Did you hear the term dopamine fasting? As dopamine is a mood boosting hormone, why should we do dopamine fasting? Let’s discover what the trending topic ‘dopamine fasting’ is about.
We all have certain habits and choices that we like to do as they give us happiness and joy. Some of them give us a quick mood boost while others give us long-term satisfaction. However, we sometimes tend to choose unhealthy habits or behaviors to have instant and short term happiness by boosting our dopamine. We prepared this article to help you identify unhealthy dopamine boosters, and change them with healthier behaviors.
What is Dopamine Fasting?
Let us give you an example. You know that habit where it’s bedtime and you’re tired, but you can’t stop scrolling? That’s called doom scrolling.
Doom scrolling triggers the release of dopamine in the brain and makes you feel happy and joyful during that time. But this dopamine rush comes from doom scrolling, an activity that disrupts your sleep schedule and overload your brain with possibly unnecessary information.
Dopamine fasting is about minimizing unhealthy habits that give you a temporary and quick boost of dopamine and replacing them with healthier and sustainable dopamine boosting activities. This doesn’t mean that you need to give up all activities that give you joy and pleasure. It is more about breaking your dependency on unhealthy habits and activities to boost your dopamine levels.
The Science Behind Dopamine
Why Dopamine Fasting?
There are many factors that are responsible for our dopamine levels. While some of these factors can lower our dopamine levels, others can boost them. Dopamine boosting factors can include certain foods, activities or habits. However not every factor is healthy.
Dopamine fasting can be an effective way to eliminate unhealthy habits that boost our dopamine levels. Because long term unhealthy habits can cause physical and mental health problems in the long run.
Eliminating unhealthy dopamine-booster habits doesn’t mean eliminating joy from our life. It means rebuilding our habits for a healthier and balanced life. Breaking your dependencies can give you more time, a better mood and a great feeling of freedom! Think about it!
How to Do a Dopamine Fast
Dopamine detox is all about reducing or cutting off the use of unhealthy stimulators of social media, food, games and similar. To do a dopamine detox, we recommend you take 2 essential actions below for at least 24 hours:
1. Limit your screen time:
Technology is part of our lives. But we should use it helpfully, not in a harmful way. So, limiting your time on social media and gaming applications is an essential step of dopamine fasting.
Exercise instead:
Get up and move your body on a walk, bike, or pool—you name it. Seriously, it’s what our bodies are meant to do, so not moving around much can result in a very unnatural lifestyle. Getting your blood moving improves your energy and releases “feel-good” hormones—also known as “endorphins”—like adrenaline and dopamine.
Incorporate some kind of physical activity every day, from rigorous workouts to a walk outdoors; just listen to your body for what’s appropriate. The critical part is to keep your body moving. Again, it may be counterintuitive, but if you feel too tired to work out or move your body, you may gain more energy after a workout once your body has released dopamine.
2. Avoid unhealthy snacking:
We can choose food that makes us feel good. For example, it is easier to go home to eat pre-packaged food and watch TV on the couch. However, this option is likely to be worse for us in the long run when it comes to investing in our health.
Most of us eat a lot of unhealthy foods that boost our dopamine. These unhealthy food choices later bother our bodies in tiny ways, each to a different extent.
Find out which healthy alternatives make you feel best instead:
Food is our primary source of energy. It should, therefore, come as no surprise that what you eat directly impacts your energy levels and how you feel each day. As part of your quest to revive and optimize your energy levels, carefully consider what you eat and drink. Instead of tuning into what your emotions want, tuning into what your body needs is important.
Creating a Dopamine Fasting Plan
How to create a dopamine fasting plan: 5 tips to regain peace
- Set your short-term and long-term goals clearly
- Identify your unhealthy stimulus
- Take time to find out what foods make you feel best
- Switch your choices of technology using wisely
- Practice motivating, mood-boosting mindfulness activities
Benefits of Dopamine Fasting
Improved Focus and Concentration
During dopamine fasting, limiting digital distractions like apps, doom scrolling, and notifications can help you improve your focus and concentration.
Every time your phone notifies you of new Instagram likes, your brain loses its place and you have to settle back into your groove. Away messages, “do not disturb” modes and closed doors can do wonders for your focus.
Reduced Stress and Anxiety
Dopamine fasting can help cope with your daily stressors and release the tension they may cause. When we feel occasional stress, the vagus nerve can’t function optimally, but there are some easy ways to prevent stress and tap back into a better mood.
Limiting digital distractions will help you avoid information overload. Because Plus, if you struggle with stress, reading all that bad news can get you stuck in a rut of negative thinking. Meditation and breathwork are great ways to reduce stress and help your brain release dopamine.
Better Sleep
Try adopting a routine of going to bed and waking up at the same time, aiming for seven to eight hours of shuteye per night. Invest in lower light levels (especially blue light), and limit caffeine for several hours before bedtime.
During dopamine fasting, Pay attention to how the activities you do before bed and first thing in the morning affect you, particularly in terms of mood and overall energy. Limit your screen time an hour before bed and right after you wake up, and instead turn to activities like stretching, reading a book, or even writing. These activities are less likely to tire you out, and so you will be more likely to sustain constant energy levels all day long.
Dopamine Fasting and Mental Health
When you have any kind of quick solution, it will surely give us relief. However, what is more important is creating long-term habits to have lasting wellbeing, including mental wellbeing.
When we reduce our dependence on quick dopamine-boosting solutions, we can achieve better focus, reduced stress levels, and balanced emotions. That’s why dopamine fasting can lead us to a life where we make better decisions for our physical and mental health.
If you want to do dopamine fasting and build healthy, lasting habits, consider joining a mental wellness program. These programs are designed to improve your lifestyle, mental, emotional, and physical wellness holistically.
