PART 1
WAYS TO TRULY DO A DOPAMINE DETOX
INTRODUCTION
by CARLEN ALTMAN
1. Figure out your WHY. Why do you want to detoxify from Dopamine Bursts? Is it to get things done? What specifically?
2. What is your source of Dopamine? For many, it is social media - others it is Youtube - others it is high-stimulating/sugared/seasoned food - others it is alcohol.
Before this Dopamine Detox, figure out how much time you are spending doing ______ (whatever your chosen stimulant is)
How do you feel doing that? How long does that feeling last? What happens if you don't do that action? Do you feel irritable or anxious?
Are there other ways you could feel Dopamine naturally that aren't your chosen stimulant?
Are you aware of natural ways to boost your Dopamine so you don't feel the urge to log onto social media or eat that last cookie even though you know you shouldn't?
Close your eyes and check inwardly; Are you afraid to feel the discomfort of sitting with yourself without ____ in your life?
If your chosen Dopamine addiction is social media, what is it you are looking to find on there?
A new message?
A bunch of likes?
From who do you wish to have these?
What does it say?
I want you to take a sheet of paper and draw out the exact message you hope to receive and from who...
How will this message make you feel?
Do you notice that as you are imagining this, you are feeling the emotion you hope to feel? Do you see how incredible that is, that for a split second you are able to access the love/validation/approval you seek from another, just by imagining it?
Now, is your addiction to getting "likes"?
This is very common and in fact, this was an intentional plan of the social media developers: they know people are addicted to social approval and love, and they decided to make a little heart icon
Do you feel a surge of Dopamine even just looking at these?
What do you imagine happens when you get these likes? Does it mean that what you shares is lovable and worthwhile?
What exact Instagram post would you want to make that would get you the highest number of likes?
What are you doing in that photo? Are you sitting on vacation with the sun in your face drinking a fruity beverage ? Are you winning an award at a film festival? Are you doing an epic dance routine?
What would it feel like to have the attention from other people in the form of "likes" for that?
Is that idea you came up with for your post YOUR idea or is it something you saw someone else post?
How do you think they felt?
Do you think they felt more pleasure from the experience of doing whatever it is they were doing (the vacation/etc) or more pleasure from posting the photo of them doing the thing?
I will let you in on a secret.
When I went to Bali, though I usually do not like touristy spots, I decided to visit some ver popular places and what I noticed is that there were dozens of tourists who would hold selfie sticks and take photos and then quickly walk away without even taking in the experience of what it is they were posing in front of.
It was honestly quite disturbing to see everyone doing this and even weirder to wonder if there were people on vacation moreso to share photos of the trip and receive Dopamine in the form of likes/comments than actually experience the trip itself?
Is it possible that you want people to be jealous of you for your photos?
Who do you imagine you want to be jealous of you?
Is it a friend? Celebrity? Who do you want to be envious of you?
Who do you want to think of you as someone who has "made it"?
What is your ideal scenario?
Who is looking at your page?
What are you doing?
What emotion are you hoping they feel?
Is there a desire for this person to feel pain from what you post?
Where are you feeling pain/discomfort?
I want you to imagine pulling that pain out of your body and sitting across from it in a chair.
I want you to ask it what that pain wants or needs....
Go do this and then come back...
What did it say?
Often times, what is underneath this pain is a desire for love. A desire to be seen.
Envy is often a desire to receive love, which we are tricked into thinking can come through expensive consumer goods/exotic vacations...
Love is the root of what we want - it is not likes or comments.
I want you to now write yourself the ideal message you would like to read. And imagine who it is from.
I want you to now write yourself the ideal comment you would like to read. And imagine who it is from.
Read that aloud to yourself in a bathroom mirror.
For bonus, I want you to record these words on a tape recorder or your phone audio recorder.
As you read this, do you feel a surge of Dopamine?
Most likely, the answer is yes!
But how is this possible using your imagination?
It is because we are choosing to focus on the feeling - and when we focus on that - we can access that; just as we can access the dread of "not getting any likes" or "rejection"
I want you to spend today imagining the comment or message that you want from another person and giving that to yourself.
PS my website is almost done!
and yes, I finally checked on who won the election (for those who read my last post)
PS I erased almost all of my previous posts but they are not gone! : ) They will just be moved!
Hope you are well!
