How chemistry affects your emotions
Have you ever noticed how two people in the same situation may react differently? One might become sad, while the other gets angry? This is because we all have different ratios of hormones, endorphins and neurotransmitters creating different chemical reactions. This cocktail inside of us needs constant tending or we become imbalanced in our emotions.
When you're needing to move from an emotion of worry or grief, you're needing a different chemistry to bring yourself into balance. When you have an awareness that your habitual thinking and reactions are affecting your chemistry, you can consciously make different decisions about how you want to feel. With practice, it gets easier to maintain balance or bring yourself back into balance when life happens.
To bring yourself into to a feeling of JOY, you need to activate oxytocin with cuddles. Give yourself a hug if no-one else is around.
Endorphins are activated by gentle exercise and laughter - those silly cat videos are actually good for you.
Seratonin is activated by having a gratitude practice. Journalling is a great way to acknowledge daily all the things you have to be grateful for.
Dopamine is activated by being motivated. When you set new goals for yourself make sure to set new ones just before you accomplish the ones in play to keep yourself motivated.
WORRY needs the neurotransmitter GABA to help calm your brain and gut receptors. Meditation and relaxation, even a magnesium bath, are all good to relax the body and mind.
When you have a feeling of GRIEF your body is producing too much cortisol and this stresses your body out even more. It is ok to feel uncomfortable and to grieve but not to stay in this state chronically. Do mouth and eye stretches in opposite directions and practice smiling.
FEAR produces too much adrenalin, cortisol and glutamate. Calm yourself by bringing your awareness to your breath and allowing your body to be breathed. Don't try to force or control your breath. You will naturally start to breathe a little deeper by having your awareness on your breath. The deeper breath will energetically allow the diaphragm to massage the adrenal glands and calm down their response.
When you are feeling ANGRY you are producing too much adrenalin and noradrenalin. Reducing stimulants like black tea, coffee and alcohol allows you to modulate this response. Twisting at the waist gives your liver (livid!) a gentle massage and allows you to gain a different perspective.
Flat footed bouncing is a wonderful exercise to do throughout your day to strengthen your body, detoxify the lymph, boost your immunity and make you feel great to be alive!