Best way to start your day. Morning Mental Fitness (7)

Often when we prepare ourselves for the day, we prepare ourselves to invest in our assets, for what we can get out of the day, for what we can produce, for how much of an influence we can be, or for how much further we can get in our careers. There is nothing wrong with all of this, but it makes for empty broken dreams if we do not do it with and for other people.

We need to put people above productivity.

Imagine a life where you had it all – a well-paying career, travel experiences, kudos and influence, possessions, money, resources – but you had nobody to share it with; no love-partner, no family, no friends, nobody. What sort of a life is that? Painful. Your relationships ARE your greatest assets because it’s the love of family and friends and the kindness of colleagues and strangers which make life worthwhile. Without these, life only becomes painful. We may need to battle pandemics, economic downturns, political and global upheavals, but we can come close to having it all if we put people above productivity and realize that

our relationships are our greatest assets.

Why are people our greatest assets? To answer this, we go back into the brain.

So we have five minutes covered with five questions and five brain areas.  

1. Frontal Lobe. What do I think?

2. Limbic System. What do I feel?

3. Orbito-Frontal Cortex. What do I want?

4. Basal Ganglia. How do I come across?

5. Anterior Cingulate Gyrus. With whom am I connected?

Breathe in and out and keep your awareness on your breath.

At first you are aware of your thoughts as they drift through the sky of your mind.

You become aware of your emotions as waves that well up in your being.

Desires move outwards and upwards.

How you come across affects those around you.

Limbic resonance and empathy keep you connected.

The neurochemistry of feeling good

In the brain, there must be tens of thousands of different brain chemicals. We’re scientifically aware of hundreds, but I want to introduce you to the four which help you feel good: a DOSE of Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin and beta Endorphin.

DOPAMINE. Made in the ventral tegmental area and experienced in the Limbic System’s nucleus accumbens, it’s the chemical driver of pleasure: enjoying conversations, strawberries, movies, sex, sunshine, or smiles and hugs.

OXYTOCIN is the “love-drug,” the “hug-drug” made in the Limbic System’s hypothalamus and released by the pituitary gland to mediates feelings of love, trust and connection. Birthing suites are full of oxytocin; it’s also released in family kisses, lover’s love-making, business handshakes and by group hugs.

SEROTONIN mediates feelings of calm, content and the comfort of kicking your shoes off and being at home. Raised serotonin levels helps combat depression, anxiety and loneliness. You can raise serotonin levels by meditating, smiling, being in nature, talking to someone you like, and through group hugs.

ENDORPHINS, produced in the pituitary gland, are released with laughter, tears, being part of an audience of contagious emotions and while singing or playing music with others. Beta endorphin mediates the feeling of togetherness, connection and flowing with other people.

The thing about a good DOSE of these four brain chemicals – Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin & Endorphin – is that they are all optimized when we’re with people. Being with people you like and having good people interactions brings you dopamine pleasure, oxytocin love and trust, serotonin “at home” calm and beta endorphin connection and togetherness. This makes for the happiest of brains.

Getting on with people gives you the best DOSE of these feel-good brain chemicals. It’s protective for Preventative Mental Health. The workplace and all our productivity supplies the what we do, but it’s people that supply the why we do it. That’s why relationships are your greatest assets.

The practice

The five minutes of your Morning Mental Fitness Program – think, feel, want, come across and connect – can of course become ten minutes, fifteen minutes or twenty minutes. But why do it at all? To feel good? To have a better life? To win? To produce more?

The why of life, almost any way you look at it, will involve people. Being well connected with people is one of the best feelings life can offer and it offers probably some of the best meaning and purpose.