Dopamine Detox: A Mindful Journey Towards “Self”!

Dopamine detox is a mindful effort to break the compulsive pattern in everyday life to find some space to breathe and build a better life.

The dopamine rush elevates and influences our mood and feelings about the stimuli. On the contrary, the dopamine detox is a mindful effort to resist any kind of arousal, specifically from pleasure triggers. Ideally, by the end of the detox, a person will feel more centered, balanced, and less affected by their usual dopamine triggers.

Dopamine makes us addicted, compulsive, and aggressive to the habits which give pleasure. At times we don’t realize that we become slaves to these stimuli and resisting them becomes an effort.

Our human body naturally produces dopamine, even when it is not exposed to certain stimuli to keep us lively and enthusiastic towards life. But we all need a period of abstinence, or “unplugging” from the world to be in sync with our “self”.

Doing dopamine detox from time to time helps us to have control, balance, and positive effects on our mind and body. 

That said, the mindful practice to unplug and detach from certain impulsive behaviors has the potential for heightened focus and greater mental clarity.

Dopamine distractions are a hindrance to achieving goals. It is what prompts the excessive repetition of certain feel-good behaviors, causing people to scroll mindlessly on social media or binge-watch their favorite TV shows.

These unnecessary compulsions keep us unproductive, detract from spending constructive time with family, keep us away from our health goals, and more.

Pause, Think. Make a Mind Shift

When you make a mind shift to avoid these distractions, you would free up more time for the things that matter more to you.

Dopamine Detox Is Achieving A Greater State Of Mindfulness

Being mindful in acting on the desire to change and breaking the compulsive pattern gives you room to breathe, and build a better life, and if you actively try to do so, also learn to handle your emotions better. This state of mindfulness comes with its own benefits. Among these are stress relief, lower blood pressure, and improved sleep.

Be Watchful for Dopamine Stimuli

• Addiction to surfing.
• Mindless scrolling of social media.
• Compulsiveness to pick up your phone and check aimlessly.
• Too much tea or coffee throughout the day.
• Alcohol consumption distracts and to have it compulsively to have a feel-good vibe.
• Drugs have a crazy high strength of stimulation.
• Video games are a non-stop stimulation.
• Porn is highly stimulating and extremely novel.

Read: How Social Media Addiction Leading to Serious Depressions

So Here Are Simple Ways To Do A Dopamine Detox To Achieve A State Of Mindfulness. 

Always remember it takes time for your brains to rewire. 2 weeks is the minimum to experience noticeable effects. So be patient with yourself. Expect that it might be difficult for a while before it gets easier. Imagine how great it will feel when ordinary activities like walking in nature, eating food, and listening to music bring you joy. It will really feel nice when you’ll be able to follow up on tasks you promised you’d do. These mindful efforts will save you distractions and you can calmly be with your thoughts and enjoy your life in peace.

Get going…

1. Cut out activities that put you into Zombie Mode.
2. Delete distracting apps from your phone, and block distracting sites in the browser.
3. Engage in real-life activities like talking to people, cooking & eating together, going for nature walks, reading books, journaling, exercising, tidying, and drawing.
4. Practice mindful activities for taking breaks from work like books and audiobooks are a great choice. Playing board games with friends in person is amazing. Watching one movie without any distractions is fine. Meeting a friend over a cup of coffee, or going out to buy groceries or plants for your home.
5. Yoga and meditation are good ways to keep yourself mindful and balanced.
6. This is also a good time to explore a bit: sign up for a salsa dance class, start with origami, and learn to play the flute. Take an interest that’s been passive so far and make it active.

Related Book: Dopamine Detox: Biohacking Your Way To Better Focus, Greater Happiness, and Peak Performance By Nick Trenton 

Podcasts: 35 Best Self-Care Podcasts You Must Follow in 2023