Dopamine Detox: Reset your brain to achieve happiness

Do you ever feel extremely overwhelmed, discouraged and without motivation for no reason? It might be because your dopamine levels are surpassing the normal amount that your brain needs. If you want to understand why this is happening and how to reset your brain in order to achieve complete happiness keep reading this blog, you may end up feeling refreshed and ready to start this challenge of dopamine detox.

What is Dopamine?

First of all, you need to understand what dopamine is and how it works. Dopamine is one of many feel-good chemicals in the brain. Your brain’s relationship to dopamine is a lot more complicated than you think though. If you ever wondered why you want what you want, it is because of dopamine; it is the force behind your wants and cravings.

In other words dopamine compels you to do whatever you want to do. For instance, imagine you are studying and your phone dings, once you hear that sound your brain responds instantly with a shot of dopamine, suddenly you feel compelled to check your phone, a boost of excitement and enthusiasm drives your brain away from your studies, so you pick up your phone, check your messages and you realize it’s just a text from your mom, that rush of dopamine dies down when you put your phone away and refocus on your work. Throughout your life you might find yourself chasing these bursts of dopamine because the chemical rush is often more exciting than the actual stimulus; coming back to the example of the text message, wasn’t the potential of that message more exciting that the message itself?

Dopamine is the instigator that pushes you to “watch one more episode”, “click one more profile”, “scroll down one more reel or tiktok”, and so on. Dopamine rushes keep you wanting more even if each stimulus leaves you feeling disappointed. Now as you can imagine, chasing dopamine can be dangerous. Every time you engage with factors like social media, alcohol, video games, and more, you get a little rush of dopamine in your brain, and that chemical keeps you coming back again and again, making it almost impossible to avoid all these sources of pleasure.

The goal of a dopamine detox

The goal of a dopamine detox is to change your relationship with this powerful chemical. By fasting from dopamine, you’re removing the sources of want and desire in your life. You are basically abstaining from all these things that control you on a daily basis, because dopamine dependence creates a toxic cycle; a cycle that is incredibly difficult to escape from. By fasting you’re removing all sources of dopamine from your life and escaping your bad habits. The idea is that by allowing ourselves to feel lonely or bored, or to find pleasures in doing simpler and more natural activities, we will regain control over our lives and be better able to treat toxic behaviors that may be interfering with our happiness.

This detox can significantly increase your resistance to temptation, so that next time you hear the ding of your phone, before grabbing it compulsively you may stop, think and make your decision. That’s the power of a dopamine detox.

Detox Step by step

Now the real question is how to perform a dopamine detox? What steps should you follow to get rid of this controlling desire? To perform an effective dopamine detox you don’t have to cut out everything that stimulates that rush of dopamine, instead target your detox at the behaviors that you have trouble with on a regular basis. First, you need to identify your temptations, whether it is your phone, social media, video games, alcohol or junk food. Each of these compulsions represent a destructive behavior driven by that rush of dopamine.

The next step is to let people know you’re stepping away from your temptations, that way you make sure you don’t have anyone insisting you to do what you’re not supposed to do during your fasting period. Put your distractions as far away as possible, because out of sight means out of mind. You can also substitute your temptations by creating new habits like working out or dancing. Check this StepFlix workout, it might help you start into a fitness path.

To define how long you want the detox to last, remember to be realistic. If you’ve never done a dopamine detox before you may struggle. Don’t expect yourself to suddenly fast for an entire month, start by trying 12 hours, if you enjoy the experience, try a full day, eventually you might have the self-control to detox for an entire week.

This self-control takes time and practice. As you dive into this period of fasting, take plenty of time to reflect on your relationship with your wants and desires. As an extra tip, write down your thoughts and feelings. By the end of the dopamine detox, you’ll feel more in control, and less driven by external things, you ’’get a sense of empowerment“. Try to keep that level of positivity after the fast is over. Your responsibility afterwards is to incorporate those lessons into your lifestyle.

Also read: Balance & stability, the mix to succeed