You feel like a blow.
Your energy is drained.
You want to feel different, but your motivation is as low as the winter temperatures outside.
You haven’t seen much of your friends. You and your partner are just moving through the routine day after day. And you’re scrolling on your phone way more.
Are you just lazy? Or is something else going on under the surface?
As the days getting shorter and routines shift, our internal chemistry changes too. Less sunlight, more stress, disrupted sleep, and reduced movement all affect the hormones in our bodies that regulate mood, energy, and motivation.
The result? That heavy, low-grade blah many people just push through until Spring.
But hormones are malleable. With the right daily habits, you can shift them back into balance and feel like yourself again.
Today, we’re breaking down how to hack your hormones and restore energy, stabilize mood, and beat the winter blues, using science-backed actions that are completely within your control.
The Four Feel-Good Hormones That Drive Your Energy and Mood
Four hormones shape how you feel. Think of these hormones as your internal wellness team. When they’re working together, you feel motivated, calm, connected, and resilient. When they’re depleted, winter feels a lot harder.
These chemicals directly impact your mood, energy levels, stress response, immune function, and even how hopeful or optimistic you feel day to day. Understanding them gives you leverage. You’ll know how to work with your biology instead of feeling at its mercy.
🔥 Dopamine: The Reward Chemical
Dopamine fuels motivation, focus, and that satisfying “yes, I did it” feeling. It’s released when you achieve goals, experience novelty, or anticipate pleasure. Low dopamine shows up as apathy, procrastination, and low drive.
In winter, fewer stimulating experiences can slowly drain dopamine, making even simple tasks feel overwhelming. But small wins can slowball—even one achieved goal will create more dopamine, which makes future action easier.
🔥 Serotonin: The Mood Stabilizer
Serotonin is responsible for emotional balance, calmness, and overall well-being. It helps you feel steady rather than reactive, and content instead of restless. This hormone supports healthy sleep and appetite regulation. Low serotonin is linked to anxiety, irritability, and seasonal depression.
🔥 Oxytocin: The Love Hormone
Oxytocin creates feelings of trust, warmth, and connection. It’s released during bonding moments—hugs, intimacy, shared laughter. It also acts as a buffer against stress, lowering fear responses and increasing feelings of safety.
Low oxytocin can feel like loneliness or emotional numbness. When winter reduces social contact, oxytocin drops.
🔥 Endorphins: The Pain Relievers
Endorphins blunt physical pain and emotional stress, creating that euphoric “runner’s high.” They help you tolerate stress better and recover faster from emotional strain. Endorphins are your body’s natural coping mechanism. They’re released during exercise, laughter, and even moments of discomfort followed by relief.
Winter tends to suppress all four feel-good hormones—unless you’re intentional about stimulating them. Here’s how…
10 Actions You Can Take Today to Boost Feel-Good Hormones
These aren’t drastic lifestyle overhauls. They’re small, repeatable actions that compound, and each one targets specific hormones.
🧣 Physical Touch
Boost: Oxytocin, Endorphins
Hugs, cuddling, massage, sex, even petting your dog trigger oxytocin release. Physical touch lowers cortisol (the stress hormone) and creates a sense of safety and connection. In winter, when isolation increases, touch becomes even more essential.
🧣 Empathy, Generosity, and Emotional Connection
Boosts: Oxytocin, Serotonin
Giving a gift, helping a friend, volunteering, or even watching an emotional movie can activate empathy circuits in the brain. These moments remind your nervous system that you’re connected, not alone.
🧣 Quality Sleep
Boosts: Serotonin, Dopamine
Sleep repairs hormones. Inconsistent or short sleep disrupts serotonin production and blunts dopamine sensitivity, making everything feel harder. Aim for 7-9 hours, regular bedtimes, and quality sleep over “catching up.”
🧣 Exercise (Aerobic or HIIT)
Boosts: Dopamine, Endorphins, Serotonin
Movement is one of the fastest ways to change your chemistry. Aerobic exercise like walking, running, swimming, or dancing boosts serotonin and endorphins, while HIIT can spike dopamine and motivation. You don’t need perfection, just consistency.
🧣 Consistent Sunlight (or Light Therapy)
Boosts: Serotonin, Dopamine
Sunlight directly affects serotonin production and circadian rhythm. Morning light is especially powerful. When natural sunlight is limited, light therapy lamps can be a game-changer for your winter moods and energy levels.
🧣 Deep Breathing, Yoga, or Meditation
Boosts: Serotonin, Endorphins
Slow, intentional breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system—your “calm and safe” mode. Even five minutes can lower stress hormones and increase serotonin availability.
🧣 Listening to or Creating Music
Boosts: Dopamine, Endorphins
Music lights up the brain’s reward pathways. Whether you’re listening, singing, or playing an instrument, music can elevate your mood almost instantly. Group music (like singing or dancing together) adds an oxytocin bonus.
🧣 Massage or Acupuncture
Boosts: Oxytocin, Endorphins
These modalities reduce physical tension while increasing feel-good hormones. They also send a powerful signal to your nervous system that it’s okay to relax (something many of us forget to do).
🧣 Hormone-Supporting Whole Food
Boosts: Dopamine, Serotonin, Endorphins
Your diet can do wonders.
- Tryptophan-rich foods (turkey, eggs, seeds) support serotonin
- Tyrosine-rich foods (chicken, eggs, nuts, bananas) support dopamine
- Dark chocolate and spicy foods can boost endorphins
- Limiting excess sugar and caffeine helps prevent energy crashes that worsen mood.
🧣 Strong Social Connections
Boosts: Oxytocin, Dopamine, Serotonin
Meaningful conversations, bonding with loved ones or pets, group activities, acts of kindness—these experiences activate multiple feel-good hormones at once. Humans are wired for connection, and winter is not a reason to opt out.
Try a Better Way to Winter
Winter fatigue isn’t a personal failure. It’s a physiological response. And that means it’s something you can work with and change.
Habits, environmental changes, therapy, or medication can drastically shift how you feel each year when the calendar flips to December.
When you intentionally support dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins, you’re not just improving your mood—you’re rebuilding your energy and motivation from the inside out.
Start with two or three of the habits listed above. Then, let your chemistry slowly shift.
Want guidance, structure, and community to help you feel better—not just this winter, but long-term? My team is here for you.
Join LEAN to get science-backed strategies, accountability, and support designed to help you feel energized, balanced, and strong all year long.
