Then, suddenly, in 2016, enormous work stress took its toll, and he succumbed to deep depression, confining himself to bed for two months, wishing he could sleep forever. \u201cI realised I didn\u2019t love anything or enjoy anything,\u201d he tells MF<\/em>. \u201cI couldn\u2019t relate to what people said in movies or the way my friends saw the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Phillips\u2019 depression became so bad that he felt suicidal. \u201cThat was constantly on my mind,\u201d admits the 47-year-old. \u201cHow to [commit suicide]; when to; where to? But I never had the courage to do it.\u201d He describes his state of mind back then as being one out of ten, where ten is \u201cthe happiest person on Earth and one was darkness.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Encouraged by his wife, Phillips began researching ways to find happiness again. \u201cI became obsessed by the idea of happiness,\u201d he says. He struck upon an ingenious method that involves harnessing the power of the mind and optimising the body\u2019s factory of neurochemicals. He calls this \u2018self-leadership\u2019: learning to choose your own emotions and your own mental states whenever you wish to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His method completely turned his life and mental state around. Now, on that same one-to-ten scale, he says he quite often reaches ten and, on a bad day, drops down only to six. \u201cI\u2019m so far away from being down at one,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m not even close to it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wishing to help others tune into his method, this year Phillips published a book, High on Life<\/a><\/strong><\/em>, which pinpoints the six hormones holding the key to happiness: dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, cortisol, endorphins and testosterone. Just as recreational drugs increase the occurrence of these hormones in our brain, Phillips has developed a way to boost these naturally and harmlessly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n He encourages us to view our emotions as mostly temporary ideas that we have about ourselves and the world around us. He says we are able to choose these emotions ourselves by manipulating these hormones \u2013 essentially by tricking our brain to produce more or less of them, as required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Emotions are primarily produced, he says, by substances called neuromodulators which push specific neurons in different directions. In turn, this process produces our experiences of having different emotions. There are around 50 different hormones and a hundred or so neurotransmitters functioning in the human body. The six hormones he has pinpointed are the ones he considers most easily manipulated, and which produce immediately noticeable effects. <\/p>\n\n\n \u201cDopamine produces motivation, momentum, desire and pleasure, as well as playing an important role in our acquisition of long-term memories,\u201d Phillips explains. It will make you feel like \u201ca rampant wild horse jubilantly greeting the coming spring\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, there are two types of dopamine: fast dopamine, which lasts a short time, and slow dopamine, which lasts a long time. Fast dopamine is created by easily accessible activities such as eating chocolate and junk food, playing video games, watching trash TV and scrolling through social media \u2013 giving you a rapid high and then a crash back down to reality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Slow dopamine, on the other hand, requires more energy to achieve, but ultimately benefits you in the long-term. You achieve it through activities requiring more physical and mental energy such as reading books, watching educational films, solving puzzles, socialising, physical exercise \u2013 beginners should check out the best resistance band exercises<\/a> \u2013 and sex.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The differences between fast and slow dopamine are similar to those between fast and slow carbohydrates: the former give you a rapid energy boost followed by a crash, while the latter give you long-lasting energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe brain is wired to receive dopamine,\u201d Phillips says, explaining how our prehistoric ancestors needed it as an incentive to hunt animals, forage for food, build homes and reproduce. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt was a reward for growth,\u201d he adds. \u201cBut now that\u2019s been hijacked because you can just sit with your smartphone and get the same kind of dopamine injections that a person got 30,000 years ago. The trouble with that is, scrolling through your phone requires no energy at all. The brain is energy-saving by nature, so the brain says, \u2018I can get equal amounts of dopamine from looking at social media as I would get going to the gym, but it\u2019s much easier. Give me as much dopamine as possible with the least amount of energy required. That\u2019s the best equation \u2013 that\u2019s why you get hooked on fast dopamine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Phillips admits he\u2019s just as susceptible to fast dopamine as everyone else. However, he controls it by trying to use his mobile phone less, by switching off the notifications on his phone, and by watching TV series over several weeks rather than binge-watching them. And he tries to concentrate on enjoying hard work rather than thinking only of the reward he will give himself once he has completed that hard work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is the hormone that allows us to feel presence, completeness, trust, compassion, connectedness and generosity. Phillips pinpoints multiple ways in which we can boost oxytocin. There is the awe we feel when we experience nature, art or music. Activities such as hiking through a forest, or attending a rock concert or a political rally all work their magic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then there\u2019s the empathy we feel when we think of our loved ones. Physical closeness to other people, through touching, hugging and holding hands, is vital too. \u201cA lack pf connection with other human beings has severe impacts on our mental health,\u201d he adds. \u201cWe saw that during Covid, for instance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Phillips champions a traditional Hawaiian form of healing called \u2018Ho\u2019oponopono\u2019, which neutralises guilt through reconciliation and forgiveness. \u2018It involves uttering the following four incredible phrases,\u2019 Phillips writes in his book. \u2018I love you; I am sorry, please forgive me; thank you.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other ways to boost oxytocin include soothing music, a hot bath, a cold swim, and expressing gratitude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Happy](\"https:\/\/mensfitness.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/05\/brain-happy.jpg\")
DOPAMINE<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
OXYTOCIN<\/h3>\n\n\n\n