Happiness

I just listened to a podcast that introduced me to the concept that ‘happiness is not felt yesterday, or tomorrow, but can only be experienced in the present’. The more I sit and reflect

on this the more it seems a bit obvious, but on first exposure to the idea my heart was opened. Of course, we can reflect on happy memories and feel a sense of happiness, but that though process is happening in the now. We can visualize what we think the future has in store for us and feel happy, but again that thought is happening in the now.

Happy in the brain

I like to try and break things down into felt and embodied experiences, what can I say it’s what I do.

Yesterday, when I first heard this message, my 1st thought was what am I doing to cultivate my own happiness (which we’ll go into later), so I went into nature and went for a walk. There is a local mere that I love to walk around, it’s fairly short so I can do it in a half an hour, I am surrounded by trees, water, birds, and it is my happy place. As a counsellor, my work can be a bit heavy sometimes and I need a place to let go of the pain and stories of my clients because carrying that around does nobody any good. As I began to walk my footsteps felt heavy and my posture wasn’t great, so I consciously straightened my back and breathed in deeply through my nose, slowly out my mouth and began to centre myself into the sounds and sites around me. This conscious decision to be present began to relax me and soon I was lost in the moment of the beautiful nature, not thinking, just enjoying the moment, and as I did this my footsteps became lighter, my pace increased and before I knew it, I was walking along smiling to myself. Fantastic right? The wonderful thing about our bodies is that they want us to feel good and if something feels good, it wants us to do more of it, so when an experience is good our bodies have a chemical response that is used to build more neural pathways that encourage us to do more of that good thing! So let’s look at these happy chemicals.

Dopamine (the reward molecule)

This is released when you’ve achieved something, it floods your body and you get that sense of fulfilment and pleasure. This not only happens when you hit huge goals but also the smallest ones, so you can encourage the release of dopamine by implementing very small manageable goals into your day. Our brains are so good at encouraging us, that it recognizes when you are doing things that have released this chemical in the past so will motivate you do more of that thing. Dopamine motivates us because it affects concentration, sleep and our ability to remember information, which is why depressed people with low levels of dopamine have trouble with these very things.

The problem is there are lots of things that aren’t so good for us that release dopamine, including things like sugar and illegal drugs, which can play a role in how these habits are formed. Just remember, if it can help reinforce a bad habit it can help reinforce a good one, so if you are struggling break up your bigger goals into small manageable ones. For example, if your end goals is being fitter, or overcoming the anxiety that is keeping your from leaving the house? Then make a small goal to walk out the front door and to the corner and back, if that’s too big then just open the door and step outside, yes that is enough! Don’t forget to reward yourself for your met goals!

So yesterday, I heard my body begging me to take a break and enjoy the sun, so I listened and as I walked and allowed my senses to take in the moment, my brain released the dopamine that brought that smile on my face and the sense of achievement and pleasure that came with it!

Oxytocin (the cuddle chemical)

This chemical is release during, you guessed it, human contact. It is used to build bonds and healthy trusting relationships, because our chances of survival are better when we work together (I love this). For example, this chemical is released during skin to skin contact with a new baby, during breastfeeding, and during orgasm. Don’t worry though, these aren’t the only ways to increase levels of oxytocin, levels are also increased by eye contact, receiving a gift, or being made to feel special by another person or animal (so yes being greeted by your loving excited dog can increase your levels of oxytocin!)

Recently, a study was conducted at Duke University, that found that by administering oxytocin to the participants a sense of connectedness to a high power and to the self was increased. The participants reported feelings a greater sense of awe and a feeling of being connected on a universal level. This makes me think that some spiritual practice like prayer, meditation, and connected to nature might also increase my bodies release of this happy chemical. In other words, by learning to love ourselves, by breaking through past experiences and traumas and connecting to our purest form of self, we can experience the effects of ‘the cuddle chemical’.

Back to my walk yesterday, I chose to consciously engage with nature, to breath it in and note the smells, sights and sounds, I felt connected to something so much bigger than myself and I could have been rewarded with a release of oxytocin, wow!

Serotonin (the happy chemical)

This is the chemical that helps us to feel confident, significant and valued. it is closely linked to our moods, so if you feel great, you probably have higher levels of this chemical, if you feel low, you would be expected to have lower levels of this chemical. Serotonin motivates us to put ourselves into situations where we are made to feel respected or in high esteem, so you will challenge yourself to things that make you feel a sense of accomplishment. The problem is this can cause us to act in unhealthy ways that boost a false sense of belonging that tricks our bodies into releases serotonin, the key is to connect to self and learning to focus on your own self-worth to encourage the releases of serotonin.

People with high serotonin levels are more likely to be able to handle feelings like rejection, so you can imagine the effect of this on a person with low serotonin levels. SSRI’s (serotonin re-uptake inhibitors), have been thought to be the cure for depressions as they are designed to keep serotonin in the synaptic gap for longer than the body would naturally allow, but SSRI’s don’t work on everyone, so it is not the universal cure it was once believed to be.

Yesterday, I took the time to listen to my body, I showed it that I value my own needs and respect my body’s ability to tell me what it needs; and I was rewarded with a release of this happy hormone. Perhaps, even the memory of the moment has created a new neural pathway which is allowing the memory to keep that chemical coming, and in turn I still have that smile on my face today.

Endorphins (Pain-killing chemical)

This chemical is quite literally ‘self-produced morphine’, it is our bodies way of protecting us and making sure that we can still function, even during injury, enough to ensure survival. Our body releases endorphin as a response to pain and physical activity, and I mean any activity, even laughing or stretching can release a stream of endorphins. The great thing about endorphins is it gives us the ability to power through difficult situations, which is why it helps alleviate the symptoms of emotional distress like depression or anxiety.

So literally, the act of walking through nature, getting my bloody pumping and moving my body released endorphins throughout my body. This increased my mood and my energy levels, and it was a fantastic  mid-day boost, I always encourage my clients to get up and move if possible, stretch walk to the end of the room and back, anything to get your body moving at least every hour!

Cultivating happiness

I suppose what I’ve learned, is that I can’t find happiness, it’s not something I can buy or seek, but it is something that I can accumulate and there are things that I can do to encourage my own happiness. The fact is, if we spend too much time in the past, we are never going to feel truly happy in the present. If we spend too much time in the future, be it preparing or planning, we are never going to be happy in the moment. Of course, we can do these things, we can reflect on the past, we can plan for our future, but I’m beginning to see, that consciously engaging in the now is the glue that is going to bring all of this together. We cannot find happiness but seeing how our body responds to some things means that we can do the thing that encourages that response. Move your body, engage with yourself, try to get to know yourself, love yourself, engage with nature, seek connections with people and nature, there are so many possibilities!

I’m not always in a happy go lucky mood, my job means that I hear a lot of really difficult things, and sometimes it feels a bit hard to shake. Except, I realised, very early on in my career, that by carving out time to be with myself and doing the things that bring me joy (and chemical reactions) I can come back to happy time and time again.

References

Van Cappellen, P., Way, B. M., Isgett, S. F., & Fredrickson, B. L. (2016). Effects of oxytocin administration on spirituality and emotional responses to meditation. Social cognitive and affective neuroscience, 11(10), 1579-1587.

Hampden, D, (17 May 2017), How Happy Happens in Your Brain. The Best brain Possible.

Bergland C, (29 Nov 2012). The Neurochemicals of Happiness. Psychologist Today.