Constantly reaching for the smartphone and scrolling through social media before going to bed has become a daily ritual for many people today. The desire to be constantly up to date with news and updates drives us to fill our dopamine stores with cheap sources of dopamine. But what does this constant consumption do to us?
Dopamine Nation: Addiction to quick rewards changes our brains
Dopamine is a complex neurotransmitter that plays an important role in our reward system. Not only does it activate feelings of pleasure, motivation, and desire, but it is also involved in the regulation of movement, emotions, and cognition. Dopamine enables us to enjoy positive experiences and motivates us to achieve our goals.
However, there is also cheap dopamine that can make us sick. This cheap dopamine comes from quick and easy sources like junk food, social media, porn, and Netflix. These activities are designed to quickly and effectively activate our reward system and make us feel good. The problem is that we get used to it and want more and more of it. This can mean that we can no longer enjoy smaller joys and experiences and are constantly looking for a new kick.
On the other hand, emotional problems such as depression or anxiety can also occur as we withdraw more and more into our own world and alienate ourselves from other people and our environment.
Another problem is that by consuming cheap sources of dopamine, we become more and more focused on the needs of our reward system, often forgetting what's really important in life. We lose focus on our personal goals and values and instead focus on quick and short-term rewards.
Healthy rewards instead of a quick kick - Here's how we can escape our dopamine cycle
In order to break out of this vicious circle, it is important that we are more conscious about our rewards. We should be clear about what goals and values we really have and what activities will make us happy in the long term. In doing so, we can also focus on natural rewards that activate our reward system in a healthy way. This includes, for example, sports, good food, spending time with friends and family, creative activities or just spending time in nature.
In her book "Dopamine Nation", the psychiatrist Anna Lembke describes how the consumption of cheap sources of dopamine drives our society into an addiction spiral. She describes how our craving for dopamine can lead us to become increasingly withdrawn into our own lives and alienated from other people and our environment.
To counteract this, there are a few things we can do. For example, we can learn to tolerate our emotions and realize that it's okay to be uncomfortable. We can also practice meditation to calm our minds and train our brain to release more dopamine naturally.
Brain Detox: How Dopamine Fasting Can Help Us Overcome Our Addiction For Quick Rewards
A dopamine detox, also known as a dopamine fast, is a way to take a break from those quick gratifications and stop consuming cheap dopamine sources. This is how we can bring our reward system back into balance.
The duration of a dopamine detox can vary individually. Some people opt for a weekend, a week, or even a whole month. The decision depends on personal goals, one's own life situation and the severity of the dependency. Importantly, however, a dopamine detox is not viewed as a short-term fix, but as part of a broader approach to promoting healthy reward use.
The dopamine detox is about consciously abstaining from certain activities that overstimulate our reward system. These include common triggers such as social media, video games, television, online shopping, sweets and junk food, pornography, and alcohol . It's about eliminating these activities from our lives for a period of time to wean our brain and restore sensitivity to the reward system.
The power of alternative activities for a fulfilling life
During the dopamine detox, it's important to find alternative activities that give us pleasure in a healthy way and naturally stimulate our reward system. This can mean making more time for physical activity, such as exercise, yoga, or nature walks. Creative activities like painting, writing, or making music can help us express our emotions and experience a sense of fulfillment. The conscious maintenance of social relationships and the connection to other people can also play a major role, be it through joint activities, conversations or eating together.
Why it is important to endure boredom and bad emotions instead of always being distracted
During the dopamine detox, it can be challenging to deal with withdrawal symptoms such as restlessness, boredom, or cravings for the usual rewards. In moments like this, it's important to be compassionate to yourself and realize that these feelings are temporary.
It is important to understand that boredom and negative emotions are part of human life. They are natural reactions to certain situations or experiences. By constantly trying to distract ourselves and avoid these feelings, we miss the chance to understand and deal with them.
Boredom can be an important trigger for creativity and self-reflection.
When we allow ourselves to deal with boredom, we have the opportunity to discover new interests, unleash our creativity, and find new ways to keep ourselves busy. By facing boredom, we can also learn to be in the moment and get to know ourselves better.
Likewise, bad emotions are a natural part of the human spectrum of experience. Sadness, anger, frustration, or fear are normal responses to certain events or stressors in our lives. By allowing ourselves to feel and accept these emotions, we can learn to manage them and process them in a healthy way. Distraction can bring us relief in the short term, but in the long run, unresolved emotions can lead to emotional blockage.
When we keep distracting ourselves, we also miss the opportunity to reflect on ourselves and better understand our needs and desires. By consciously dealing with our thoughts and emotions, we can find out what really makes us happy and what we would like to change in our lives. We can realign our values and priorities and make choices that better suit us.
After a dopamine detox is complete, it can be helpful to develop strategies to maintain a healthy level of dopamine stimulation in our lives. This means consciously choosing which activities we want to integrate into our lives and how often we want to enjoy them. It's about finding a balance between quick rewards and deeper, long-term experiences.
