What if I told you that self-love isn’t just a mindset – but a chemical response happening inside your body, right now? Dopamine. Oxytocin. Serotonin. Endorphins.

These aren’t just fancy science words – they’re the feel-good ‘dream team’ – the chemicals that light you up from the inside out. The chemicals we want our body producing to support us in feeling all loved up.

Problem is… Most of us wait for something outside of us to trigger the release of these chemicals; a compliment, a hug, a win…

But what if I told you that you can create these chemicals on demand? What if you could hack your brain to feel more love, more joy and more connection – without waiting for life to hand it to you?

Today on I Love Me The Podcast, we’re diving into the science of self-love. You’ll learn how these powerful chemicals work, why they matter, and – most importantly – how to activate them naturally to feel amazing anytime, anywhere. So if you’re ready to mix up your own self-love cocktail, then let’s go.

 

Our body is like its own personal pharmacy, constantly producing chemicals and hormones to help us thrive and live a happy, healthy life.

What’s even cooler, is that we have the ability to create our own custom cocktail of natural ‘drugs’, to support us on our journey into self-love.

Pretty amazing, right?

So today I’d like to introduce you to the four types of chemicals we want to be creating in our body, so we can sustain a beautiful dose of self-love, and how we can maintain a healthy level of those chemicals throughout our day.

These four chemicals are:

Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin and Endorphins.

We can remember this more easily, by using the acronym:

DOSE

Yes, we want to dose-up on Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin and Endorphins.

Let’s start by getting know Dopamine, also known as the Reward Chemical or the Motivation Molecule.

Our body is always releasing dopamine to some extent, but a bigger amount gets released when we’re looking forward to a certain result or reward.

This happens to encourage us to stay on the path of what we’re doing.

To keep us going.

This is the chemical behind that YESSSSS feeling when you achieve something, cross an item off your to-do list, or get an exciting text.

It’ll help you be more willing to do something, and as a result, increases your focus and attention.

You may find you’re more curious and more interested in exploring things, when you have good levels of dopamine.

But here’s the catch…

In today’s world dopamine often comes from quick hits – social media likes, junk food, shopping sprees.

Yes, scrolling on social media is one the biggest hijackers of dopamine… so is eating a large slice of cake!

Why?

Because they gives us a quick reward, and following any reward, there is a decrease in the release of dopamine.

This is why, after a social media scroll, we can’t be bothered doing anything.

Or maybe after you eat your sugar-laden treat, you hit the wall.

This is why starting your day on your phone or eating sugary cereal, isn’t a very good way to set yourself up for feeling good.

Sure, spend a few minutes on social media later in the day – but keep it to a few minutes.

Or have a small piece of cake, just don’t eat the whole thing!

Be mindful of keeping any rewards smaller, so you don’t crash afterwards.

So you don’t experience chemical depletion!

Ultimately, it’s the anticipation of getting what you want, that gives the biggest surge of dopamine, not actually getting what you want.

So you want to be mindful not to chase quick rewards all day or you’ll reduce your release of dopamine.

Feeling on purpose and valuing daily growth will help you have a healthier dopamine release throughout your day.

Because while those quick hit activities can feel good in the moment, they don’t create long-term happiness.

So…

How can we boost dopamine in a way that fuels self-love?

Set and achieve small goals.

Dopamine LOVEs progress.

So instead of waiting for huge wins, break things down into tiny steps.

Celebrate yourself.

Finished a yoga session?

Cleaned out a corner of the house you’ve been avoiding?

Acknowledge it.

Do a happy dance!

Or simply take a moment to smile to yourself.

Even a mental high-five releases dopamine.

Move your body.

Exercise is a natural dopamine booster.

See why I said to dance?

Even a couple of minutes moving to your favourite song works its dopamine magic.

Next up, we have Oxytocin – The Love Hormone.

You know that warm, fuzzy feeling you get when you hug a friend, cuddle your pet, or even give someone a compliment?

That’s oxytocin at work, making us feel connected, loved and safe.

It’s the chemical that bonds us, not just to others, but to ourselves too!

That’s why you don’t need a romantic parter to get your oxytocin fix.

Oxytocin is like our body’s built-in social glue.

It’s released when we experience physical touch, and is a huge player in the bonding that happens between a mother and her newborn baby.

This Love Hormone is why deep conversations feel nourishing, and why acts of kindness make your heart swell.

Here’s how to tap into it:

Physical touch.

Hugs, massages, sex…

Even placing your hand on your heart can release oxytocin.

If you want to learn how to give yourself loving touch, have a listen to Episode 45 which guides you through a self-massage practice.

Acts of Kindness.

When we compliment someone, do something nice, volunteer or even smile at a stranger.

Instant oxytocin boost.

Self-connection.

Meditation, deep breathing, and self-compassion release oxytocin into our body, helping us feel safe and loved from within.

If you want to learn how to meditate, simply have a listen to Episode 41, which also explains why meditation can often feel like we’re chasing cars around our head, and what to do, when that happens.

Moving onto Serotonin – The Mood Stabiliser.

We can think of serotonin as our inner sunshine.

It regulates mood, promotes wellbeing, and keeps anxiety in check.

If you’ve ever felt lighter after a walk in nature or a deep gratitude practice, that’s your serotonin at work.

Now we want serotonin circulating because, not only does it stabilise our mood – it’s good for our memory function, encourages quality sleep, and helps regulate cortisol, which is the stress hormone.

When a person is diagnosed with depression or a mood disorder, they will often say that person has a chemical imbalance in the brain.

This simply means that your body isn’t producing enough of the more healing chemicals, such as serotonin.

And if you are experiencing depression, have a listen to Episode 32, where I share how I overcame severe clinical depression.

To boost serotonin naturally, we simply need to:

Get sunlight.

Just 10-15 minutes of sun can work wonders.

If it’s cloudy, try a sun lamp or eat serotonin-boosting foods like bananas and nuts.

Practice gratitude.

I have a whole episode on this, check out Episode 29: Could practising gratitude make you a happier person?

Science shoes that reflecting on what you’re grateful for increases serotonin levels.

You can write things down, or simply say them out loud.

Even thinking of things you’re grateful for, works.

Breathe deeply.

Simple breathing exercises can signal to our brain that all is well, boosting serotonin production.

You’ll find a beautiful Balancing Breath Practice in Episode 49.

Finally… we have…

Endorphins.

Endorphins are our natural painkillers and mood lifters.

They create that euphoric ‘runner’s high’ and help your body manage stress.

And the best part?

You don’t need to run a marathon to get them.

It’s these endorphins that help us push through pain when we need it, like when you’re giving birth or saving someone from an overturned car, even though you’ve been hurt yourself.

Just like when we get a reward and dopamine is released, so too do we get a hit of endorphins.

When we have high levels of endorphins we have good overall wellbeing, with an increased immune response.

But when we’re low on them, that’s when depression, anxiety and insomnia can creep in.

How do we get more endorphins into our bod?

Laugh.

Watch a funny video or skit on the Internet, call your funniest friend, or even fake laugh!

Yes, even fake laughing works.

I share how, in Episode 33: Could laughter be the medicine you need right now?

Spice it up!

Eating spicy food can trigger endorphins.

Yes, eating a hot sauce or hot curry can be an act of self-love!

And move joyfully.

Any movement, dancing, stretching, or even shaking out tension – it all releases endorphins!

Especially when you get your heart-rate up!

Now you know the ingredients…

Dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin and endorphins…

It’s up to you to mix them together into your own Self-Love Cocktail!

Imagine your day going like this….

You wake up and give yourself a big hug, before moving into a 10-minute yoga sequence, where you offer yourself some loving touch.

Dopamine, oxytocin and endorphin hit right there.

You take a walk outside in the sunshine for 10-minutes on your lunch-break.

Serotonin and dopamine boost.

You send a kind message to a friend, or offer to help someone carry their things.

Thank you oxytocin!

Then as you lay down to go to bed you write down three things from your day that you’re grateful for.

There’s some more serotonin.

That’s how easy it is to enjoy your self-love cocktail!

And the best part?

You don’t need anyone or anything outside of you to feel amazing – you have everything you need within you.

So if you’ve ever felt like self-love is hard or out of reach, remember:

It’s not about waiting for love to find you – it’s about creating love from within.

Every time you take a small self-loving action – whether that’s moving your body, breathing deeply, or showing kindness to yourself or those around you – you’re activating the chemistry of self-love.

And the more you do it, the easier it becomes.

The more your body gets used to creating this chemical cocktail.

So take a moment now to ask yourself:

What’s one thing I’m going to do today to boost my happy chemicals?

Pick one – dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, or endorphins – and commit to giving yourself that dose of love.

Because you know what:

You deserve it!

If you loved this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, share it with friends or let me know how you’re mixing up your self-love cocktail.

You never know, that show of appreciation might just trigger off one of those self-loving chemicals!

And if you want to dive deeper into self-love, I have a treasure trove of different courses you can dive into through my school gettingnaked.com.au where I teach people how to strip off the layers of conditioning so they can love and accept themselves.

Simply take a peek at the website, and know that if you do enrol in any of my programs, that a percentage of profits go to planting trees, so together we can re-robe Mother Earth.