Find Your Natural High

What’s your Natural High? Mine are surfing, being with friends and family, love for God, helping others and living a healthy lifestyle.

Did you know that we come hard wired with “happy hormones”? It’s true! Dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins* are all hormones that produce positive feelings and can be boosted by simple activities.

We are built to experience a true natural high from pleasurable things like exercise, eating, laughing, affection, and sleeping.

I believe we don’t need to create a false and fleeting high with substances like drugs and alcohol, we need to tap into things we enjoy and that give us purpose in order to feel a high that will last, is free, and won’t leave us with any regrets!

As a teenager emerging on the pro-surfing scene I watched some of my idols in the sport get derailed by drugs. I watched people lose everything and it was awful. It also urged me to set boundaries that protected me and my goals. Things that can ruin us usually starts small, like dabbling with legal gateway drugs like marijuana, but it can be a slippery slope leading to loss of drive, dreams, money, and relationships.

If you are a young person I encourage you to set boundaries and find your natural high.

We all go through hard times in life, whether it’s struggles in school, or with family, or work. We all have stressors that might make us want to escape or numb. I certainly faced a hugely stressful life event when I lost my arm at 13, and of course there have been many more since, but I’m here to tell you…DON’T GIVE UP and don’t give in. You can face obstacles, and setbacks, one day at a time, one decision at a time, and you CAN overcome. You can do more than survive, you can thrive when you can tap into the positive and uplifting things that bring you joy and give you energy and that give you purpose.

Find passions and joys and things that motivate you and inspire you to live a full life and shoot for those. Keep pushing forward toward the light at the end of the tunnel rather than giving up. Tap into your natural high!