How do you get endorphins / excitement in your life?

[LuckyEarthDragon]

I'm currently 7 months pregnant and realised over Christmas that all the usual things I look to for a bit of mundane excitement / endorphins are off limits, e.g. running, doing a proper workout. Even a proper glass of wine or big pot of coffee is off limits!

Feel like all I've got left to add a bit of spice is either vv boring yoga where you can't do any of the fun challenging poses, eating chocolate (yum) or socialising. But thanks to flu and train strikes a lot of my normal socialising keeps getting cancelled :(

Definitely feeling the January back to work blues this week, so give me your best 'mini endorphin hit' ideas :)

You can work out, unless a HCP has advised you not to.

Horror film?

Sex

Thanks astronewt, I was getting sciatica from doing pregnancy workouts where I lift weights, so have been reduced to more gentle workouts which I don't find give the same endorphin lift after.

TwentysixV yes there is that ;)

What makes you think you need it or should ride an endorphin wave to enjoy life? I enjoy life without thinking that way.

Oh also astronewt thanks for the horror film suggestions, I should try that. I have been binging on a bunch of True Crime podcasts which have helped!

larkstar I have a wonderful life but sometimes (especially in January) things feel mundane and I look for activities or things which counterbalance that. I guess we're all different :)

This is a great question and has been fun to ponder what endorphins I get in my (boring) life. A couple of suggestions:

• Singing/dancing to your favourite music round the kitchen/living room
• Something competitive with your DH (I guess video game if you’re into that, or there’s a quiz game on Netflix)
• Could you go wild swimming? Possibly not since it’s so cold. Swim in a heated lido outside?
• A spontaneous night away in a posh hotel with DH, if budget allows?
• Do you have a fun/creative friend who you could start writing letters to or exchanging little care packages with? Getting post is fun

• Big walks listening to my music
• sex
• bookshops and libraries

Exploring places nearby? Sometimes I go on a little day out by myself somewhere, have a walk and a coffee and browse the charity shops. Do you live near a national park? Take a camping stove and some bacon and baps up there and make yourselves a lovely brunch sat up a hill.

Brilliant Nordix, have just suggested the Netflix Trivia thing to DH now :D

Bingo. I used to be lucky too whilst pregnant

Lean in to it. I have never had so much time as when I was pregnant. Early to bed. Early to get up. Saturdays were endless because I didn't have a hangover. I did crafts. I did cooking. I took walks. I couldn't do it forever because I like living life at a louder volume but it was nice.

I spent quite a lot of time doing my hair (it was glorious in pregnancy) and making Christmas decorations (which are nice to pull out once a year).

Watching stand up on YouTube, iplayer, Netflix etc. At the begging of covid when things were scary this is what I did - I find a really good laugh does it for me.

Thanks everyone, some great ideas here :)