Dopamine Addiction

Dopamine Addiction

The more negative emotions we are dealing with, the more vulnerable we are to dopaminergic signals.

Dopamine is a hormone that the body uses as a reward system. It gives the body the “feel good” effect(pleasure).

If you are feeling depressed,anxious and lonely, it’s more likely that you will seek solace in food, movies, alcohol, sex or social media.

Dopamine helps you shut off negative emotions. Negative emotions induce the craving for dopamine.

When you feel bad, the body wants to help you feel better.

The brain releases dopamine to get you the pleasure.

Each time this happens, you get these dopamine hits that keep you hooked to the same things that give you pleasure. The danger here is, the dependence.

When your body gets used to dopamine hits from social media or text messages or even notifications, it starts craving for those short term rewards.

Over time, it gets wired in a way that it’s always in a deficit. It makes it hard for us to stay motivated without those instant gratifications.

This dependency can deepen our natural drive making it difficult to stay focused on meaningful work.

This is why you wake up and the first thing is to check your phone. You are at work and your mind is constantly craving for the phone so you can continue with that gossip video you were watching.

This is why you are constantly on Instagram, Facebook and tiktok,dating sites or even porn sites.

You want that “new high”.

Try a dopamine reset in the form of;

• One day a week, move without your phone. Detoxify from social media.
• Fasting every week. Detoxify from food addictions. Fasting also cleans your soul and you will realize you can’t find the mind to masturbate when fasting.
• Find a new healthy habit that can get addictive, like the gym, journalling and even reading.

Start slow and gradually grow into it.

• If depressed or anxious, try and stay present. Things that depress or get you anxious are not in your present. They are either in the future or the past, both of which you don’t have.
• Fix the gut. There’s a direct relationship between the gut and the brain.