Happiness hormones and how to boost them ⛅

Hi there!

Hope you had a good week! I can’t believe it’s already the 5th weekly newsletter - time really flies. Thank you for reading them and I hope you have found little snippets of it helpful to apply to your life to find more health and happiness.

My parents are visiting from India so Boomer and I have both been having the best time and being completely spoilt rotten. We also visited Big Bear to see snow, Joshua Tree National Park and currently on a trip to Arizona! I didn’t know Joshua Tree was so beautiful, I’ll share some must see spots today but before we get to that, I want to talk a little bit about the various hormones that make us feel “happy” and what we can do to boost them

Sharing now on how you can truly “Make your happy”. There are 4 different feel good hormones that help promote happiness and reduce our overall stress levels. The best part is that we can take small steps in our everyday life to boost these hormones and be happier! Here are some suggestions on things you can do even today that will help start your week on a good note.

Endorphins

• Physical activity boosts emotional health

• Put on your favorite song and dance like no one is watching

• Get a massage

• Try a new workout class / yoga (I have a classpass membership so I can try something new - use this link to try a free class)

• Take a hot bath

• Go to comedy show

• Eat some dark chocolate

Dopamine

• Treat yourself to a delicious snack / meal you enjoy (it’s called comfort food for a reason)

• Meditate for 10-15 mins

• Get a good night of high quality sleep (Read this if you struggle with sleep)

• Listen to music

• Try a new hobby or class (may I suggest pottery)

• Cross something off your to-do list

• Do something out of your comfort zone

• Celebrate your little wins

Serotonin

• Spend time out in nature (even better if with some sun)

• Eat a healthy meal

• Practice kindness to yourself and others

• Forest bathing

• Go for a bike ride

• Doing your nightly skincare routine (linking my favorite products)

Oxytocin

• Hug or pet your dog (this can boost both of your oxytocin levels!)

• Spent time with a loved one who can make you laugh

• Share a meal with someone special

• Do something nice for someone

• Hold hands

life.with.a.landcloud

View more on Instagram

I had NO IDEA Joshua tree national park is so beautiful! We just spent a few days there and I can’t recommend it enough. Here are some must see sights while there and how to make it dog friendly!

Where to stay : 

We stayed at this airbnb in Joshua Tree that was a 15 min drive from the park entrance (and it’s dog friendly). The stars were incredible even just from the house at nighttime.

What to see :

To enter the park, you can get a 7 day pass for $30 which is nice since you get unlimited entries in and out (and the park is open 24h in case you want to go to some stargazing spots). Leashed pets are allowed in the park as long as they are within 100ft of roads, picnic areas and campsites. I would recommend 1-2 days to see everything in the park.

These are my must see spots inside the park :

Hidden valley : Super cool rock formations that’s just a quick walk in from the parking lot. You can spend as much or as little time here but it’s so cool to see the valley open up as you walk in. It’s also a great spot for stargazing.

Barker dam : Plan to spend an hour here walking up to the water (in the desert!). It’s an easy hike/walk and you can do this as a loop or out and back.

Skull rock : It’s worth making a quick stop to see this unique rock formation.

Keys view : Highly recommend checking this out for sunset! (and it’s one of the few dog friendly spots in the park)

Spots we didn’t get to : Cholla cactus garden and heart rock

Where to eat :

Highly recommend getting lunch to go or breakfast at the DEZ and getting a pizza at Sky High for dinner! The breakfast sandwich at Frontier Cafe was also delicious.

One easy/healthy recipe to try : 

When I am struggling to come up with a recipe to cook, I always default to this thai basil beef and lemongrass rice bowl!

One positive affirmation to remember : 

I will treat myself with the same kindness, patience and respect that I treat others with.

One thing I am actually obsessed with :

If you read books on a kindle but HATE holding the kindle up in bed or tapping to change the pages, do I have the perfect recommendation for you! This is a GAME CHANGER!!!

I hope you can implement some of these steps to find more happiness. Please let me know what you think of the newsletter and what you would like to see more of. I will share some cute Boomer puppy pictures in exchange for your feedback so just hit reply to this email.

And you are hearing this first, we are MOVING!!! We will be moving to Bend, Oregon in a little under two months. We are super excited and can’t wait to share this new chapter of our lives with you. It’s going to be a new adventure and a big change in lifestyle!

Have a fantastic week ahead. Together, I know we can find more health and happiness!

With fluffy hugs, 

Charishma + Boomer (@life.with.a.landcloud)