There is always this weird, counterintuitive conversation that occurs when you or someone you know achieves some level of health or dieting success, that involves “celebrating” that success with the same foods or drinks that you gave up in the first place to achieve the success…

Ironic… no?

Yet, it isn’t some level of deficiency or survival mechanism kicking in that is driving those desires and cravings. It is simply your brain doing what you have trained it to do (for most people) since you were younger: boost dopamine with feel good foods.

The depletion of willpower and the weight of decision fatigue eventually build up enough pressure for your brain to throw in the white towel and take a much needed KitKat break.

While some may call it “evolution”, others lean on the fact that our brains are only responding in the same manner that we have trained them to do over our lifespan.

Keep reading to discover how to break these loopholes and not keep spiraling into a sugar coma after hard, stressful days throughout the week or weekend.

Two of the most common complaints from patients in the functional medicine space are: Low Energy and Brain Fog. And, with the previous year we have all experienced, along with the extra stressors, most Americans have felt a little of one or the other… or a ton of BOTH.

What is news to most people, is that usually fatigue, brain fog and low energy levels share the same root cause. That is why specific supplements and habits improve both simultaneously.

In this article, we dive into some of the easiest habits and hacks to implement for your mental health in order to boost low energy levels and clear your foggy brain.

Laughing Until We Couldn't...or Could...Breathe

In 2010, following my father’s cancer diagnosis, I accompanied him to MD Anderson for one of his two-day appointments. Interested in the ancillary services they offer to patients and their families, I looked at the Integrative Medicine department’s events calendar when we arrived. Ten o’clock a.m.: Laughing Yoga. How could we pass that up!? My dad reluctantly agreed to participate.

Picture this: A stressful event happens. Your brain interprets it as a physical or social threat, which results in the activation of the regions of your brain associated with pain. Your sympathetic nervous system (SNS) triggers the ‘fight-or-flight’ response, followed by cascade of physiological events, which results in the production of inflammatory proteins and stress-related changes in your genes. This response to stress happens over and over and if not managed can become chronic, increasing your risk for inflammatory-related diseases, such as arthritis, asthma, certain types of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and psychiatric disorders.