Ever wondered where our name, The Desert Dose, comes from? I began drafting our business plan in early 2021, after resurfacing from a long covid winter and the passing of my dear mother. I was in the wordsmithing trenches and stepped away for a walk. While walking, I reflected on my vision to connect women using the bike as the catalyst and the acronym D.O.S.E. surfaced into my thoughts.
I knew in that instant, I had landed our name, The Desert Dose. My intent is that when you join our community and participate in any of our offerings, you'll receive your Desert D.O.S.E.
What is the D.O.S.E.?
Have you ever wondered what lies behind those moments of pure joy, contentment, and happiness? It turns out that our brain plays a significant role in shaping our emotions, and there's a fascinating quartet of chemicals responsible for those delightful feelings.
Known as the D.O.S.E., these four brain chemicals—Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin, and Endorphins—play a pivotal role in influencing our overall sense of well-being.
Dopamine: The Reward Chemical
Oxytocin: The Bonding Chemical
Serotonin: The Mood Stabilizer
Endorphin: The Natural Pain Reliever
I initially learned about the D.O.S.E. while I was a health and wellness educator and embedded it into our students' learning outcomes. It created a spark as I observed students weave D.O.S.E. into their common vocabulary, asking peers to share how they got their daily D.O.S.E.
This experience made me pause and wonder how our world might benefit if more of us knew about the D.O.S.E. and how to increase our levels naturally.
1. Dopamine
Dopamine is the “feel-good” hormone that is part of your brain’s reward system. It gives us a surge of reinforcing pleasure when we take action towards a goal, desire, or need. Dopamine enables motivation, learning and pleasure.
To increase dopamine naturally, try the following:
Set and work toward your goals.
Recognize accomplishments of your team/others to show appreciation.
Engage in physical activities that bring you joy.
Embrace creativity: writing, music, art.
Practice mindfulness like meditation or yoga.
2. Oxytocin
Oxytocin is our love and trust hormone. It helps us bond and build deep trust with our families and friends and creates lasting feelings of calm and safety.
To enhance your oxytocin levels naturally:
Build relationships by socializing and spending quality time with loved ones.
Give or get a hug; repeat often.
Pet or cuddle with your dog or cat.
Volunteer and perform other acts of kindness.
Get a massage.
3. Serotonin
The “leadership” hormone, serotonin flows when you feel important or significant. This is the brain chemical behind feelings of pride, loyalty, accomplishment, and gratitude. Serotonin is essential for regulating mood, sleep, and overall emotional well-being.
To naturally boost serotonin levels:
Practice gratitude and focus on the highlights of your day.
Receive daily sun exposure (in limited amounts).
Give or receive a compliment.
Engage in physical activities that bring you joy.
4. Endorphins
Endorphins are the body's natural painkillers and mood enhancers. They're released during physical activities, experiences of pleasure and when we persevere instead of giving up.
To naturally stimulate endorphin release:
Engage in high-intensity workouts, like mountain biking, running, taking a brisk walk/hike or circuit training.
Participate in activities that make you laugh (e.g., laughter yoga, movies, etc) and connect with people who love to laugh with you.
Consume spicy foods in your diet.
Experience novelty by engaging in new experiences, such as a new sport, hobby or visiting new places.
Listen to music or create music/art.
Eat dark chocolate.
We hope that by learning how the D.O.S.E. shapes our emotions, more of us can actively work to enhance our overall well-being. Plus, now you know "why" we design each of our offerings to deliver the #desertdose to you. We encourage you to share this blog and the D.O.S.E. concept with others to help us raise awareness and prioritize our well-being.
Tracking how you get and give your Daily D.O.S.E. can be a useful reminder, motivator and reflection tool when comparing weeks and months over a period of time.
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