We all want to feel good, stay focused, and enjoy our days without the constant highs and crashes. But sometimes, our brain’s motivation and reward system – let’s call it the dopamine drip – refuses to work correctly. To make matters worse, in a world full of quick fixes (hello, doom scrolling and sugar binges), it’s easy to burn out your dopamine system instead of supporting it.
Enter the dopamenu—a strategic menu of intentional dopamine bites to boost your energy and mood.
In this guide, we break it down, exploring what dopamine really is, how to seek out its healthier side, and how to create a tailored dopamenu just for you.
What Is Dopamine & Why Is It Important?
Before we dive into how to create a personalized dopamine menu, let’s explore what dopamine is and why it’s so important.
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter in the brain – a chemical messenger if you will – that your beautiful brain uses to communicate. Often called the “feel good” chemical, dopamine plays a vital role in creating that circle of motivation, pleasure, and reward. In other words, whenever you experience something pleasurable or enjoyable, your brain gives you a quick fix of dopamine, motivating you to do it again.
But there’s a catch! Dopamine is a double-edged sword.
Chasing that dopamine fix for certain types of pleasure is healthier than others. Sometimes, chasing dopamine through low-effort activities breaks down that circle of motivation. Instead of feeling motivated or excited to do something, we are left feeling unmotivated, anxious, and even burnt out.
How to Get More Dopamine in Our Mental Diets
The sources of dopamine we seek can be good and bad. So, it’s important to choose dopamine that comes from activities and tasks that offer satisfaction and long-term resilience without wearing you down or leading to crashes.
Examples of Bad Dopamine Fixes
Before we help guide you to creating a personalized dopamenu, it’s good to understand the bad dopamine sources. Certain bad habits release high levels of dopamine, which gives you that cloud nine feeling, but then tend to drop suddenly and, over time, even rewire your brain.
Common examples include sugar and alcohol. Scrolling your phone or splurging on online retail therapy are also high-dopamine activities.
Essentially, high dopamine levels lead to addiction, which harms your health. So, the key here is balance. It’s not that you can’t enjoy these bad sources of dopamine from time to time, but doing so in moderation helps keep your neurotransmitters regulated and in-check.
Examples of Good Dopamine Fixes
The best way to limit bad sources of dopamine is to replace them with good dopamine sources. Remember: dopamine occurs in our brains and we can boost it in countless natural ways.
Exercise, sleep, listening to music, spending time in nature – all of these are easy dopamine boosters we do every single day whether we realize it or not.
Creating something – anything from making art to cooking meals! – is a fantastic way to boost your dopamine, offering more rewards – never fatigue, brain fog, or guilt!
What Is a Dopamenu?
A dopamine menu, or dopamenu, is a list of good sources of dopamine used to replace those bad ones.
Sometimes, we seek quick dopamine fixes to quickly lift our spirits or “take the edge off.”
We’re all guilty of it, and there’s no shame. But whenever you feel bored, stressed, restless or simply lack any sense of motivation, a dopamenu is a great cheat sheet to create and turn to, helping you reflect and choose a healthier alternative.
Just like a regular restaurant menu, it’s broken down into small bites and large portions. Feeling slightly bored? Maybe you just need a small nibble of dopamine. Had a really awful, stressful day? Hit the gym and break a sweat. Addicted to scrolling your phone and spending all day on social media? Learn to unplug from your device and replace that bad dopamine fix with a better habit.
Essentially, a dopamenu will help you be more intentional with your dopamine-seeking habits and keep your brain bright and beautiful.
Create Your Personalized Dopamenu
- Appetizers: Little bites of activities that don’t require lots of time but provide a quick burst of dopamine. These quick wins should take 5 minutes or less. Think: indulging in a cup of tea, taking a step outside to stretch and retrieve mail, or lighting a candle or starting your oil diffuser.
- Entrees: Think of these as long-lasting meals (30 minutes or more) of dopamine to fully satisfy your cravings. Consider adding dopamenu entrees that are more time-consuming, involving activities such as going on a hike, taking classes to learn a new language or hobby, or even deep cleaning a room.
- Sides: A side of dopamine accompanies another dopamenu task like an entree or app. Some examples might be watering your plants as you listen to music, sending messages to friends to let them know they’re on your mind, or even journaling an affirmation. There’s lots you can add to this list!
- Desserts: We all deserve a “guilt-pleasure” treat from time to time. But just like real desserts, you can overindulge and need to limit yourself. So, consider your dopamenu items special activities you “treat” yourself to such as scrolling social media (be sure to set a time limit though!), doing some online shopping, listening to an episode of your favorite podcast, or drinking with friends.
- Specials: Just like restaurant menus, keep some dedicated ‘specials’ that are for meaningful occasions and fun. Also, specials are sometimes a bit pricier, right? That’s why you should reserve your more costly tasks under this dopamine category. Love music? Head to a concert to see your favorite band or musician. Need a vacay? Plan a weekend getaway or day adventure with your besties. You could even do a little retail shopping to redecorate a space in your home.
Keep Your Dopamenu On Hand
Always keep your dopamenu available to you. This way, whenever boredom hits, you can take a glance and pick a few items off the menu. Type the list out in your phone (if you can prevent wandering into mindless scrolling territory) or even on a notecard in your wallet or on your fridge – whatever it takes!
Update Your Dopamenu
Boredom and restlessness get the better of all of us. So, fight back by trying new experiences so that you can update your dopamenu regularly. Add a new activity or hobby to your categories and let it grow and expand right along with you. It will keep you engaged and your dopamine levels regulated.
Final Thoughts
A dopamenu is not designed to be a to-do list. Nor is it a productivity hack. Instead, use your personally tailored dopamenu to guide and empower you toward a more energized day, week, month and life!
However, even with a five-star rated soup-to-nuts dopamenu, some of us (looking at you neurodivergents) still need a little help. If you find that’s the case, Glow Getter’s dopamine-enhancing product may offer the extra boost you need and melt your stress away! A formula packed with ingredients to promote dopamine productions, leaving you happy, euphoric, and even focused – all day long!
Try it out and pair it with activities from your dopamenu for an even more powerful dopamine regulating boost.
