Tag: rewards

Dopamine release 😇

by drjurisharma, posted in Life

Hello everyone ! Have a wonderful and safe day 🙋🏻

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Dopamine is a neurotransmitter released between neurons in the brain. There is a brain reward pathway known as the mesolimbic dopamine system which gets triggered and releases dopamine when an unexpected reward is anticipated. Once the award or the outcome is achieved, the dopamine eases and comes back to its average level. So, dopamine is a chemical of motivation and desire, which is released in the brain whenever there is the anticipation of reward and pleasure.

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Psychologically, our brain is devised as a survival mechanism, since evolution. When we interact with resources we have, we conduct consummatory behaviour of pure feeling of satisfaction like while eating or drinking. When we interact with resources which we do not have but desire to have, we hold appetitive behaviour which are like motivation, drive, passion, hard work. The dopamine chemical is released and peaked when a reward or outcome is expected. Its primary purpose is to maximize future resources.
The rest of the time, the brain is more engaged with other chemicals like serotonin, endorphins and oxytocin, which gives the sense of satisfaction of the present moment of here and now. So, like all chemicals in the body, in the brain, too there is a need for chemical homeostasis. As long as the homeostasis is there, things are in harmony.

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But in today’s time, our life is filled with lots of things and means which greatly overstimulate this reward pathway. These stimulants greatly multiply the dopaminergic drive, and the tolerance level develops faster and easier. People chase for money, success, technology gadgets, cars, fame, drugs, sex, alcohol and a lot more. Our society is filled with compelling things all around. We look around for something that would give us dopamine hits in terms of pleasure and reward like chasing for a sugar rush, binging junk food, shopping, smartphones, video gaming, drinking alcohol or doing drugs.

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Developing addiction for TV shows, Netflix, video games, social media like facebook, Instagram, WhatsUp, internet surfing and the list goes on and on. Many of us are not even aware of the fact that it’s this dopamine drive of pleasure and reward that keep us chasing for these stimulants.

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As a result of this over-exhaustion of dopamine release, we fail to live life in the present moments; we fail to make one to one connections, spend time with family and loved ones and doing meditation, yoga or practising mindfulness. All these steps give us clarity of mind and also satisfaction and contentment. Psychologically, developing social connections, compassions, mindfulness helps the release of chemicals like serotonin, oxytocin and endorphins, which causes to restore the chemical haemostasis in the brain.

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Dopamine Detox or Dopamine Fasting has been doing so much around as a strategy to antidote this dopamine overexhaustion. It’s a strategy of completely withdrawing from all the pleasurable activities for a specific period, say a day in the week to reset the brain from this imbalance. But, scientific studies show that it is not possible to reset this dopaminergic pathway completely. There is no total solution in dopamine fasting.

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But yes, withdrawing for a while, or controlling and reducing the stimulants routinely can help our brain to balance and restore the chemical haemostasis. The critical solution is maintaining a balance in life.

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It’s essential to get motivated and thrive for success, money, fame, pleasure. Still, at the same time, it’s also crucial sometimes to slow down a while, relax, spend time with loved ones, meditate and be mindful to remain contentment.

Thanks for reading.

Blessings and much love to all 💐

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Post :Sharing my understanding of “Karma”. 3 points of comprehensions 💁🏻

by drjurisharma, posted in Uncategorized

Hello, my dear friends, today, I am writing on a topic which I am not very familiar but finds it very interesting.
I am not a religious expert or have tons of spiritual knowledge. I am just a person who is always inquisitive to know and understand the deeper meaning of life and our existence.

Right from childhood, I have been hearing the word “Karma”. May be with much casualness, from parents and elders. Anything bad you do, you will be punished, and anything good you do, you will be rewarded. This has been taught to us not only at home but also in school, not just as spiritual lessons but also as moral science lessons. Anything good or bad happens in life, it’s either the good or bad fortune or the good or bad Karma. This shows that we have no personal control over our lives, it is as though we are experiencing some consequences of some past life destiny.

As I grow older with times, matures with experiences, the word ‘Karma” seems to hold some deeper meaning for me.

3 Comprehensions.

1.First, yes, there is always a divine force, an Universal Truth whom we call “God” or named Him with different faiths and who is beyond anything. He is our Creator. Another reality is that we are not just a body with a mind but a soul inside a body. As the law of gravity rules the physical world, the law of Karma determines the spiritual world. It is our direct connection, our sole responsibility towards our Creator.

2.As a spiritual being, we are accountable with our thoughts, intentions, actions in our day to day life towards our creation. Whatever, we do, goes out to balance the karmic debts, the responsibilities we have towards our creation. Therefore, Karma is not physical or time-bound. It is believed (in many religions) that the karmic debts can pass on from one lifetime to the next. Therefore, every moment, every thought, every action, every intention that we go through, experience and perform in our everyday life has accountability towards our creation and the Creator.

3.Karma is not about punishment, reward, revenge, retribution. It is all that is a memory. Whatever we sow, we reap the harvest accordingly. There is no good or bad harvest. Whatever we have sown, we get the result. That is what the karmic cycle is about ” what goes around, comes back around ”

Thanks for reading.

Much love to all. 💐

Post: 2 intrinsic rewards behind adapting to a healthy lifestyle.

by drjurisharma, posted in Uncategorized

“Happiness lies, first of all, in health.” George William Curtis

Whatever your goal is, maintaining a fit body, weight loss, maintaining your blood sugar, cholesterol or reducing stress, adopting changes in lifestyle is not hard. But maintaining them is a tough calling. Old habits are hard to quit.

Avoiding a piece of brownie, or an extra glass of wine during Christmas or thanksgiving is far less appealing than on a normal routine day. You have no time to think about that extra calories in those moments. Hitting the gym or jogging in the morning on a cold chilling winter doesn’t seem appealing at all even if it may affect your lifestyle changes goal.

Evidence-based researches have shown that people get motivated to adopt and maintain their lifestyle goals based on 2 types of reward system.

1.Hedonia; When lifestyle goal is associated with more superficial outcomes like you are looking good, losing weight, your wrinkles have reduced, your belly fat has reduced. These rewards are short-lived, gives you superficial pleasures and temporary satisfaction but lack a deeper meaning or a purpose. So, when you default your routine, may give you unhappiness as you will miss the superficial outcomes.

2.Eudaimonia: When your goal is attached to a more deeper meaning or a purpose, you tend to get motivated longer or even life long. In the process, lifestyle changes don’t become a forceful routine but instead, turn into spontaneous habits which gives you more lasting benefits. Emotions are mainly expressed due to the limbic brain. When we are deeply happy, contented, this feeling has a lasting memory in the structures amygdala and hippocampus. So, when you have a purpose, a satisfying meaning which gives happiness, attached to your lifestyle changes, you are always motivated to follow.

Some examples of different scenarios while attaching your lifestyle goal to a purpose :

A middle-aged woman has started to become physically active, taking her exercises regularly to build up more stamina to look after and play with her grandchildren.

A young loving husband who was obsessed with junk food and alcohol, have started to quit his habits and adapt to a healthy lifestyle for the sake of his wife and his newborn child.

A young man or a woman who had a past unhealthy way of eating, irregular routine start to adapt healthy eating and lifestyle for the sake of his/her career.

A doting grandfather starts taking care of his diet and maintains his routine physical activity so that his diabetes is better controlled and that he can be alive for a long time to spend his days with his growing grandchildren.

Attaching lifestyle goal with a purpose, not only help you in overall health-related aspects but have also other hidden rewards. You are more in charge of your life, you have self-acceptance and self-respect as an individual, believing yourself better, improved relationship with others and overall personal growth.