Dopamine Fatigue: What is it, and How Do We Combat it?

It’s time to talk about why you’re addicted to your phone. 

Our culture as a whole has become addicted to quick dopamine hits. We’ve moved away from getting dopamine from fulfilling things in our day, like being creative or getting outside, because we can satisfy ourselves faster with a 7 second clip. The problem with this is that dopamine doesn’t last very long, and we end up putting ourselves in a situation where we face dopamine fatigue or dopamine depletion, so we have to keep scrolling to get another dopamine boost, and the cycle continues (and that’s not even talking about how you can scroll from a recipe video to a heartwarming video to a tragic news story… That emotional roller coaster is a topic for another post, or we can talk about that together by booking a consult here.) 

Dopamine fatigue (also known as dopamine depletion) can lead to a complete dopamine burnout, with symptoms like:

• Physical Fatigue

• Disrupted Sleep

• Anxiety/ Depression

• Social withdrawal (ironic, right?)

• Eating disruptions

This comes from your body constantly being in flight or fight, preparing for the next post you see.

Okay, okay. So what do we do about it? 

Maybe you’re like so many of us and just need to set better boundaries with your phone. Here are some of our favorite ways to do that: 

1. Set your phone on a different side of the room for bedtime. Maybe you need to plug your phone in by your dresser instead of your nightstand. Maybe you have a little bit better self control and you can just put it in your drawer (or maybe you have worse self control and have to have it in a different room like me.) Whatever it is, get in the habit of plugging your phone in somewhere else at night so you can’t easily look at it. Use it for your alarms? Buy an alarm clock. Click here for a good one.

2. Need to take an extra step to set that boundary? Invest in a lockbox (click here to see our favorite). A lockbox with a timer is a great way to set your phone aside so you can fight against the urge to grab it (Fun fact: a global tech care company called Asurion did a survey and found that Americans check their phones 96 times a day on AVERAGE-that is once every 10 minutes.) If we can’t even get to it, we can break that habit.

3. Replace it with something else- exercise, listen to music, eat serotonin boosting foods, play games with friends, get outside… If you're dealing with anxiety and depression, turn your phone off and replace “doom scrolling” with things that boost serotonin and therefore increase your happiness.

Do you need a community to support you on your wellness journey? We are launching the “Present is the Present” challenge (December 10 2022-December 25 2022), to help you unplug for the holiday season and be present with your loved ones. Click here to join us!

STAY NOURISHED!