Out of snacks and finished Netflix?
After the first few weeks of lockdown, I’ve resorted to bolting my fridge shut and had the password to my Netflix account selected by the auto-selector only to not save it to my keychain…
It seems to me that the nation is divided by those who are accomplishing all sorts of DIY projects and physical feats in their back garden and those who managed to eat their entire lockdown food supply in 3 days whilst “completing Netflix” simultaneously.
As a psychologist and therapist, I’ve been speaking to many clients about their individual Lockdown behaviours and been guiding them through the structing of their days and working through their low mood and low productivity. From what I’ve gathered, there seems to be a general gist of depression-like states, up-and-downs with their emotions, overeating, a lack of energy for exercise or work or anything else, isolating behaviours and a deep desire to sleep. Does any of this sound familiar?
My instant reaction has been to look to the obvious effects of the new upheaval and uncertainty in our lives (which I’ve also written an article about in case you’re interested) discussing Stoic philosophies around finding calm in chaos and controlling one’s actions and reactions etc. I wanted to look beyond this however, and see if there was a chemical, biological or neurological reason for such changes in many people’s behaviours.
The first thing that I thought about was the seemingly depressed state that people were in and this led me to think about the chemical Serotonin. Let me tell you why.
Serotonin is a chemical that provides a lot of functions in the human body and it is found in the brain, in the gut and in our blood. It’s a transmitter of messages in the body and contributes to a variety of things including our appetite, emotions, wellbeing and happiness, social behaviour and it also helps to regulate sleep cycles.
Perhaps now you see why I have thought about the role of this particular chemical in people’s recent behaviour as it’s seems to touch on all areas that people are suffering with particularly the feeling of loneliness. The fear and angst that was our knee-jerk reaction to the uncertainty of lockdown, the economy, employment and health has now shifted to a` depression.
One thing that we can do, other than work on our Mindset, is to increase our level of Serotonin. In response to that I have written about 4 natural ways that we can boost our Serotonin levels during isolation.
Sunlight
I have been saying repeatedly, to anyone who will listen, how lucky we are (in the UK, anyway) that lockdown has been during the Spring month as we can go outside for our daily workouts with the sun shining and with lots of daylight. Can you imagine how much worse this could have been if this had been in the depths of winter!?
The reason why we need Sunlight and UV rays is because when absorbed, it produces Vitamin D which amongst other things (including a boosted immune system), promotes Serotonin production. So, get outside and let the sunshine on you and absorb that daylight every day!!
In addition to feeling the sun on your skin to absorb the UV rays, the eyes also absorb them. So, having a good look in to the bright sky, to lift your mood and also to increase your vitamin D and Serotonin levels.
Diet
It is estimated that 90% of the Serotonin levels of the body are made in the digestive tract which means that your diet can have an impact on your serotonin levels. In order to enhance your Serotonin levels via your diet you need to consume foods with a particular amino acid called Tryptophan. These foods include:
Eggs
Cheese
Pineapple
Tofu
Salmon
Turkey
Nuts and Seeds
Most shops are fully stocked and have plenty of the above and what a better time to try some new recipes right now. Another top tip: Cooking is a great anti-anxiety hobby too!
We know that low-serotonin levels are also associated with poor impulse control – so grabbing the Eater Eggs or other tasty treats may seem like a great idea but try and remember that you’re better to grab a hand full of something from the above…maybe something from the 80’s like a pineapple and cheese hedgehog! ;)
Exercise
Exercise is probably the last thing that you want to do if you’re feeling a little, or maybe a lot, down. If you can, however, just start with anything aerobic, it will start to help and then you’ll be able to do a little more and so on and so forth.
Why will this help? We know that when we want to exercise and recognise that it can improve our mood, when we actually do carry out aerobic exercise that it actually increases our Serotonin levels.
Exercise also increases other happy hormones too such as endorphins. Just 30-mins a day is known to significantly improve mood plus it gives you a sense of achievement too which will also make you feel in control and more positive. So, try and set yourself some goals and get moving.
Remembering Happy times
This is actually real. By simply remembering good times you can activate Serotonin production in your brain. It can be hard to remember all those fun times when you were free as a bird and could hang out with your friends and family without a computer screen. IF you do find it hard, call your love ones and ask them to tell you and start to activate those memories and be excited about the new memories you’ll be able to make soon enough.
I hope this helps – I know everyone is full of advice during this time, but this is all scientifically proven to boost your Serotonin and hopefully will bring a bit more energy to your day and a smile to your face.