It’s February and love is in the air! It’s also in your brain chemistry! But what if you just aren’t feeling very ‘lovey’ these day? Maybe instead of ‘lovey’ you are feeling exhausted, overwhelmed or you are sitting in brain fog every day. That’s not ‘feelin’ the love’ is it? I know, I know you so desperately want to say, “You’re my favorite” to your loved one. But instead you do everything you can to eek out a solid “Meh” when asked to go out and have some fun. What gives, girlfriend?
The answer to feeling a bit more like ‘love’ is to look at our brain chemistry. You see our body is a masterful machine that is centered on the brain. Without the brain nothing would be happening, and I mean absolutely nothing. But…when things are out of whack, the last thing we think about is being sexy and being in love. Instead we are plagued with daydreams of jammie pants and ice cream at the end of the day.
We have all kinds of neurotransmitters that help to make us tick. They are your brain’s central messaging system and help to regulate digestion, mood, libido and way more! But if there is an imbalance, and typically there is, we might not be feeling quite right. We might be suffering from depression, anxiety, adhd and lack of love and connection.
To keep things simple, I’m going to focus on endorphins ‘the love chemical’ and dopamine the reward pathway. When two people fall in love a surge of endorphins is released (along with other hormones and neurotransmitters). Endorphins help us to create bonds with each other. Without those bonds we sometimes are left feeling empty and alone. Furthermore, when you do things together Dopamine gets released. This energizes us and makes us say ‘hey, that was fun…let’s do it again!”
Now, I bet you are thinking, “I want more endorphins and dopamine!”. But first let’s take a look at what interrupted the endorphin balance in the first place. You may or may not be shocked to know that stress and pain cause an endorphin and dopamine imbalance. The two very things that are often present in relationships and let’s be honest, in everyday life. When I talk about pain it can be defined in two ways. There is emotional pain and physical pain. The brain doesn’t always understand the difference between the two. For example, when someone is in emotional pain they may feel more physical pain. Alternatively when someone is in physical pain they may be more sensitive to emotional pain and round and round we go.
So how can you improve endorphin and dopamine balance? The answer is easier than you think. The first thing to look at is how to manage your stress better. Now this might seem overwhelming at first, so let’s make it a little easier. Look at the things in your life within three categories: accept, change or leave behind. Take an inventory of what you need to accept (fully and completely), things that you need to change (about yourself) and what you need to leave behind (relationships, jobs, negative thinking). Once you have that list then go ahead and create some ‘micro’ goals. Create one BIG goal and then 10 minute micro goals around the big goal that you will do every day to get to the big goal. For instance if I have a big goal of exercise a micro goal would be doing 10 squats every time I go to the bathroom.
The next way to improve endorphins is to focus on nutrition. Not only will good nutrition help reduce your body’s stress load but it will also help encourage more endorphins. You are in luck because dark chocolate and strawberries encourage endorphin release (just in time for Valentine’s Day). Also animal protein encourages endorphins and helps to stabilize your blood sugar which will give you more drive and energy. The amino acid supplement DLPA or DPA also encourages endorphin release. Additionally the amino acid L-Tyrosine works to improve dopamine. If you are sensitive to emotional or physical pain, cry or tear up easily or even use substances or food for numbing or rewarding yourself then you might have an endorphin imbalance.
In summary stress and pain can cause endorphin imbalance. To correct this imbalance reduce stress through exercise, diet and amino acid supplementation. As with any supplement recommendation, please ask your doctor first.
Thanks for reading this blog! Feel free to reach out to me directly for more brain chemistry info!
Drteralyn@drteralyn.com
