Joy is a feeling of peaceful presence and satisfaction that can only be achieved from natural human behaviours. The more closely we align our daily lifestyles with those of our ancestors, the more joy we feel. Our brain chemistry provides a straightforward path.
I struggled greatly with an unhealthy lifestyle full of addiction and went on a journey to heal my mind. I began to experiment on myself, using my research experience and insight into brain chemicals, and quickly saw changes in my confidence, energy and stress levels. Now experienced by more than 50,000 people, the DOSE Effect (which aims to balance dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin and endorphin levels in the brain) is a simple process guiding us towards how humans originally spent their time.
So many of us have low levels of these chemicals. Low dopamine levels are caused by addictive behaviours (including smartphone use). Low oxytocin levels are caused by lack of connection. Low serotonin levels are linked to a disconnect from our human instinct. And low levels of endorphins are caused by sedentary lifestyles. But working with your brain
will enable you to manage addictions, build confi dence and become motivated to live a healthy, purposeful life.
START STRONG
The most important thing is how you start your day. I have to see sunlight before social media every morning. I go for a short walk and think about yesterday and the day ahead, taking some time to clear through unwanted thoughts and plan how to make today a great day.
I aim to exercise every day. On days I am tired, I simply walk. On days I have more energy, I go to the gym or play tennis for 30 to 60 minutes. In every city I travel to, I open Google or Apple Maps and look for the nearest green space, then look for a moment in my day
when I can spend five to 15 minutes there. I make it part of my daily plan to ensure I get this time in a green space, phone-free.
COVID transformed our relationship with technology. With the release of TikTok and the short-form video format, our dopamine levels began to spike and crash like never before, and our phone addictions grew. Coupled with fast-increasing loneliness, this created a great deal of mental health difficulty.
I love social media. The key is reducing the frequency and duration of our scrolls. I use an app called OneSec – it makes me wait 10 seconds for Instagram to open, reducing the
mindless, unwanted scrolling and checking. I also have three designated ‘social media moments’ every day – at 10am, 3pm and 8pm.
Over-using our smartphones damages our dopamine system. And when dopamine levels crash after a spike, dynorphin is released,
creating feelings of psychological pain which lead to depressive behaviours. The same process occurs when we eat sugary foods or play video games – activities giving us immediate pleasure.
Working with your brain will enable you to manage addictions, build confidence and become motivated
SEROTONIN SEEKERS
To manage this, we must allow our brains to spend time in a ‘serotonin state’. Serotonin is the molecule of peace and energy. We increase it with morning sunlight, walking in nature, resting regularly and eating natural wholefoods.
Eliminating ultra-processed foods (UPF) from your diet is one of the most powerful ways to transform your mental health. UPFs spike and crash dopamine levels in a similar way to social media and can make it harder for our gut microbes to produce serotonin.
Natural, whole foods like fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, meat, fi sh and eggs are the best sources of tyrosine and tryptophan, the amino acids that convert into dopamine and serotonin.
Then of course there’s oxytocin: the love molecule. To optimise human connection in today’s digital age, there are four key principles to bear in mind: maintain eye contact, engage in active listening, use physical touch where appropriate – and put your phone away.
