My serotonin menu (for the most difficult year on record)

Order up.

This has been the hardest year of my adult life so far and it’s not over yet 🥲

Since life has felt like one big crash out as of late, I’ve been thinking a lot about what makes me the most happy, but also what makes me feel the most relaxed. With so many things to worry about, I’ve been trying my best to stay calm and levelheaded. And I know that in and of itself is an immense privilege. I fully acknowledge that.

I’ve seen other people on Substack and Instagram make what’s called a “dopamine menu,” AKA: listing a bunch of activities that give a rush of dopamine. I decided to take that concept but make a serotonin menu instead. Dopamine is fun and all, but it’s more high key. I’m trying to keep things low key these days, you know?

And my menu is full of activities that might read as a little bit basic. But you know what? That’s kind of the point. Relaxing, in a lot of ways, is about going back to basics.

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1. Engaging in aromatherapy

The older I get, the more I appreciate aromatherapy in its many forms. And luckily, I naturally gravitate towards calming, inviting scents like lavender, gardenia, and peppermint. Some of the easiest acts of self care, for me, are lighting my favorite candle, drinking some chamomile tea, and spraying all of my pillows with a lavender spray.

2. Doing vinyasa yoga

I’m fortunate enough to live close to one of NYC’s best yoga studios, which is something I tell myself to remember to book classes there more often. I also recently bought my own Manduka mat in hot pink, so I need to put it to good use!

I’ve been practicing yoga on and off for years (since before the pandemic), so I’m comfortable booking classes at any level with any instruction style. I find that I enjoy classes where the instructor explains why we’re doing each movement—which is something I used to find annoying earlier in my yoga journey.

But these days, I like understanding why we’re doing a certain movements in a certain sequence—it adds so much more purpose and intention, and it enhances the experience. My favorite part of class, though, is the guided meditation during the last 10 minutes. I spend 50 minutes of sweating and powering through the movements knowing that an ultra-relaxing 10 minutes is within reach.

3. Sitting outside in a comfy chair

I don’t have a front porch, but the second I do, it’s going to be over for the #03$.

The closest thing I have right now is my roof or a park bench. Sitting on the roof, or even more ideally, a beach, in my Tommy Bahama beach chair is a top tier activity in the warmer months.

4. Listening to a favorite album

As much as I love discovering up-and-coming artists, I’m not always in the mood to listen to music that’s totally unfamiliar to me. Whenever I’m stressed or anxious, I gravitate towards listening to albums that I know all the words to (so yes, that means a lot of Hannah Montana 💅). If I’m home, I love popping a record onto the record player—I’m on a mission to collect physical copies of all my favorite albums for this reason!!!

5. Getting lost in a good book

To me, this is one of the best feelings in the world. When a book is so good that it’s all consuming. When another world is so immersive that it’s all you can think about.

The most recent books I got lost in were Call Me By Your Name and A Court of Silver Flames (which was my favorite of the ACOTAR books. ACOTAR fans, feel free to weigh in). Taking any and all recommendations for books you just can’t put down, pls comment below!!!

6. Watching a comfort movie

Doing this evokes similar feelings to listening to my fave albums. I’m not much of a TV or movie person to be totally honest, but I do have quite the library of movies on my Amazon account. I’m talking classics that range from Aquamarine to Ruthless People to the 1982 version of Annie.

I’ve also been known to turn to my favorite Disney movies—and NO, just to be clear, I am NOT a Disney adult. My cat and I enjoy watching the Aristocats, but we aren’t out here making it our entire personality, okay!?

7. Going on a long walk

The first therapist I ever had would suggest that I take long walks to solve my problems (I fired her, lol). And while taking a walk does NOT solve all my problems, it does feel pretty damn good. Seeing my step counter go up gives me a boost of dopamine, while taking in my surroundings and processing a bunch of sensory input without any particular goals or expectations definitely boosts my serotonin levels.

8. Doing puzzles with friends

A couple of years ago, I discovered the joy that is finishing jigsaw and crossword puzzles with friends. Especially the Times Sunday crossword. Puzzling in a group setting has been such a fun and rewarding ritual to add to my life that I try to make time for it whenever I can. When we work together, my friends and I can finish almost any puzzle we set our minds to, and it gives me such an incredible sense of accomplishment.

9. Eating soup or stew

I have been a soup girlie for pretty much my entire life. In my opinion, soup is the ultimate comfort food. It’s warm, it’s hearty, and it’s designed to heal the body and soul. Soup is the meal I turn to whenever I have a bad day, I’m sick, or I simply just want to feel something. Fun fact: pho was the first meal I had after the 2016 election.

These days, my go-to soupy meal is kimchi jjigae (which I shockingly have zero pictures of). The combo of gochujang and kimchi clears out my sinuses and opens my pores, leaving me feeling so refreshed and at peace. Eating soup is such a simple yet powerful way to reset and recalibrate my mood, no matter what I’m going through.

10. Putting on a face mask

I loveeee a good sheet or clay mask. It’s a little luxury that goes a long way. My fave masks to do include the Biodance, Mediheal, and COSRX snail mucin ones.

Doing a face mask after lighting a candle and while watching a comfort movie and eating kimchi jjigae is my dream date. Cute.

11. Snuggling my cat

As a pandemic pet, my cat is extremely bonded to me and loves to snuggle. She cries and begs for snuggles more than food, if you can believe that. Spending time with her always makes me feel better and is something I look forward to every morning right when I wake up and every afternoon when I get home from work.

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Thanks so much for reading (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

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