Our body is
cleverly made up of a bundle of chemical messengers that make up our
personality. The trick is keeping them in balance. Think of them a bit like the
personalities of the seven dwarfs
Something fun:
Before you
read on…how many of the seven dwarfs can you remember, no cheating… At the end why
don’t you see who can remember which dwarf is for which emotion. It’s a lot of
fun watching others and working out which dwarf they tend to be more like
DOC – (leader) He may mix up
his words but he is a motivational speaker keeping the dwarfs organised! He is
your adrenaline. You need
adrenaline to give you energy to get things done. Too much adrenaline and you could feel a
little anxious and mix your words up too, too little adrenaline and you can and
be lethargic and lack motivation.
Getting the right
balance:
Having fresh
fruit infused water containing lemon kick starts digestion to help you
get more nutrients from your food. It’s a great twist to water to keep you well
hydrated and wont knock your adrenaline levels off balance
Get your blood
sugar levels in check as this keeps your energy level stable. Having
protein and fat such as tuna and egg pots help to sustain a healthy energy
level
Have
portions the size of your two fists put
together, this is the size of your stomach. When you have carbohydrates
(fruit, potatoes other vegetables and rice) mix this with protein and fats (yoghurt,
fish, meat and beans, seeds or cream) this combination of food means that
energy levels are released in a balanced gradual way so you can stay motivated
and focussed.
Dopey (calm as a cucumber) He may have calm a bit too nailed
but a balanced level of GABA support
a well- rested sleep.
Low levels of GABA and you may notice falling asleep or staying asleep is
difficult as you are worrying about things.
During the day GABA can help with focus on a task without feeling
overwhelmed. People often look for ways
to support their GABA levels when they have exams.
Our gut feeling
Our digestion is paramount to our mood. When you say you have a ‘gut feeling’ about
something, this could be because your gut is classed as your second brain. Messages
are sent from your digestive tract to your body to produce chemicals to support
the way we think and feel.
Encouraging
growth of beneficial bacteria -
In our body we have more good bacteria than we have cells. Imagine that!!! Us
and the bacteria have a ‘symbiotic relationship’ what this means is we are
friends, they look after us and we look after them. Some bacteria in our gut keep
us calm by encouraging the release of GABA
[i].
To look after our friendly bacteria eat food that feeds them such as bananas,
apples, cauliflower, broccoli, kale onion and garlic.
Bashful (shy and sweet and lovable) He is your empathy, the
kind and lovable side of your personality. That
warm fussy feeling that you get around people and pets you care about is the release
oxytocin.
Do you
notice that if you really like someone you want to spend lots of time with them.
It’s because being with them helps you release oxytocin which makes you feel
good.
When we feel
anxious we often put space between us and those we care about, or we don’t
acknowledge our surroundings by doing this we reduce the amount of oxytocin we
produce
Being kind
to others, giving loved ones a cuddle, spending time with your pet, having a
warm bath makes you feel better and reduces anxiety as it ups your oxytocin
levels.
How can we boost our
levels through diet:
Eating foods such as tuna, apples, ginger, plums, tomatoes, chick peas, garlic and oregano support our hormone production to help us feel positive and enriched.ed.
Grumpy (grrrr) He is your
moody side when we aren’t releasing enough dopamine. Dopamine gives us that rewarding and motivating feeling to repeat things that we do. The more positive activities and tasks you do that are
inline with your thoughts and believes, the more dopamine you release. Guess
what….tidying your room or completing your homework can make you feel really
good about yourself!!! Hardworking people have been shown to have high levels
of dopamine in their reward and motivational part of their brain
Eat yourself happy
Grumpy’
hasn’t had his dose of dopamine, but to encourage yours you can have banana,
turkey, fresh coffee, eggs and avocado.
If you are a
bit of a foodie the Michelin- starred chef Tom Kerridge dopamine diet, this
could be a great book to use to cook at home to keep you motivated on your
tasks.
Sneezy (loyal and hardworking)
He is your quick thinking part of your personality (without the sneezing) recalling
facts and processing information. He would need to be quick at the mark when he’s
busy sneezing all the time. If you find you learn things easily and find paying
attention in class easy and have good dream recall it is likely you have lots
of acetylcholine.
Achoooooo.
Eat your way smart
Foods that
naturally contain acetylcholine are eggs, yoghurt, milk cauliflower and
broccoli. Ideally when it comes to exam time, these are some foods I would be
thinking of putting top of your list. Acetylcholine is not only known to help
with memory but also reduce stress which is ideal when it comes to revision.
Happy (Positive and upbeat)
He is the cheery happy part of your personality that always finds the
positives in any situation as there are always some! The chemical that you
release that makes us feel happy is called serotonin. We produce most serotonin in our gut
which can make us have an excited feeling of fluttering butterflies in our
tummy when we are looking forward to something!
We all get a
little happier in the sun too, that is because the sun also makes us produce
serotonin so it is really important to get outside daily to keep you smiling.
As well as
making you chirpy serotonin converts to a sleepy chemical at night time to help
you go to sleep.
Eat your way to smile on that face
and a good nights rest
Think protein, protein, protein such as fish,
meat, lentils and beans. There are some carbohydrates that can be beneficial
too such as oats and bananas.
Sleepy ( Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz)
Sleepy is
the well-rested and recharging part of you that allows you to function
Are you
looking at this out of one eye and holding the other open with your fingertips
or find that you drift off into daydreams easily. When you feel lethargic and
sleepy you are producing a sleepy chemical called melatonin. A common problem is feeling tired
during the day and can’t sleep at night! A healthy level of melatonin and you
are well rested and freshly energised during the day
Improving sleep
If you have
difficulty sleeping limit the use of electronics such as mobiles, tv and
tablets an hour before bed as they produce blue light which can affect your
sleep. If you are going to use electronics then get a blue light filter app.
Just bare in mind our body needs darkness to produce melatonin to rest!
Foods to help get 40
winks
If you find
sleep a challenge reduce caffeine intake such as tea and coffee. Aim to have your last cuppa no later than
2pm, instead have herbal teas such as chamomile, peppermint and lemon tea. In
addition 30 mins to an hour before bed have a snack of turkey or banana to see
if it helps with sleep.
[i]
Bravo JA, Forsythe P, Chew MV, Escaravage E, Savignac HM, Dinan TG, Bienenstock
J, Cryan JF.(2011)nIngestion of Lactobacillus strain regulates emotional
behavior and central GABA receptor expression in a mouse via the vagus nerve. Proc
Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Sep 20;108(38):16050-5. doi: