Welcome back to my blog – Thank you for setting aside the time to engage with me today I truly appreciate it.
So today, I want to begin with an introduction on what serotonin actually is and how we can use serotonin to enable us to return to our true authentic selves.
Serotonin is a hormone that influences our entire body, as it is central to our ability to cope on a day-to-day basis. When we have a constant flow of serotonin we feel happy, in control and motivated to look after ourselves and others around us. We are able to be rational, see the positive aspects of our lives, and will actively seek ways to improve on our overall well-being.
Some of you feel this way quite often on a normal day-to-day basis and prioritise self-care. When we do this there is a constant flow of serotonin, we feel as if we are thriving getting the most out of life and are genuinely content.
However, this is not the case for many of us, in fact, one in four of us (NHS.uk) live in a state of constant worry and having a low mood, constantly getting caught up in negative thoughts, unhealthy behaviours impacting on our overall well-being and ability to cope with the events of our ever-increasing busy lives.
We look at self-care as a luxury, an item way down near the bottom of our “to-do” list that we never seem to get to.
This all affects the level of serotonin flowing through our bodies with our minds switching to our “Fight or Flight” mode and sending stress hormones throughout our bodies instead.
So what’s stopping this flow of serotonin and why are we feeling this way for the majority of the time?
The length of time we feel rational and in a state of “thriving” depends on our thought processes and reactions to the events happening in our lives. .
As we get caught up in the daily cycle of work, family responsibilities, to do lists we may notice our moods, motivation and general feeling of being well and happy start to decrease. We can begin to feel overwhelmed as if we are losing our ability to cope with all that is going on around us.
Instead of thriving, we go into autopilot mode and feel like we are barely surviving the day collapsing into our beds at night and our sleep quality is being affected too as we find it hard to quieten our busy minds. We may begin to feel constantly exhausted and switch from feeling really tired towards feelings of anxiety, stress and worry.
We know we need to stop and take time. We know there are issues in our head that are weighing us down that we need to address but we keep shelving these. Distraction and avoidance in dealing with these issues comes in the form of Netflix binge watches, scrolling Instagram stories and Facebook posts, unhealthy eating,sleeping and drinking habits to name but a few.
We are prioritising these distractions on top of our own mental well-being whilst at the same time negatively affecting our sleep patterns. We are unknowingly adding to the problem instead of trying to address it.
Even when we find a day that we do want to start looking at why we feel out of sorts, we can still be feeling exhausted, mentally drained, anxious, depressed and having a lack of control. We don't know where to start.
The Internet with all its benefits as well as its distractions is filled with a wrath of differing viewpoints and there’s no shortage of self-help books out there. With today's modern technology advances we have podcasts, TV shows, webinars the list is endless, where do you even begin to start...
Most of these are all set with the best intentions and can be extremely helpful and informative. We know deep down that maybe starting some exercise, talking to a friend, starting to go to bed early or eating healthier is the right thing to do. However, we are just not in the right head space emotionally to do it.
We know intellectually what is good for us but we don't have the time, motivation, or even the ability to prioritise ourselves enough to do it. The first step forward to anything in life is our mindset once our thinking is right everything else will follow.
So how do we start to improve our thoughts and emotions towards developing mentally healthy behaviours?
Well like everything in life simplicity is the key. Once we strip everything back to our own natural instincts that lie deep within us the answers to our issues begin to emerge. Once we start truly listening to ourselves, we start to discover what brings us joy and what our true purpose is.
The best thing is that all our answers are unique, as we are all magnificently unique and remarkable human beings. We all have the power and the ability to be the person we truly want to be, the person who we really wanted to be in our younger years.
Books, TV, podcasts etc. can all provide some helpful directions once we have decided on the path we want to take. However, before reaching for these we need to go right back to what makes us truly happy and content in the first place.
The great thing about this as the best ones are normally free and can be easily accessed and don’t take up too much of our time. Ask yourself what brings you joy, if you could take 5 minutes for yourself today to perhaps start to begin a self-care practice what would that be?
Take some time to have a good think about the things that you love and make you happy. Once we establish these, we can begin taking small daily incremental steps enabling us to find our true joy in discovering what we really love and want to do in our lives.
I have called these steps “Serotonin Solutions” and will be discussing these more in upcoming blogs. These steps will enable you develop a constant flow of serotonin to help you feel motivated, content and increase your ability to cope with life on a day to day basis where you are thriving instead of merely surviving in auto pilot mode.
At Serotonin Solutions, I aim to simplify the process, as life has got too complex that we drown out the answers that will help us start to improve our own well-being. The busyness of our daily lives and the constant negative chatter going on in our heads has drowned out the instincts and knowing of our inner self, the person we truly are and are born to be.
I also shed light on the workings of our mind as we cannot begin to impact change until we understand how and why we developed these feelings of anxiety, depression, stress, lack of confidence, self-esteem and even direction in life in the first place.
My hope in doing this is to let you know you are not alone and through ‘Serotonin Solutions’ I aim to provide a resource where you can find help and support and encouragement to enable you to live the life you want to live and become the person you truly want to be.
In my next blog, I will provide some insights on how our mind works and what causes us to move from feeling like we are thriving to simply just surviving. This understanding will build a foundation and empower you to take the first step and begin to improve your emotional well-being.
A return to your true authentic self begins here..
To find out more visit the Serotonin Solutions website that contains helpful information and resources that can help you start living a life free from the negative issues you may be experiencing at present..
I look forward to engaging with you all soon!
Tara x