) level by up to 30 per cent.

Revamp your diet.

What you eat affects how you think. So make sure you are feeding your body with nothing but the good stuff. Add more magnesium (which has been shown to influence mood) in your diet by eating green, leafy vegetables, fish, bananas, and beans.

Develop a more positive mind-set.

You can also influence your brain’s neurotransmitter production by working to change your attitude to life. Figure out what makes you feel good about yourself and the world around you, and do more of that! Spend more time with family and friends, travel, have fun, chill, and do the things you love. You have the power to influence what you feel. And you can always choose to feel good than to feel bad.

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