Hum, Ho, Hug

May is Mental Health Awareness month.

Since 2019 Mental Health has been the number one disease burden in the world.  50% of the world’s population will suffer from a mental disorder in their lifetime. Women twice as likely as men and the onset of depression starts in the teenage years.  We know sub-optimal mental health leads to poor physical health, increased medical spend and earlier deaths. Currently life expectancy globally has never been higher but 50% of our lifespan is now sub-optimal. 

Today I share a few simple techniques to pump those happy hormones. 

Humming to yourself stimulates the vagus nerve and the secretion of nitric oxide, endorphins and oxytocin.  It increases oxygen, melatonin, lowers BP and cortisol.

Ho ho ho - Laughter yoga is a fantastic way of stimulating the release of endorphins and “happy” hormones like dopamine and serotonin resulting in a better mood, reduced pain, lower blood pressure, a stronger immune system, and lower stress levels and rates of depression.

Hugs – They say four hugs per day is an antidote for depression, eight hugs per day would achieve mental stability and twelve hugs per day would achieve real psychological growth.  Longer hugs of 20 sec are shown to reduce the effects of stress.  Disney has The Hug Rule – their characters may never let go of a child’s hug first.  Why? Walt said “You never know how much that child may need that hug.”

Human connection -  Originating from the the 7-Day Happiness Challenge from The New York Times Simon Sinek recently shared his 8 min rule.  He suggests having a code between you and your close network to indicate you need to talk.  It was shown that 8 min is the optimal time for sharing and caring.

A healthy mind is a healthy body. Juvenal

So today, lift your mood, share these practices and see if indeed we can make this world a better place if we can.