Is Dopamine Fasting Really Worth it? (Check it Out)

Is Dopamine Fasting Really Worth it?

If you haven't been living under a rock the last couple of years, you have probably come across the phrase doing a "dopamine fast" or a "dopamine detox".

And you have probably already realized that the purpose of doing these is to help your dopamine system to become more sensitive to dopamine again, so that you can enjoy more motivation, energy and drive. And also so that you once again can feel excitement for the little things in life.

All that sounds cool and all, but is dopamine fasting really worth it?

Well, the short answer is, yes. It is absolutely worth it, and I definitely think you should try it. Not just try it, but implement it as a standard routine into your life. A routine that you can jump on an off whenever you feel it's time to do so. 

The lazy way to do a dopamine fast...

However, doing a proper dopamine fast takes a bit of time to prepare. Or, perhaps more so, it takes a bit of mental preparation. As truth be told, it can be somewhat challenging.

So, in today's vide, at the top of the page I'm talking about an easier way to do it. Well, that's perhaps not the correct way to put it, because what I'm talking about is not a substitute for dopamine fasting. But it it's a lazy way to at least improve and try to "re sensitize" your dopamine system a bit.

Go ahead and check it out...

Today I'm going to share I few things I do myself almost on a daily basis, if I have to go a period of time where I'm not doing any real dopamine fasting.

When you're taking breaks during your workday - consider this:

Okay, so during my workday, I of course take breaks, just like everyone else. But here's something interesting about dopamine...

Dopamine is a non-infinit yet renewable resource!

So, what does that mean?

Well that means, to put it in a very simplistic way, that it almost works like a battery. And whenever you release dopamine, and go about your day, you get a bit less of it. 

Now here comes something really cool: serotonin helps to recharge your dopamine battery!

Yes, this is good to know, because when you take your breaks and you want to recharge, it's actually much better to get up from your desk, and not use your computer of phone during your breaks. 

Social media drains your 'dopamine battery'

Because even though, for example, social media is recreation, it releases quite a bit of dopamine, and thus it only continues to drain your dopamine battery.

What I personally like to do is, I get ut from my desk, I do some deep breathing, maybe stretch a and walk around a bit. I also like to look outside through the window, while taking a few deep breaths. Because that actually increases serotonin, and thus it helps to refill your readily releasable pool of dopamin (what we refer to as your "dopamine battery", in this blog post).

Now, I'm not saying that you can never do online recreational stuff during your breaks, but don't let that be the only thing you do.

What to do in the mornings...

Let's go back in time a bit and take a look at what I do in the mornings, before the workday with its breaks even begins. 

This is important, I don't give away my power the very first thing I do in the morning. 

So, what do I mean by that, then?

Don't check you phone the very first thing you do when waking up...

Well, I mean that I do not start my day by checking my phone, as the very first thing that I do. I want to make sure I do my whole morning routine before I even turn on the internet function.

Listen, guys, our dopamine system is going to get blasted enough during the day as it is. And we don't want the dopamine industrial complex to start blasting our reward system from the very first moment we open up our eyes. 

And what's even more important here, when you check your phone in the morning, what you really are doing then is: training your brain to be reactive.

Start your morning in a way that sets the tone for you creating and achieving YOUR pan...

As soon as you go online everyone is going to try to, either sell you stuff, sell you on some kind of an idea or ideology or something like that. Someone is going to want to do something with your attention.

Your attention is a valuable currency. Never forget that!

This is why I want to finish my morning routine first, before I expose myself to things like that. And one of the things I do during my morning routine is journaling, where I for example go over my goals and my plans. 

Set the tone - set the tone - set the tone...

If I do it like this I start the day in a way that sets the tone for me creating the plan I want to have, instead of becoming reactive and a part of someone else's plan.

You have probably heard the old saying: "If you win the morning, you win the day!"

Well, as cheesy as that may sound, if that saying was true 50 years ago, which it was, it is even more true today when we live in this super stimulating world. 

Don't take your phone to the bathroom...

Alright, and besides all of this, I make a habit out of not taking my phone to the bathroom. And I also make a habit out of not checking it as soon as I stop at a red light when I'm driving. Because again, God knows we get enough stimulation as it is during the day.

So giving yourself frequent breaks like this, is really helpful. And your dopamine system will thank you for it. 

Do some meditation...

And then, as the biggest gun here, I throw in one to two meditation sessions per day. And these really help to mitigate all that dopamine stimulation.

When the evening comes...

When the evening comes I liket to end the way that I started it. Which means I completely kill the internet function. And I do my evening journaling, and some other mindful stuff, as I close in on my bed time.

So try this out, or at least try something similar, and see if you notice any improvements. 

Thanks for reading,

-Scandinavian Bob

Related posts:

• Does low dopamine make you more prone to addictions?
• Dopamine's role in procrastination
• When should you dopamine fast and how often should you do it?
• Dopamine receptor desensitization from looking at porn
• Different ways of doing a dopamine fast
• How to maintain dopamine fasting results (with social media etc.)