Micro-Dosing Dopamine To Thrive During COVID-19 | Yoga 15

Abi Carver
3 min readApr 14, 2020

I recently listened to a great interview on The James Altucher Show with neuroscientist, Andrew Huberman. James and Andrew covered many topics but what interested me the most was a simple strategy that Andrew recommended, to mitigate stress during uncertain times.

I’m still in Mexico, and incredibly happy to be here, but I don’t know when I’ll be able to see my family again. Many of us are unsure if we still have a job. Or if our freedoms will continue to be restricted. Those of us in relationships don’t know if they’ll survive the pandemic and if we’re single, we don’t know when we’ll next be able to go on a date. We don’t know how many of our loved ones will get sick and die from COVID-19. And we don’t know if this is just a dress rehearsal for a far more serious threat around the corner.

Andrew warns that if we stay in a state of hyper-vigilance indefinitely, we risk burning out our nervous systems. He outlines a simple technique that we can follow, to pace ourselves for as long as it takes.

THE NEUROSCIENCE BEHIND THE TECHNIQUE

During periods of high stress and uncertainty, our system is flooded with adrenaline-a key stress hormone that triggers the fight-or-flight response. The release of dopamine-a neuromodulator involved in the brain’s…

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Abi Carver

Creator of YOGA 15, Yoga for Athletic Performance and Recovery.