Social media. Shopping. Procrastination. More shopping.
There are many ways to get that satisfying ping of dopamine, but not all of them are healthy.
Think of it like this:
When you eat something super sugary like a donut, your blood sugar levels spike quickly and then crash. Activities can act as the dopamine equivalent of eating a donut by causing dopamine to rapidly increase and then plummet just as fast.
Repeatedly experiencing these highs and lows can lead to addiction, depression, and anxiety.
Ofc, there’s a time and place for some “dopamine donuts,” but it’s important to focus on healthy dopamine hits. These highs come from doing things that cause dopamine to rise slowly and remain elevated for a period of time.
How to hack a healthier dopamine high:
- Eat foods high in dopamine building blocks, like chicken and avocados.
- Listen to music.
- Get some sunshine (but please remember to wear SPF).
- Take a cold shower, or do a cold plunge.
- Try something new.
- Exercise (this can even protect our dopamine receptors as we get older).
- Check something off a list.
- Play with your dog.
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