Happy pill….
The happy pill….
Where?! Where can I get one?!
Great question. Here you go….(well for starters, anyway)
Raise your right or left hand (doesn’t matter which);
Begin to move your hand back and forth like a windshield wiper (fast or slow-whatever works);
While you're practicing “the wave,” notice what your lips and mouth are doing (you might be surprised);
You might notice you’re breathing more deeply;
By George (whatever that means), you’ve got it, you’ve got it!
Now, consider taking the above act outside for some real-life clinical experience while walking; OR, just keep doing it in the middle of your living room and have a great time!
This particular happy pill is not a product of your local pharmacy, liquor store, dark chocolate purveyor, or MD. It arises from your brain’s chemistry set. Whoohoo!
No, no, please don’t go thinking I’m leading you down a primrose path to brain-altering drugs! No peyote, LSD, or ecstasy for me. (My mother would be rolling over in her grave unless I stuck in this disclaimer😉) Nope, my brain-altering drug of choice is oxytocin, a naturally occurring hormone in our bodies, provocatively called the “love molecule.
About that waving thing in the beginning. (You’re allowed to stop doing it now if you haven’t already.) Positive emotions and moods stimulate oxytocin production in your body, (well, like waving), making you feel better, happier, and calmer. And, your inner pharmacy is only too happy to run with it, given the opportunity.
Opportunity? An incredible grab bag of actions kicks the brain hormone, oxytocin, into “feel-good” mode - gratitude, thinking about someone you like or love, smiling, exercise (you’ve no excuses now) and singing, (no, no you don’t want to hear me - I only do it when I’m by myself.) And many more.
In a former life, I was (gasp!) a social worker. Every profession has its own lingo. One of my favorite social work-y terms was agency as in empowering people. Particularly, self-empowerment. And with oxytocin (the love molecule), you’re absolutely swimming in self-empowerment! (Water wings, anyone?) Go enjoy. Meet-up with your love molecule!
❤️Enjoy reading “This Being Human Thing?” Please consider sharing with others. Who couldn’t use more heart and humor?