Behind the scenes of your perfect day

You lie awake in bed, it was only a dream. The images from the previous world you were in that were so livid just seconds ago slowly fade away that you barely remember what you were dreaming about in the first place. Your brain was just on DMT, or Dimethyltryptamine, a very powerful hallucinogen it secretes as you sleep. It is an abundant chemical found in most plants and mammals, but is also very illegal when extracted. Just saying.

Still lethargic, you get up and check the time. It is 5:45 am, a little early by your standard. The alcohol last night is giving you a bit of a headache, so you chug down 2 glasses of water to rehydrate yourself, and brew a big cup of coffee.

Ground, not instant. Freshly brewed, not stirred.

Exactly 26 minutes later, you make your way to work. The rush hour traffic has yet to kick in, but the coffee has. You feel more awake, more glad to be alive, and more excited about the day. This is because of caffeine, one of the most popular psychoactive chemicals consumed by people. It also means it just gave your brain a pretty good dopamine hit, but more on that later.

You get to work early. No one’s around yet so you gear yourself for the day ahead. You’re in sales and marketing after all, so the right prep work is half the game won. You’re an hour and a half into it when Tina walks in the office. She throws out her smile. The smile. The kind that can simply permeate every cubic nanometer of the docile space you both find yourselves in. Heck, why can’t she stay in the accounting office where she belongs? It’s just the two of you right now. The space between you and her lessens. You feel seconds stretch out longer while she walks to your direction. Your brain circuitry gets fried. She brings up the fact that you asked her out yesterday, and that she’ll see you after work around 6:30 pm. You did make a reservation in that Japanese restaurant plus the movie. So yes, you’ll see her at 6:30 pm. She walks out and you take a mental note of how incredible her shapely legs look. You start feeling giddy, excited, and glad you came to work early. A feeling of joy rushing to your head with the fact that you’re seeing this lady tonight. Your brain has been flooded with your favorite, serotonin. The chemical responsible for happiness, joy, and the feeling of ecstasy. Actually, it also handles your sleep patterns, mood and appetite. So you’re pretty glad you seem to have healthy levels of it in you. After all, 80% of serotonin is found in your gut, not in your brain.

But you push those thoughts and feelings aside.

There’s work to be done, clients to close.

It’s a pretty tough day after all.

Three hours later, you slip off into the gym. Unlike most of the corporate population who spend their lunch breaks actually eating food, you chew on an energy bar and go for a sweat. No rice for you today. The exercise does you well. It will be giving you an extra boost for the afternoon. Besides, you’re seeing Tina later so anything to firm you up a bit would be very welcome.

You feel good. It is probably the endorphins, the hormone that helps you barrel through the tasks ahead, and helps mask pain or discomfort so you’re less stressed and more chilled out the rest of the afternoon.

It works. You close more sales. Your monthly quota is about to be met and you’re 10 days early. Your boss tells you he loves you. Well, not literally, but by telling you about how much money you’ll be getting through commissions, and that raise that’s been due for months. You think of the extra cash, the better lifestyle, and a way to finally pay for that trip to Cambodia you’ve been trying to save funds for. While you think of these things, your brain is amped up on dopamine, even without the coffee. It is the chemical that makes us all feel excited and happy to be alive. That winning feeling or that awesome feeling that a reward is coming? All dopamine, baby.

Yes. The date went very well. You ponder on this as you slowly drift off to sleep with Tina’s head comfortably nestled on your chest, and the feel of her warm body gives you the reassurance of what is to come. You feel strangely comfortable with all the oxytocin now coursing through your nervous system. Oxytocin, the cuddle chemical, is usually responsible for how close to her you feel right now, and not just on a physical level. It is important for most mammals to have oxytocin released regularly as it encourages pair bonding, and helps in the survival of species. It is the bonding chemical that produces friendships and closeness among families, but while not everyone wants to be hugged, oxytocin release can still be achieved through eye contact and handshakes.

You wake up. It is a new day. The clouds of sleep clearing out as you remember the events from the night before. Tina is there next to you. Still with that smile that is permeating its way through your functioning brain cells, nerves, blood stream, and eventually, your heart. You smile back, and you know that today just might be as good as the last one. – Rappler.com