Easter’s coming up, and Easter candy is already here. But here’s the thing. If you’re stressed out while you’re eating Easter candy, you’re not going to enjoy it. I know that sounds weird because when we’re stressed out, we tend to reach for something sweet to make us feel better.
But when cortisol levels are high– which happens when we’re stressed– it blocks your dopamine receptors. Meaning that eating candy when you’re stressed doesn’t give you the dopamine hit that you want!
Not all stress lowers dopamine levels
Dopamine is known as the “pleasure” neurotransmitter, and it contributes to our feelings of excitement, joy, and the ability to focus and think clearly. Depending on the type of stress you experience, you might be increasing your dopamine or decreasing it…
Acute Stress
Acute stress can actually raise our dopamine levels. This kind of stress that happens quickly and then fades, releases adrenaline and then cortisol is released to clean up after the adrenaline. In these situations, the cortisol is anti-inflammatory, immunosuppressive, improves stress tolerance, and triggers the release of dopamine!
Chronic Stress
Chronic stress depletes dopamine. When you’ve been stressed for a long time, the mechanisms that break down dopamine are increased. So the dopamine you might have gets used up by the new adrenaline from your consistent stressors. And any extra dopamine gets broken down faster.
Do you deal with chronic stress?
Most of us are in a high-stress state for prolonged periods of time. Whether it’s a work emergency, or a fight with our partner, or a traffic jam, stress is a part of life. But chronic stress is more than that. It’s stress that never lets up. It’s a constant state of overwhelm that is slowly draining your mental resilience and damaging your brain and body. And the thing is, the approach to managing chronic stress is to create a healthier lifestyle…
- Physical activity
- Prioritizing sleep
- Creating boundaries around time
- Avoiding self-isolation
- Making time for leisure activities
- Meditating and practicing mindfulness
The truth is, when you’re dealing with chronic stress, you might not feel like you have any extra time for exercise or sleep or mindfulness. In fact, a lot of people experiencing chronic stress feel incapable of changing their situation. If that’s you, I want you to know that you don’t have to change everything all at once. And you don’t have to go it alone!
Head over to
my website where I have a bunch of free resources for you. Shoot me an email if you’d like the replay of my latest workshop where we talked all about ways to reduce stress. And
set up a call with me anytime to talk through what you need to create a sustainably healthy lifestyle!
