Mood follows motion
When your mind and brain have no further energy to give you - use your body. Mood follows motion. Even if it doesn’t make you more focused it will definitely make you feel better - it’s chemical and a great hack to make you feel motivated.
To understand the science behind this, we need to focus on the neurochemistry of motivation, how it is ‘created’ by our brains.
I’ll start this post by guaranteeing you that I know nothing more than what works for me, and my well-taken-notes from all podcasts and youtube channels I consistently watch on how to improve performance (my perfect suite is composed by Andrew Huberman, Dr. Peter Attia, Dr. Rhonda Patrick, Dr. Jordan Peterson). I’m just an employee in finance for a startup in the Philippines. Give me no further credit other than my note taking skills.
So we start with motivation being tightly related to the chemistry of movement. In fact, the same single molecule, dopamine, is responsible for our sense of motivation and for movement. By understanding how dopamine works, you can control it rather than letting other factors in your life control it. Dopamine is not released when we achieve our goals but in the anticipation of achieving them. It’s the fuel for the excitement that allows us to pursue whatever we are going to pursue.
When you are sitting around - not sad, not depressed, we release a certain amount of reward pathway. When you get excited (anticipation), the release increases by 30-40 times. It creates a desire to move. Dopamine is responsible for craving, for anticipation. It narrows our focus.
The prevailing wisdom is that mood and motivation supersede action: The better we feel and the more motivated we are, the more likely we are to act. That’s because it’s hard, if not impossible, to control our thoughts and the subsequent feelings they generate, but it’s way easier to control our behaviors and actions. It’s way easier to go out for a run than it is to meditate, for instance (at least for me).
To achieve success in any long term pursuit, perhaps the most important attribute is simply showing up. Physically. Stand up. Put your shoulders back and take control of your life. Act in the way that you want your life to be like: powerful, stable, convincing, caring, mindful.
It’s way easier said than done, and when we are at the bottom of our lives, feeling stuck, depressed, overwhelmed - and no self talk seems to work anymore, I usually use the hack of moving my body. Do the same: don’t wait for the drive to come. Start the movement. Start the flywheel. Start small. But for Christ's Sake: ensure you start.
