I have been a bit out-of-sorts lately. Not just physically unwell but mentally a bit off too. It’s late winter here in Australia so it’s not particularly unusual for me to be off my game at this time of year, but with Spring around the corner I’m looking to make some positive changes. There are a few unhealthy habits that I’ve fallen into of late that I don’t really want to go into. Possibly I've done this as a bit of an attempt to cope with (or escape) my issues but there really isn’t a good excuse for them and deep down I know I need to be better. I have done a bit of research and I think that as a result of these unhealthy habits I am now suffering from Dopamine Deficiency which is making my situation worse.
When I read through the article above there’s a list of stuff linked to dopamine deficiency :-
- Anxious or moody
- Depressed or hopeless
- Forgetful
- Indifferent about things you used to enjoy
- Unable to concentrate
- Unable to sleep
- Unmotivated
- Uninterested in sex
- Withdrawn
Yep. I pretty much tick every box there and that seems a bit fucked up.
So, what to do? Earlier this year I was flirting with the idea of doing a Digital Detox but since my work involves using a computer that seemed to be a tricky prospect. I’ve come to the conclusion that Dopamine Fasting would be more to the point and so for the month of September (the start of Spring) I am going to give my own version of that a try.
The tricky part here is that I don’t really know what Dopamine Fasting looks like for ME. Many point out that dopamine itself is not a bad thing and you can’t exactly cut it out or quit everything you enjoy, but the focus of Dopamine Fasting appears to be making sure that I’m not burning up my dopamine on unhelpful, unhealthy and/or unproductive activities and then running on an empty tank.
So with that as a starting point I can identify some obvious stuff that I really should stop doing. That includes things like gaming (eg Splinterlands), junk food, social media and gambling. However, on some of these things it can start to become a bit of a grey area. For instance, I play Live Poker regularly which technically is a form of gambling but its ALSO my primary meat-space social activity. Similarly while it’s easy to get stuck doom-scrolling for cheap dopamine hits on social media like Hive or Facebook I do get valuable and important information from those sources so I need to figure out how to apply some discipline and/or implement a usage framework there to avoid the bad aspects while exploiting the good.
This is a very personal and private endeavor for me and to be honest its a bit embarrassing to talk about. I’m only posting about this on Hive because I can remain anonymous here and also because maybe there are others out there with similar problems, or who have similarly attempted to address them with their own form of Dopamine Fast. If so I’d love to hear from you. This is all new to me and I’m on a bit of a self-discovery arc here so I’d appreciate any comment or insight.
Sorry to hear this bugged. It’s a heavy time generally, and I feel like hitting a certain age can sometimes magnify all the feelings/symptoms you listed.
I know I have been feeling some of what you mentioned too. Sleepless… poor concentration… forgetful… lack of enthusiasm/motivation to do things. For me it seems to be all the loss last year, the political shit storm, and a sprinkle of menopause. 😂🤣 A triple combo of fun.
I find being outside helps. Being with friends helps. Forcing yourself to say yes to experiences helps.
Though I am a total lurker these days I am always around and happy to chat anytime. Ideas, pep talks, smack talks, encouragement… whatever you need.
Hang in there friend.
Thanks dfin. I do find that being outside and around nature does help me a LOT. Problem being that at this time of year we have a lot of cold, rain and wind so it's hard to get out and get enough sun. I miss my vitamin D...
I do usually bounce back in the spring and this year I am just more consciously (and diligently?) trying to do so. Really do appreciate the offer to chat. This time I know what I need to do - I just gotta DO.
Hope it goes well for you buddy. Ive always got an ear you can bash, or a government you can take the piss out of, if you just need to rant!!
Thanks mate. A good rant is always cathartic. Good to know you're always up for it! :)
Sorry to hear that you aren’t doing well. I hope whatever and however you decide to rectify it works. Each person handles things differently so advice isn’t really what you need. Best of luck on figuring it out brother.
Thanks mate. Appreciate it.
This is the first I've heard of it, interesting concept. I would say a digital detox is good for everyone! Winter is the most depressing time of year, and with spring coming it's a perfect time to make some changes. Good for you, I think it's a great plan.
I am cutting back my time online as well and focusing more on real life. It's what really matters in the end!
Yeh, I think Digital Detox is a concept that is starting to catch on. Thanks for the positive comment.
Good for you for taking care of your mental health! Too many people ignore it.
If you are deficient in dopamine, doesn't that mean you're lacking dopamine? And if you're lacking dopamine how would avoiding dopamine solve that problem? It kinda sounds like a desert lacking water deciding to consciously avoid water in order to solve the problem 😅. What is the explanation that takes care of the way I'm seeing this, please?
It more like being in a desert with a canteen full of water....and then drinking it ALL in the first hour, but then dying of thirst later because you have none. Instead of being very mindful of how you use your water to make it go further and last longer.
I see, I get it perfectly now.
I was thinking more about ur situation, which is much like myself..
i am not the best blogger, but perhaps u should give my recent one a read. it lists the top 10 things that got me out of my depression..
https://peakd.com/hive-178265/@chinito/top-10-things-that-got
also, I researched the supp creatine used mainly for building muscle, but it's also good for the brain and it also is good for mood.. I don't know how old u are.. if u are over 50 like me, then this one also works even better. I got the pills version,.. just 5 mg a day does the trick. :)
https://www.amazon.com/Optimum-Nutrition-Micronized-Monohydrate-Packaging/dp/B002DYIZGC/ref=sr_1_9?crid=6ND9UW6A657N&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.dHhmEjKlVsudKWTBbDG95P473xTXwqAyr69ONTfMH6Kc2_8QFUPmwSD_JLfwo6tNb3auB8xtI5gJJF6SKnPdRy7ddSBg8LENryY3_CNM945xSI4wDIQIcx8svPwd5Byln5x5HrZfmQCAvO9hkoiaVrglVmmck1Ts97J2uSdC1MaG9T9C4Y7pduMVsjupmbub85K0jsjwwbB7SGEBWJmQkVsoCh4ziOAGliTafa80oJxiguPb94g-MUxC58K0zXs3cYF3qlwTTt-jKQVc7vnnU_99mfl8LR7dilioYE04kAg.LSf79GrvP_8v6mCq5PswUwSOPB728VR0IUW42ieQhm4&dib_tag=se&keywords=creatine%2Bpills&qid=1756238546&sprefix=creatine%2Bpills%2Caps%2C196&sr=8-9&th=1
I hadn't considered creatine. I do plan to get some more regular exercise going so that might be worth a look. Thanks for the tip.
that's awesome. good luk and happy days to u! 💪😎👊
!BBH !ALIVE
yup. a big yes to dopamine as it relates to mood. I was recently going through depression (nothing new to me, but it was still shit). I say it wasn't any 1 thing, but a combination of many dopamine sources that aided me and got me feeling all good again. :)
I don't see why u would want to limit yourself at all, but yea.. there are good and bad sources i guess.. i would say hiving.. redeeming HD and even points on ecency all throughout the day is a great source of dopamine for me. I also play some online games that are dopamine full, and all just click and click, and made by @kenny-crane. if u don't already play metabots or PEPE game, I would reach out to him on hive or discord, or even just ask me about em and i will point u to them. 🙂🤙
Can't say as though I have ever heard of this. Best of luck to you! I am pretty old, so dopamine fasting for me would be only going 5 over the speed limit instead of 10 or something lame like that!
I would rather say minimizing everything in life, not just unhealthy ones. Becuase the dopamine itself is a function of age. In different age brackets, your dopamine release happens differently. In time, we need to be more transcendental to achieve that third dimension where you go beyond presence and absence, loss and profit, happiness/despair......to find that happy being in that dimension.
You might want to try and get some teanine or integrator to help, you are not alone in that situation, I think most of the modern generations are like this... And well winter sucks, makes me undermood too
I'm in the same boat, watched this right now about the topic which you might find interesting
Good Luck on the Dopamine Detox!