Skip to main content

5 Great Ways To Increase Oxytocin


Hey everyone!

Happy Christmas.

While it can be a wonderful time of year for some, the festive season can be a lonely time for others. 


 

You’ve probably heard of the four happy hormones: Seratonin, Dopamine, Oxytocin and Endorphins.

Oxytocin is what we’ll be focusing on today. 

Oxytocin is the love hormone. You can get it from hugs, affection, spending time with your pets, and having a chat with a friend.

That rush of happiness and contentment after a hug with your partner, friend or your pet? That’s Oxytocin.

During the festive period, not everyone will be getting their fair share of this hormone, and so here’s five ways to improve your Oxytocin levels from the comfort of your own home:

1.      Turn up the tunes.

If you’ve been shopping in the last couple of weeks, you’re probably a bit fed up of endless renditions of Slade or WHAM.

Don’t worry, happy hormones are not solely reliant on a particular genre. 


 

Play your favourite song, or your favourite album. 

Streaming sites such as YouTube will even put together a playlist for you. Plug your headphones in and have a bit of a boogie. 

Studies show that listening to great music can increase your oxytocin levels.

2.      Meditate.


Meditation, even for five minutes a day, can help you to unwind from stress and tension. It can also improve your mood and clear your mind. 

We can also utilise meditation for oxytocin production. Focus on someone you love, or someone you care about.

It could be a friend, a family member, or even someone at work who you get along well with.

Focusing on sending positive vibes in their direction can help you to feel more connected to them, similar to the happy sensation you get after giving someone a present or doing something nice for someone.

3.      Play with your pet.

Studies have been focused on the effect that petting or playing with your pet dog can have on your happiness. 

Don’t worry, if you’re more of a cat person or you’ve got a guinea pig, or any other pet, playing with them is great too.


 

Often, the happiness you feel will be shared by your pet as well.

4.      Do something nice for someone.

A random act of kindness.

This could be anything, from buying a sandwich for somebody without a home, to helping a neighbour with a chore. 



Kindness towards others can increase happiness for both parties.

5.      Have a go at Yoga.

Yep, exercise can be a great way to improve oxytocin levels.

Don’t worry, we won’t get on to running marathons just yet, but something you can do, right now, from the comfort of where you are sat?


 

YouTube will have some great Yoga tutorials for beginners. Or advanced sessions, for those who are a bit more experienced.

Exercise can do more than just make you feel good, it can also reduce feelings of depression and anxiety.

If the festive season is a struggle for you, please reach out to someone. You'd be surprised at how many others are feeling the same. 

Sarah Millican is involved in a loneliness activity over on Twitter every christmas, for those who need some company. Head over to @SarahMillican75 or use the #JoinIn hashtag.

 

Happy Christmas.

Matt and Josh x 


Follow us on Twitter @Stridi

Facebook @StridiApp

Instagram @Stridi_health

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Perception: The Map Is Not The Territory

  Hi everyone, It’s Matt here, and I’m back to share some more tips with you. Today I’d like to discuss perception.  As mentioned last time, my specialist area is NLP – Neuro-Linguistic Programming, which is similar to CBT. A classic NLP phrase is: The map is not the territory.   This phrase means that everyone’s perception is different. Two people can look at the same thing and see something different. For example, you might look out of your kitchen window and immediately spot your neighbours bright red car, followed by a tree which is swaying in the wind. Whereas a friend or family member might look at seemingly the exact same view, but not even notice the car until you point it out to them. Another example, you could make someone a cup of tea, and while one person might rejoice at getting their caffeine fix, another might complain that it's not in their favourite cup and the tea is too milky.  It’s all about perception. Your mind can “delete” things that it doesn’t d
Post a Comment
Read more

Stop Putting it off - How to Create Habits For Success

  We all have some poor habits, whether it's: Eating junk. Having one too many lemonades on a school night. Playing that game on our phone at times when we shouldn't. It can become an unpleasant cycle of Cue, Craving, Response and Reward.   But.... did you know that we can use these stages to our advantage?  Habits aren’t just a part of your life – an annoying tendency that you can’t seem to shake. Or a surprising trait that you developed out of nowhere. Habits are developed – often accidentally, but we can also create habits. Creating a habit is very much like learning a new skill. We keep practicing until it becomes natural, or until we reach our desired level of competence. With a new skill, perhaps you just want to be able to perform the activity successfully in one take? Or maybe you want to be able to do it naturally, with barely any awareness that it’s happening.   Developing a habit is similar. The activity in question may be a skill or activity that you'
Post a Comment
Read more

Simple Tips For A Happier, Healthier Life

  Breathe in….. breathe out. Prolong the exhale.    Your breath is powerful. It has the power to improve your mood, your mental health and the way that your body functions. That sounds so easy and simple, doesn’t it? There are loads of other simple ways to improve your life. Not just from the comfort of your own home, but from the comfort of your own mind, your own body. Let’s start with your morning routine:   Try and go to bed and wake up at roughly the same time each day. A few minutes either way doesn’t really matter, so if you’re keen on the snooze button then don’t panic just yet. When you wake up, have a glass of warm water with a squeeze of lemon – you can use up to half a lemon if desired, but just a few drops are great too. (Warm water is beneficial by itself too, if you’re not good with the bitter taste of lemons.) Lemon water has a whole host of benefits. From helping to detox the body, to being a natural mood enhancer. Who needs that morning cuppa, huh?
Post a Comment
Read more