One small step… or a leap into the void
I once read that the greatest journeys often begin with a single step. In my case, that step was simply managing to leave the house without feeling like I was walking across an emotional minefield.
The first weeks after my “official recognition as an anxious person” (thank you, dear therapist) were intense.
And by “intense,” I mean an explosive cocktail of back-to-back panic attacks, sheer terror at bumping into a neighbor, and an impressive collection of excuses to avoid setting foot outside.
(Spoiler: my creativity in cancelling plans could have won me an Oscar).
My therapist, serotonin and me
That’s when my therapist gave me a piece of advice that stuck:
“You need to increase your serotonin levels.”
Excuse me? My sero-what?
Serious parenthesis: what is serotonin?
Serotonin is that little chemical messenger in the brain that helps regulate mood, sleep, appetite… and stops you from wanting to curl up under the kitchen table.
Basically, it’s like a natural “feel-good booster”.
And guess what? There are natural ways to kick up its production. At the time, I didn’t realize I was about to learn how to boost serotonin naturally.
Enter the holy serotonin trinity, therapist edition:
- Eat chocolate
- Have sex
- Exercise
Well. Let’s be honest.
When your brain is stuck on red alert 24/7, sex is not exactly at the top of the to-do list.
(Unless you’re living in some fantasy erotica novel—which, trust me, was not my case.)
So I went for the other two.
Chocolate: my therapist in a wrapper
First up: chocolate.
My best friend, my comfort blanket, my low-cost therapist in a 100g bar.
Technically, I was trying to boost serotonin naturally. Practically… I may have slightly overcommitted to the strategy. After about twelve bars, I started to wonder if my teeth—or my jeans—were about to file for divorce.
Exercise (and my traumatized thighs)
That’s when exercise entered the picture. Well… “entered” might be a strong word. More like I dragged myself to the gym like a tragic heroine of modern times.
Because movement is actually one of the most powerful ways to boost serotonin naturally — even when your inner world feels like a burning building.
And that’s where I discovered two magical classes:
- Zumba (a.k.a. “cardio with Shakira in your head”)
- Max (a strength class with an instructor whose Monday-morning enthusiasm was… suspiciously intense).
I went almost every day.
Sometimes just to avoid thinking.
Other times to feel my body alive, sweating, a little powerful.
And often, simply not to be alone.
When going out feels like an expedition
Because here’s the truth: during those times, just going outside feels like a battle.
Seeing people? Like climbing Mount Everest inside your chest.
And yet, human connection is exactly what helps us heal.
I was incredibly lucky: my mom was there. Not to save me.
Not to “fix” me. Just to be there. To listen without judging. To let me cry in her kitchen. To take me for a walk when I had the strength. To remind me, without saying too much, that I was still worthy of love. Even in pyjamas. Even full of fear.
Thanks, Mom.
What really helped
What helped wasn’t one look, or one revelation. It was the accumulation of tiny gestures.
Small habits that, without me even noticing, helped me boost serotonin naturally day after day.
The smell of soap in the shower after working out.
The thumping of my heart finding its rhythm again.
The simple fact of moving, even without energy.
Little by little, I began to live in my body again. And that, honestly, was huge.
We think healing comes from big decisions. In reality, sometimes it starts with a too-tight sports bra, a Shakira song, and a sudden craving for a smoothie.
Nothing glamorous, but a little more lightness in the ordinary. And that’s already a lot.
The very beginning of an after
I’m not saying the chocolate-Zumba-mom combo is enough to boost serotonin naturally for everyone and cures everything.
But for me, it was the very beginning of an after.
