The 9 Hormones Secretly Controlling Your Mood (And Your Stress)

This writing is directed toward anyone who senses—or already knows—that their eating patterns, emotional habits, or even daily activities are shaped by hidden forces. One of the most overlooked drivers of our moods, behaviors, and addictions is our hormonal chemistry. If you don’t understand the chemicals running through your system, you’re playing life on hard mode without realizing it.

Here’s a brief overview of the top hormones that most influence us on average. Many factors determine whether we produce too much or too little of a given hormone, and both extremes can cause major dysregulation of our overall chemistry—especially our brain chemistry, which directly affects how we think, feel, and behave. As children, we have no awareness of these influencing forces and how deeply they shape happiness, sadness, aggression, depression, and so on. Through exercise, diet, meditation, and by resolving chronic anxiety—in other words, by achieving relaxation of the mind and body and resting the central nervous system (parasympathetic activation)—we can create a more functional, balanced chemistry. Some of us, even after major lifestyle changes, will still need help finding true hormonal balance. There are countless variables in this equation, and a deeper dive into the subject belongs in a full exploration of the endocrine system. Still, it’s an incredibly important topic to touch on within this series.

Let’s start with these nine major players:

Cortisol, often called the primary stress hormone, spikes during sympathetic nervous system activation—the classic fight-or-flight response. In the short term, it helps us survive threats. But chronically elevated cortisol keeps the brain in a constant state of anxiety, irritability, poor sleep, and emotional instability. On the flip side, if cortisol is too low, a person might feel weak, exhausted, and unable to manage basic stressors.

Adrenaline (also known as epinephrine) surges through the body during moments of acute stress, sharpening our senses and powering us through emergencies. However, living with consistently high adrenaline levels—through chronic stress or thrill-seeking lifestyles—leaves the body wired, jumpy, and ultimately burned out. Too little adrenaline, however, can leave you feeling sluggish, unmotivated, and emotionally flat.

Norepinephrine, closely tied to adrenaline, heightens alertness and focus during moments of stress. When balanced, it helps us stay sharp. Too much norepinephrine, however, fuels hypervigilance and anxious overthinking, while too little can contribute to depression, foggy thinking, and a lack of drive.

Serotonin is often called the "feel-good" hormone because it plays a critical role in regulating mood, sleep, appetite, and feelings of overall well-being. High, balanced serotonin levels support calm, relaxation, and emotional resilience. Too little serotonin is tied to depression, irritability, and sleep disorders, while too much (often artificially through medication) can sometimes lead to emotional blunting or serotonin syndrome in extreme cases.

Dopamine is the molecule of motivation, pleasure, and reward-seeking behavior. Healthy dopamine levels create feelings of accomplishment, focus, and energy. Too much dopamine, however, fuels impulsivity, addiction, and manic energy, while too little leaves people stuck in depression, apathy, and lack of interest in life’s joys.

Oxytocin, famously called the "love hormone," fosters bonding, trust, and emotional connection. It naturally pulls the body into a relaxed, parasympathetic state when we are close to others. Too little oxytocin can make us feel isolated, anxious, or detached, while excessive stimulation—like codependent behaviors—can lead to an unhealthy craving for validation.

Endorphins are the body's natural painkillers and mood boosters, released through exercise, laughter, crying, or even music. They ease physical pain and promote emotional well-being. A deficiency in endorphins can make minor discomforts feel unbearable and lead to emotional lows, while an excess (often triggered by overtraining or risky behaviors) can desensitize the body’s natural response to pain.

Estrogen, crucial for both men and women, helps regulate mood through its interactions with serotonin and dopamine. Balanced estrogen keeps emotions steady and the nervous system calm. Too much estrogen, though, is linked to anxiety, emotional overwhelm, fatigue, brain fog, bloating, and weight gain—especially around the hips and thighs. In men, excess estrogen can cause low libido, erectile dysfunction, and even the development of breast tissue. Low estrogen, on the other hand, is often associated with irritability, depression, and sleep disturbances.

Testosterone, often thought of only in terms of physical traits, plays a huge role in mood, confidence, and emotional stability. Healthy testosterone levels promote motivation and reduce anxiety, supporting a balanced nervous system. Too much testosterone, however, can lead to aggression, impulsivity, emotional disconnection, risk-taking behaviors, and even physical issues like acne, hair loss, and sleep disruption. Too little testosterone leads to low energy, depression, loss of motivation, and emotional dullness.

Why Understanding Your Hormones Matters

We don't have full control over our hormone levels, but we do control a lot more than we think. Lifestyle choices—like constantly chasing adrenaline through high-risk activities or, conversely, spending time in calming natural environments—can directly influence which hormones dominate our systems. For example, skydiving every weekend might keep adrenaline and cortisol flooding your body, while walking quietly through a forest encourages oxytocin and serotonin.

When you feel yourself becoming more anxious, it's safe to assume that cortisol and adrenaline are spiking. In those moments, going straight into deep breathing exercises—forcing your heart rate to slow—can dramatically shift your body chemistry back toward balance.

Breathing, heartbeat, physical pain, diet—everything interacts with your hormones. Refined sugar doesn't impact the brain the same way as nutrient-dense foods like cabbage or leafy greens. Pain in your hip, back, or kidneys affects how you breathe, which then affects your nervous system, which then affects your hormone output. Everything in our chemistry—and beyond—is interconnected.

Hormones, Anxiety, and Addiction

So how does all this connect to addiction? First, understanding your chemistry helps you map the battlefield. Addiction isn't just about willpower—it’s driven by anxiety, childhood programming, lineage, societal trauma, brain chemistry, diet, and even the quality of the air you breathe. Your genetic makeup, combined with your life experiences and daily habits, creates a chemical environment that either nurtures addiction or helps you resist it.

When your body and mind are trapped in a cycle of fear and discomfort, you will instinctively seek ways to self-soothe. You’ll eat, scroll, gamble, drink, overwork, or overtrain—all driven by a subconscious desire to regulate your own chemicals. Even practices that seem healthy, like yoga or meditation, can sometimes be hijacked by an addictive, anxiety-driven mind.

Once you see this clearly, it’s no longer about shame or blame. It’s about understanding that your system is simply trying to find relief in the only ways it knows. From there, real healing can begin—not by force, but by slowly and deliberately rebalancing your internal chemistry through lifestyle changes, emotional work, breathing practices, and conscious self-reflection.

If you want to master your relationship with food, mood, addiction, or even success—you have to start by mastering your chemistry.

And the good news? You have more power than you think.

How Lifestyle Choices Shape Hormonal Harmony

The state of your hormones isn't just something that "happens" to you—your daily choices around diet, exercise, hydration, and mental health either bring your hormones into balance or throw them into chaos. A nutrient-dense diet rich in leafy greens, colorful vegetables, healthy fats, lean proteins, and low-glycemic fruits helps stabilize blood sugar, reduce systemic inflammation, and keep hormone production steady. Exercise, especially consistent moderate movement like strength training, walking, and yoga, supports healthy insulin sensitivity, boosts endorphin and dopamine levels, and keeps testosterone and estrogen in check. Hydration is another overlooked factor: even mild dehydration can increase cortisol, affect mood, and disrupt cognitive function.

Hormones are secreted from a network of glands throughout the body, including the brain (hypothalamus and pituitary), thyroid, adrenal glands, pancreas, ovaries, and testes. This network, called the endocrine system, is incredibly sensitive to stress, diet, sleep, and emotional health. Under chronic stress or poor lifestyle habits, it’s very possible to deplete or dysregulate hormone production—leading to burnout, mood disorders, reproductive issues, and metabolic dysfunction.

When it comes to food, certain nutrients are essential for hormonal regulation. Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower support healthy estrogen metabolism. Omega-3 fatty acids from foods like walnuts, flaxseeds, and wild fish help reduce inflammation and support adrenal and brain health. High-fiber foods stabilize blood sugar, which directly impacts insulin, cortisol, and leptin levels. Meanwhile, refined sugars, processed foods, and excess caffeine create massive disruptions, throwing the whole system off.

As for men—yes, they do experience cyclical hormonal changes, though less dramatically than women. Testosterone levels in men tend to fluctuate over a 24-hour rhythm, typically peaking in the morning and dipping in the evening. Over longer stretches (weeks to months), hormonal shifts can influence energy, mood, and sex drive in ways that mimic, in a subtler form, the cycles women experience.

Women, of course, face more intense and predictable hormonal fluctuations through their menstrual cycles. While you can’t completely "outsmart" your biology, women can significantly regulate the impact of these shifts through diet, exercise, stress management, and sleep hygiene. Practicing consistent blood sugar control, keeping inflammation low, engaging in restorative practices (like deep breathing or yoga nidra), and learning to adjust expectations based on the phase of the cycle can dramatically reduce mood swings, fatigue, and anxiety tied to hormonal changes. In other words, while you can't override the hormonal tides, you can learn to surf them with a lot more balance and resilience.

Ultimately, hormonal health is not about perfection—it's about building daily habits that support stability, recovery, and long-term vitality. The more you master the basics, the less you're a puppet of your hormones—and the more you're in the driver's seat of your own mind and body.

Best Foods for Hormonal Balance (I am speaking as a vegan; however, I am including some animal proteins because I recognize that is what most people prefer to eat. Animal protein is entirely unnecessary to achieve optimal dietary results.)

 

Worst Triggers for Hormonal Chaos