We are constantly told how important a sense of purpose is to us in life. Without one, we can become depressed and, sort-of, rudderless. I totally agree with that.
But how do you find a sense of purpose, and what if you just lose it?
I think there can be lots of factors in this – menopause and andropause for one, retirement for another. Empty nesting, of course. I have seen many people in those stages of life who had a really strong sense of purpose, of what their mission in life was. Their identity was caught up in the work they did, the roles they played, in their passions. Then, almost overnight, it just disappears – along with their sense of identity.
Who are they now if they no longer do that, you know?
Photo by Photo By: Kaboompics.com on Pexels.com
So, I was interested to see some info on dopamine deficiency and it’s relation to purpose from Dr Hoffman yesterday. I’m very much enjoying his stuff at the moment – he’s set up a new practitioner legacy training as he prepares to retire. I wish I could afford to do it, but I’m still massively in debt and wading through all my Kharrazian institute training, which is also fantastic.
Kharrazian is very biochemical and science-based, which I love, as you know. Hoffman is much more 7 stages, esoteric, weaving the biochemistry with environmental, spiritual, emotional and lifestyle elements. Which I also love. I did a lot on this when I was writing the Healing Plan, and in fact my original training with Professor Plaskett was very much naturopathic and science-blended. Happy days.
Anyway, I digress (as usual!) Back to dopamine.
Dopamine, often dubbed the pleasure molecule, may be more accurately understood as the molecule of purpose. It governs our capacity to pursue goals, regulate energy, and adapt to stress. It underpins cognition, immunity, attention and emotional tone. It also hijacks your health when not controlled.
Dr Bruce Hoffman newsletter
When dopamine levels decline, downstream systems begin to falter.
The result? Fatigue, cognitive slow down, reduced focus, low mood, irritability, and disinterest in life. Low dopamine states are consistently associated with conditions like Parkinson’s, ADHD, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and anhedonia.
Of course, we all want to know how to maintain good dopamine levels now, don’t we? I do. I’ve noticed this shift in myself since menopause. Dr Hoffman provides ideas – as always – he’s so good!
In the whole piece, there were also a few extra nuggets I thought were useful.
Exercise: It doesn’t have to be intense but it must be consistent.
Sunlight: Lack of sunlight is a hidden driver of low dopamine.
Meditation: Think of it as neural rehabilitation, not just stress release.
Cold: Also modulate [s] inflammation, fat metabolism, circadian regulation, and mood stabilization.
That latter on cold is down to the good-old vagus nerve tone again – I realise I’ve been talking about that a lot recently, not least because mine has dropped and I’m training it back up again! But it is SO important and a jigsaw piece massively missed by most (nice alliteration there ;)). However, if you are under stress and your nervous system is dysregulated/upset, cold is definitely NOT the first thing to go for – too shocking for the system. You build up to that sort of thing after a few months of other vagal training like the voo breath I gave you a few issues ago.
Dopamine supplements
A quicker way, of course, is to boost dopamine co-factors using a supplement. That’s a viable choice whilst you’re getting your own systems into place as suggested above. In that case, I generally recommend DopaBoost or DopaTone.
Seeking Health do a dopamine nutrients booster too and I really liked this little checklist they give to assess if dopamine might need boosting – how many can you count?
- Teachers are saying my kid daydreams in class. I see the same thing at home. They just don’t seem to have any drive or motivation.
- Motivation is lacking. I’d like to support healthy motivation and drive.
- My teenager sleeps in way too long, their room is a mess, they eat a ton of junk food and play lots of video games. I really need to find something to pull them out of this funk. It’s driving me crazy.
- I just can’t seem to start my day. I’ve no passion to do anything. I just want to sit on the couch and watch Netflix.
- My mood is occasionally low. I’d like to support a healthy happy mood
- I sometimes don’t find pleasure in doing things. I’d like to experience healthy levels of pleasure
- Optimal Focus make me sleepy. I feel I need more stimulation. I’m told I may be low dopamine.
- I have a fast COMT or fast MAOA gene.
- My libido is low. I want to support a healthy libido for me and my partner.
So, lost your passion for life, no sense of purpose, feeling flat – could it be your dopamine needs a lift? It actually doesn’t take that much to boost it, so have a go and see how much it helps x
Retiring, but loads of help still here!
I have now retired from Purehealth, but I have left my site, books, newsletters etc all up so that you can still access all this lovely info from the last 30 years! I won’t be updating it now, but there is a LOT of really good info here still. Check My Favourites page for where to find info, supplements, tests, practitioners, courses and more. Anything I think could help. And Start Here if you’re not sure where to start with your symptom or condition.
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Bless your cotton socks from me. Thanks for all your love, support and fun over the past 30-odd years. I will miss you, Micki x