Table of Contents
Dopamine Addiction
Do you ever wonder why scrolling on social media for hours or binge-watching Netflix all weekend seems to be much more exciting than reading a business book or working on a side hustle? Not to mention that you probably have no trouble motivating yourself to do so. Don’t know? Well, the answer might surprise you, and here it is: you’re addicted to dopamine.
But before you freak out, take a deep breath and let me explain. We are all dopamine addicts to some extent and there’s no reason to worry about that. Unless you are unable to concentrate on things that are important such as work or study. If that is the case, you should consider doing dopamine detox. Many people I know have already tried it and they all agree that regular dopamine fasting not only helps improve their mental focus but also it’s a great way to increase motivation to work hard and achieve great things. So, if you’re interested in improving your ability to focus on difficult tasks and increasing your chances of success in life and business, here are simple tips on how to perform dopamine detox!
P.S. Don’t forget to grab your free printable worksheets (click on photos for quick download!)
'Time is a currency you can only spend once, so be careful how you spend it.'
Molecular Structure Of Dopamine
What Exactly Is A Dopamine Detox
We live in a digital era that supports and actively promotes instant gratification. Modern technology, fast information exchange, the fake world of social media, online shopping with delivery at the speed of light gives us the illusion that we can achieve greater fulfillment and life satisfaction without much effort. This idea that we can have everything we want almost immediately is totally delusional. But for some reason, we try to convince ourselves that we can achieve what we want without working hard. Well, it’s far from the truth. Because as we all know real success is built on achievement, not on a purchase order. You cannot expect that you will find fulfillment in life if you prioritize instant gratification over long-term goals. It’s not going to happen.
The feeling of instant gratification is fleeting but incredibly powerful and extremely addictive. That’s why there are so many people who seek instant gratification at any cost. Dopamine addiction makes them unable to resist the desire to experience pleasure or fulfillment without delay. As a result, they are focused on the short-term highs of immediate pleasure instead of building long-term satisfaction which, consequently, leads to unhappiness.
However, we cannot forget that dopamine plays an essential role in executive functions, motor control, motivation, learning, pleasure, reward and reinforcement. So as you can see, the role of this “happy hormone” is extremely important and should not be underestimated. The problems begin when you get stimulated all the time and you develop a tolerance for the high-levels od dopamine. Then before you know it, you become addicted to activities that produce short-term pleasure. In consequence, you become unable to resist temptations and instead of working towards your long-term goals you keep seeking immediate gratification.
Dopamine detox will not only help you to stop exploiting the features of the brain’s reward systems but also it will trick your brain into focusing and being more productive. So if you want to break your habit of wasting time with instant gratification and focus on what you really want to do with your life, it means that you’re ready for dopamine fast! So without further ado, let’s discover what are other benefits of dopamine detox and how you can easily do it in the comfort of your own home.
What Are The Benefits Of Regular Dopamine Detox
There are many different benefits to be gained from regular dopamine detox. First of all, dopamine fast will help you to stop exploiting the features of the brain’s reward systems that create only an illusion of real-life satisfaction.
Second, if you lower your dopamine tolerance you will be able to boost your focus, increase your concentration and motivate yourself to work harder and get more things done in less time. Third, performing dopamine detox will help you to regain control over your time, work and life that dopamine addiction took away from you.
And last but not least, if you stop engaging in unnaturally high dopamine behaviors, working towards even the most difficult life goals becomes more exciting and interesting. In other words, you will gain more self-discipline and self-control which will, in turn, make your productivity skyrocket. Isn’t that exciting? Just think about it, a quick dopamine detox can not only improve your mental focus but also it can drastically increase your chances of success in life and work.
Unlike what most people think, chronic high levels of dopamine has nothing to do with health or real happiness. True happiness is to experience greater life satisfaction, a peaceful mind and emotional balance, whilst being addicted to unnaturally high dopamine behaviors it’s completely the opposite. It happens because dopamine is addictive. So if you constantly engage in behaviors that release very high levels of dopamine very easily you become an addict. That’s why scrolling social media, watching Netflix, indulging in unhealthy comfort food, playing video games, watching YouTube videos, gossiping, and doing other low-value activities is so addictive. All these behaviors release an insane amount of dopamine with almost no effort.
Dopamine addiction is nothing else than an insatiable urge to experience a flood of pleasure. “Frequent stimulation of dopamine gets the brain’s baseline higher” and you’re slowly losing your grip on reality. There is no balance, only abundance. There is no journey, only the destination. A desire to avoid delay starts controlling your life.
In such a world, self-discipline, self-control persistence or patience are not existent. Why they would exist while you can have everything you want without delay or deferment, right? But the problem is, this world of instant gratification offers you things or experiences that have little or absolutely no value. It’s a distraction that takes away your focus, energy and time. But until you participate in this pursuit of fake fulfilment and false perfection you don’t even realize that.
As we stated earlier, real success is built on hard work and achievement, not on a purchase order or some irrelevant piece of information you can find on the internet. Instant gratification has nothing to do with the real world. If you want to succeed in the real world you need to regain your focus, build unbreakable self-discipline, improve your patience and stop abusing your brain’s reward system. In other words, you need dopamine fast.
Pursue Life Satisfaction Not Simple Pleasure
What would you choose?
The life of addictive pleasure or true contentment?
Instant gratification or delayed gratification?
Fake happiness or life satisfaction?
Sense of excitement or a sense of achievement?
Dopamine addiction or serotonin balance?
Dopamine VS Serotonin
According to science, your brain always prioritizes instant gratification over long-term goals. It does not care if the action you take is healthy and beneficial or the opposite; harmful and detrimental. Your brain craves instant reward at any cost. That’s why you subconsciously choose high dopamine activities over low-dopamine activities. Your brain care only about dopamine release. The more, the better. It’s like renting out a room upstairs to an addict who doesn’t care about anything or anyone except their drug of choice - and in this case, it’s dopamine. Well, no wonder, scrolling on social media for hours or binge-watching Netflix all weekend seems to be much more exciting than reading a business book or working on a side hustle. The simpler the activity, the more we want to engage in it. That’s the sad truth.
We’re not as ambitious as we like to portray ourselves. At least, our brains are not. That’s why if we want to build a successful, meaningful and fulfilling life we need to challenge ourselves to find real improvement instead of wasting our time, energy and focus on doing the wrong things that don’t add any value to our lives. It’s up to us, individually, if we choose long-term satisfaction over short-term pleasure. Of course, I’m not saying that you should give up on high-dopamine activities and shift all your focus to work for success. I do not intend to do myself. What I mean is that if you want to focus on what’s truly important and enhance your chances for success you should let your dopamine receptors recover. It’s time to get your priorities straight and set yourself up for success. You deserve the best life! So stop negotiating with yourself and start creating real results. No more excuses. It’s time for dopamine detox.
Dopamine Detox List
How To Perform Dopamine Detox
- Make a list of high-dopamine (exciting but not beneficial) activities and low-dopamine (quite boring but extremely beneficial) activities
- For one day you’re not allowed to engage in high dopamine behaviours such as scrolling social media, playing video games, watching Netflix, eating junk food, spending money on “wants” etc. In other words, you will need to remove all the external sources of instant gratification for the entire day.
- The leitmotif of the day: boredom
- During your dopamine fast, you are allowed to engage in low-dopamine activities that add value to your life such as self-reflection, setting long-term goals, improving your time management skills, improving your self-management skills, increasing your self-awareness, going on a hike, reading a business book, journaling or cooking a healthy meal for the entire family (or friends)
- The goal is to let your dopamine receptors recover
- Take notes and track your progress
- Observe your emotions before, during and after the experiment/dopamine fast
- Starve your system of dopamine so that you can find joy, motivation and excitement in doing hard things, achieve your long-term goals and build a successful life
- Remember that if you want to radically change your life and increases your chances for success you need to take radical action and start creating real results
- Your motto is: Achieving success supposed to be hard. “If it were easy, everyone would do it.”
Grab Your Free Printable Workbook
Here's A Little Preview Of What You Can Expect
Prepare Yourself For:
- Simplifying & prioritizing your life
- Reaching your full potential
- Making your productivity skyrocket
- Managing your time wisely and effectively
- Increasing self-motivation
- Improving your critical thinking skills
- Enhancing your problem-solving skills
- Learning to stay ridiculously focused on your goals
- Taking strategic action that moves you directly toward your main goals
- Taking control of your life, day and time
Best Posts About Achieving Goals:
- The 5-Step Weekly Routine For Living A Successful And Happy Life. HERE
- 7 Powerful Mindset Shifts That Will Make You Successful. HERE
- Maximize Your Productivity: 6-Step Method To Get More Things Done In Less Time. HERE
- Perfect Morning Routine to Reduce Stress & Anxiety HERE
- The Ultimate Guide For Setting & Reaching Your Goals HERE
- 6 Self-Improvement Habits To Adopt in 2020 HERE
- Get into the Habit of Being Seriously Organized in 2020. HERE
- 8 Simple Steps to Set Yourself Up for a Successful 2020 HERE
- Powerful and smart ways to manage your time efficiently and effectively HERE
- 5 steps to success in achieving your goals HERE
Stay positive
Be Mindful
And
Reset your mind and trick your brain to like doing hard BUT valuable things.
xo Kate
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