We're moving through challenging times, where life's circumstances can get heavy. Whilst processing is positive, wallowing too long in negativity can be derailing, creating downward spirals. So how might we keep our heads above water? How might we balance the playing field? One answer is the Endorphin Effect - chemicals we produce in our bodies to block negative energy and make us feel positively uplifted and joyful inside. So how do you best activate endorphins?

It's all a question of choice

Is the glass half-full or half-empty? In actual fact the glass is always full - it's half full of air! It's just an example of choice - how we choose to see things in life and to experience them. We can choose either to attune to the darkness all around us or the light through it.

When we see only the darkness and allow ourselves to become identified with that, here's when our internal trouble begins - although processing our inner attachments and releasing the pain is good, wallowing in it certainly doesn't help us move through. If we allow negativity to dominate our experience then internally we reproduce chemicals in the brain which flood our bloodstream, invade our bodily cells and create the feeling of internal stress - yes we're actually changing our very cell structure to become stress!

But we can prevent this from happening with practice and perseverance. When we process out our attachment and identification with the negative by confronting it 'head on', then we can actively soften into the lightness of life, which exists everywhere even in the midst of darkness. Then we begin to release other chemicals from the brain - endorphins - which prevent the invasion of negative energies into our cells. Our cells are pumped full of the sense of joy and love which helps balance the playing field. (NB: It's important to note: I'm not encouraging people to avoid processing density and darkness, I'm suggesting ways which can help find the light through it.)

Recall fond experiences

I remember fondly a holiday I once took a few years back. It was on the island of Majorca, on the northern coast, away from the hubbub, in the picturesque and ancient tiny village called Deia. I didn't have much money, so I was camping in a beautiful orange grove overlooking the sea...

In the centre of the village is a 'well-heeled' hotel, owned by the famous entrepreneur Richard Branson, which I knew had an amazing open air jacuzzi nestled into the mountain side.

On this particular morning, I'd walked up to the village just before dawn and as I passed the hotel, I wondered if anyone would notice if I sneaked in and had a nifty dip in the jacuzzi. Surely Sir Richard wouldn't mind? So I did. Fortunately no one noticed me. And as I sank into the warming waters, I quickly began to feel joy and infinite peace as all tension dissolved away from my body. Around the pool were the soft colours of sandstone and as the sun came up over the mountains in front of me, the darkness of the sky began to lighten into a wonderful indigo and then golden orange. My favoured almond aroma wafted in on the gentle ocean breeze and in the trees all around me, the birds began their morning song, piercing the quietness with their fragile beauty. I was quickly losing any sense of separation; the healing effects of the water, the vibration of the birds song and the joy of the sun were becoming me and I was becoming them. All tightness quickly disappeared.

As I reflect on it now, I'm looking upwards to the surface of the water and as the golden sunlight shines through, I can see my body becoming increasingly translucent, like a wafer thin film through which the water is gently rippling. It was at some point after that, it could have been an eternity because all sense of time had stopped, I felt what I can only describe as 'liquid gold' begin to flow downwards from the crown of my head and into my chakras. The sense of joy, love and upliftment was beyond words. Tears welled up in my eyes and flowed ceaselessly down my cheeks.

Needless to say, it's a fond memory that will always remain in my awareness. And now, if I find myself surrounded too much by the darkness of the world and I need some respite, all I have to do is bring my attention to similar experiences and very quickly, warming, enlightening sensations begin to flood my system. They have a deeply uplifting, beneficial and healing effect.

Putting your mind to it

The mind can lead you into all kinds of difficulty but it can be your best friend too. I'm sure, with a little attention and focus, we can all put our minds to it and each recall an experience of similar joy and beauty that deeply moved you. Maybe it was also a favoured holiday? Perhaps it's the first time you fell in love? or even your earliest, carefree childhood memories? Why not just stop for a moment and reflect................

8 ways to Activate Endorphins

Here are some generally accepted ways to generate Endorphins:

1) Exercise: exercising the body is a great way to healthy living and generating feel-good endorphins - like a fast walk or jog in nature.

2) Deep Consciousness Bodywork: practices such as yoga, Tia Chi, moving meditation and Openhand's soulmotion are great at activating endorphins.

3) Music & Dance: dancing to music is a great way to activate endorphins - explore Five Rhythms Dance for example. Also playing an instrument that you love and singing.

4) Laughter and Lightness: create an atmosphere of laughter and lightness - perhaps take in a comedy film or the like.

5) Aromatherapy: aromatherapy is great at activating endorphins. Try taking a hot bath with candles and natural oils.

6) Soulfoods: healthy, tasty and stimulating food like raw chocolate is a great way to stimulate endorphins (go for varieties with no processed sugar).

7) Massage: a good massage will generally release bottled up energy and activate those feel good endorphins.

8) Loving sexual intimacy: being intimate with your partner (and yourself) is a wonderful way to divine union that activates endorphins in the process.

It's all around us

Indeed there are many things in our daily lives that can generate such a positive endorphin effect. Exercise, for example, deep breathing and making the choice to notice the simple beauty in life: the fragile innocence of a small child; the twinkle in an old lady's eye; an autumn leaf wafting on the breeze. If we keep applying ourselves in this way, even the seemingly insignificant can help generate uplifting joy. This is a form of meditation of course - who said it has to be about just sitting in silence?!