Dopamine Fasting
If I were to graph how absorbed I have been in life, it would peak during high school and gradually decline afterward. These days, I find it difficult to concentrate on my work. Not long after I start studying, I often discover that I am on YouTube or social media. Even though I know it does nothing to help my life, stopping is really hard. I think I have become so accustomed to the temporary pleasure of stimulation that the pleasure of accomplishing something feels small by comparison. A few mouse clicks give me immediate enjoyment, so it is only natural that I avoid long-term activities that require prolonged effort and stress before any satisfaction arrives. The problem is that, having grown used to a continuously elevated level of pleasure, I not only seek out something more stimulating and intense but also find myself more easily shaken by the boredom and stress involved in reaching my goals. I wanted to feel more of the joy that comes from accomplishment, so something had to change. Watching election coverage instead of doing the studying I needed to start an assignment due the next day frustrated me enough to act immediately. I remembered hearing about dopamine fasting, read several articles, and learned something interesting about dopamine.
Dopamine fasting is not about reducing dopamine itself, but about reducing the impulsive behaviors that reinforce its release. This relates to conditioned reflexes. If you blow a whistle every time you feed a dog, eventually the whistle alone will make it drool. When we are bored or stressed and encounter a phone notification or the YouTube logo, we expect entertaining content and an escape from negative feelings. We have learned that using our phones can help us escape discomfort or have fun. As condition, expectation, and reward repeat, they strengthen impulsive behavior. To control that behavior, we need to address all three through stimulus control.
To control external stimuli: 1) Keep away from the conditions that trigger impulsive behavior—for example, put your phone in your bag. 2) Find and take part in alternative activities, such as exercise, that create positive feelings and ease negative ones. I try to enjoy micro-vacations. 3) Use website-blocking extensions or screen-time controls. To handle internal stimuli, such as negative emotions, without the reward of reaching for your phone: 1) Record when an impulse occurs and what you are thinking at that moment. 2) Use urge surfing: recognize the physical sensations associated with an urge, and observe the feeling without judging or pushing it away. In other words, manage the feeling by acknowledging the desire. 3) Whenever you feel like getting distracted, simply keep doing what you were doing.
These methods can weaken conditioned reflexes and help us regain control over our behavior. Based on them, I made the following action plan: 1) Use my phone only for limited periods after meals or while traveling. 2) Take a ten- to fifteen-minute walk when I am stuck on a problem. 3) Set my annual goals as the wallpaper on my phone and iPad. 4) Reduce the frequency of activities that cause a sudden adrenaline rush, such as League of Legends or intense videos. 5) Set very small goals and rediscover the pleasure of achieving them. Leave enough buffer in my plans to build confidence.
I want to restore my dopamine-soaked brain to its original state soon.
For more on dopamine fasting, I recommend the articles below.