Dopamine Hits, Serotonin Blasts, and Ernest Tubb

I was talking yesterday with my co-parent/ex-/housemate/best bud, Lilith, about how we might better get our dopamine kicks, lamenting that we, no doubt like many of you, tend to get it via the social media scroll.

Options to consider: Exercise. Meditation. Sex. Listening to music. Poshmark. (I'm trying to wean myself off that one, but If you'd like to try this variety of dopamine hit sign up using my discount code STUFFEDPHEASANT to receive $10 off your first order wow was this my first sponsored content?) Bananas, apparently. Learning new things, working on your craft, losing yourself in a "flow" state. (That one's my favorite.) Look at my LinkedIn profile. Would it surprise you to know I get a dopamine hit every time I learn something new? Finish a new class? Acquire a new certification? No? Does this annoy you? Just know that every time you see that obnoxious LinkedIn-generated alert: "I'm happy to share that I've obtained a new..." I'm literally flying high as a kite. Imagine me, riding on a cloud, floating past a rainbow, holding my new certificate in hand, beaming ear-to-ear.

We know gratitude is good for both dopamine and serotonin production. It releases these feel-good chemicals, and when practiced regularly, it helps your brain develop new neural pathways. It's not just woo, it literally restructures your brain. But maybe you're a cynic. Maybe it's not your go-to. Maybe you just don't think you have time. How to make it a regular practice in your life and in your work?

• Write it down (for your eyes only). Even if it's just a few notes in the margin of your notebook, calendar, or to-do list. Or better yet, journal like the 15-year-old aspiring poet in you once would have done.

• Write it down (for someone else). I used to keep a heap of thank you cards on hand and made a regular practice of sending them out to whoever came to mind. Of course, then I got busy and stopped doing so which leads me to...

• Make time for it. At one point, I blocked my Friday afternoons.

• Incorporate it to another exercise or ritual. Like a walk outside, before eating, upon waking, before bed, in the shower. Post a note on the wall until it becomes second nature.

• Give thanks for challenges. They don't call me Pollyanna for nothin'. Lemons to lemonade. Silver linings. Think back on a difficult circumstance you've overcome. What did you learn? What surprised you? How did you grow? How are you different having been through it, and what makes you grateful for this changed version of you?

I used to send people this dopey photo of Ernest Tubb - because I not only gave thanks, but I was sure to make it authentic, and boy do I love Ernest Tubb. I'm sure 90% of the recipients were like, "Who's this weird guy." (Note: It's also good practice to make sure your gratitude is relevant to the recipient but come on, it's Ernest Tubb we're talking about here!)

I suppose my takeaway is to do whatever works for you. Even if it's a dopey photo of Ernest Tubb.

Additional content for fellow country music nerds:

• Ernest Tubb adds another gratitude practice to our list: Honoring those who paved the way.

• Was this content too earnest? Wow, pun not even intended. Even Ernest knows how to do cynicism. But listen to him shout out his band. "Awwww Leon!" Talk about gratitude!