3 Hormones Your Emotions Rely On

Care for yourself from the inside out with these top tips to balance your hormones, boost your mood and create a more confident self. Yes, your hormones can do all that!

This post is part of an ongoing collaboration with The Chalkboard Mag.

Have you noticed the self-love vibe that’s in the air – this year, more than ever? The popularity of powerful new projects like Katie Horwitch’s Women Against Negative Talk and spiritual psychology writer Danielle Beinstein’s writing testifies: self-love is in and it’s contagious!

Integrative health and food therapy specialist, Christine Dionese, says there’s a whole lot of neurobiological activity that gives rise to our ongoing emotional wellness.

Wondering about your self-love hormonal status? Genetic data plays a significant role in how epigenetic variables affect hormonal health. Reliable functional medical tests to help determine neurohormone levels exist, but keep in mind that levels shift throughout our cycle and in response to environmental changes, causing results to shift accordingly. Obtaining personalized genetic information could offer greater depth and understanding into your personalized health concerns, uncovering why those shifts occur and how you can optimize your wellness plan.

There are a few special hormones our emotional status relies on. Because they are responsible for regulating mood, confidence levels and self-nurturing, I affectionately refer to them as self-love neurohormones. The truth is, you may meditate like a guru, but these neurotransmitters rely on us to feed them!

Stay in the self-care flow with my neuro-nurturing tips:

3 hormones our emotions rely on + how to support them

The Love Hormone: Oxytocin. The awesome thing about oxytocin? It reduces fear!

Produced by the hypothalamus and stored in the pituitary, oxytocin is the love hormone – just looking deeply into your lover’s eyes can signal its release. Commonly recognized as a bonding hormone new mothers produce, we can thank oxytocin for helping usher in awesome orgasms. Not only has oxytocin been observed to play a role in sexual arousal for women and men, it has also been reported to play a significant role in wound healing by reducing the inflammatory response.

When oxytocin levels are in good shape, your self-confidence may be up or you may find yourself feeling more connected to others.

If you experience food sensitivities and allergies, autoimmune issues or systemic candida (an overgrowth of yeast), poor oxytocin levels could be contributing – and messing with your emotions.

The good news is that certain foods may trigger oxytocin release. Studies even suggest that the scent of certain foods may help its release. The key to improving oxytocin levels through food therapy is to repair any digestive concerns you may be experiencing. This includes identifying the influence of the issues I mentioned above along with intestinal permeability concerns (aka leaky gut).

Boost It:
High quality pre- and probiotic supplements (I like Klaire Labs)
Fermented foods
Probiotic beverages (try this basil hibiscus kombucha recipe)

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The Motivator: Dopamine. Always motivated, goal-oriented, super self-confident and happy as can be? Scientific evidence says your dopamine levels are behind this momentum. Dopamine is responsible for the elated, excited feelings we experience when we reach a goal. When we meet someone new, high levels of dopamine explain our intense attraction and the falling-in-love effect.

If you experience low libido, fatigue, sleep difficulties, low self-esteem and an inability to feel pleasure, you may be experiencing low dopamine levels.

Boost It:
My favorite phytomedicines to help improve dopamine levels are maca, rhodiola, cordyceps, ashwagandha and schisandra berry.

Be sure to reduce lipopolysacchardies, the toxins present in sugary, fatty foods and focus on continually adding probiotics and fermented beverages to the diet.

The following foods also help support optimized dopamine levels:

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The Self-Nurturer: Serotonin. Perhaps the yin to dopamine’s yang, serotonin is the even-keel; it’s a neurotransmitter that helps lead intuition and keeps us grounded in our decisions. Said to drive “gut feelings,” a majority of serotonin is produced in the gut. When digestion is off, serotonin can take a major nose dive resulting in feelings of self-disconnectedness. Yet when in the most ideal range, serotonin helps provide a reassured sense of self-confidence and improved calm.

Boost It:
Increase fermented beverages
Improve your omega-3-to-omega-6 fatty acid ratio by concentrating on increasing omega 3s (like salmon, eggs and hemp)

My top serotonin-regulating nutraceuticals:

  • Multi-strain probiotics
  • Vitamin D3
  • Vitamin C
  • Vitamin B6
  • Bacopa
  • Magnesium
  • Zinc
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Megan b
7 years ago

Very interesting information that I never knew about. I’ve been feeling disconnected from just about everything lately, maybe this will help. :)

Stephanie Russell
7 years ago

Why didn’t you explain epigenetics more? Why didn’t you explain the sequencing of a genome and costs? Why did you use hormones synonymously with neurotransmitters? Serotonin and Dopamine are neurotransmitters, not hormones.

Anna
7 years ago

I agree with Stephanie. I’m not into all the alternative, esoteric stuff that comes with the flowerchild image of this brand, but I usually like the fashion, beauty and food themed articles, so I’m a frequent reader of the blog. A holistic and esoteric approach to the world is one thing, and we shouldn’t necessarily agree on it, but you should really stop producing scientifically incorrect content, if you don’t have the required amount of knowledge on a topic. Find someone, who is educated in those areas, or just leave it.

7 years ago

I love this post, I speak about the importance of consciousness with our hormones all the time to my close ones.

Great post,
Priscilla Ivette
http://pvllinblog.blogspot.com/

7 years ago

Very interesting, thoroughly enjoyed this post. It’s good to know that there are different ways to help release and boost these hormones.

7 years ago

A live well being awesome, having great energy, and being as motivated and energetic as you are. It is obvious you are a strong leader for all the people in your office….

Carmel
7 years ago

Very interesting and worth exploring and learning more about. I suffer terribly with severe PMS, which is completely hormone related. I started taking serotonin inhibitors for 2 weeks before my period is due and these have been a lifesaver for my relationships with my partner, children, colleagues and clients. I believe we are what we eat, I have candida so eat quite healthy. I look forward to introducing some fermented foods into my diet. Thank you for sharing this information.