Banish risky behaviours with early morning walks

The Big Picture

Most of us know that high levels of Dopamine - "reward and motivation" neurotransmitter - increase drive, excitement, and goal-oriented behaviour.

Serotonin -the "happiness neurotransmitter - regulates mood, sleep, and cognitive function. Balanced serotonin promotes emotional stability, well-being, and resilience to stress. Low serotonin is linked to depression, anxiety, irritability, and impulsivity.

When dopamine is high, but serotonin is low, it can create a psychological and behavioural imbalance.

Why should we care?

High dopamine and low serotonin can affect decision-making, impulse control, and overall well-being, such as:

1. Increased risk-taking and impulsiveness linked with addictive personalities, reckless behaviour like gambling, social media or drugs

2. High motivation but low emotional stability with cases of workaholism, obsessive goal-seeking, and emotional burnout

3. Increased anxiety and paranoia are linked with OCD, anxiety disorders, and even psychotic tendencies in extreme cases.

4. Poor emotional regulation that can lead to anger outbursts, depression, and overreaction to stress.

Walk in the sunshine

What do we do about it?

To stabilize mood and behaviour, increase serotonin while keeping dopamine in check:

1.      Sunlight & Exercise: Walk in natural sunlight to naturally boost serotonin.

2.      Balanced diet promoting gut health: Increase tryptophan-rich foods (eggs, nuts, banana, fish, chicken, etc.) for serotonin production and increase probiotic-rich foods like curd, kimchi, idli dosa batter, homemade pickles, etc. to improve gut health.

3.      Mindfulness & Meditation: Reduce dopamine overdrive and increase serotonin stability.

4.      Avoid Overstimulation: Reduce social media, caffeine, and high-reward activities.

5.      Tryptophan Supplements: Helps serotonin production (consult a doctor first).

Simple early morning walks can wonderfully reduce and even banish your risky behaviours