Trading habits for happiness
What role will dopamine play in your life? We can trade in habits in exchange for happiness. Plus, vote for next month's theme, and more!
It was a pleasure learning about dopamine detoxing and the influence society has on dopamine disorders this month.
I don't think it's a coincidence I came across the term brain rot before writing this email.
Have you heard of it?
It describes what happens to our minds when we spend too much time consuming cheap content.
The Newport Institute, a residential center for teens, says:
“Brain rot is a condition of mental fogginess, lethargy, reduced attention span, and cognitive decline that results from an overabundance of screen time.”
Sounds a lot like the effects of overstimulation.
They continue to say:
“Consequences of brain rot include difficulty organizing information, solving problems, making decisions, and recalling information.”
We're not meant to process the amount of information and stimuli we do.
No wonder it isn't easy to cope.
If we’re feeding our minds meaningless data and negative news (doom-scrolling), it’s draining its precious energy to process that instead of something more meaningful and positive.
Trading habits for happiness and presence
Dopamine disorders are a real thing, and it’s happening because of everyday habits we wouldn’t usually question.
And our society will only make it harder to change those habits.
I hope this month gave you the knowledge and ideas to decide what role social media, smartphones, and other dopamine-spiking habits will play in your life.
Or at least the awareness of when we're distracting ourselves from our feelings. This was the biggest takeaway for me.
And yes, we’ll be in the minority if we choose to get our dopamine in check, but wow, how much happier and present we’ll be.
As a bonus, people will see the change and want to do the same.
That’s the only way society can regain its agency.
No company will ever make that decision for us.
How will you proceed after learning about dopamine-spiking behaviors and ways to regulate them? I’m curious to hear your takeaways.
My commitment
Here’s what I plan to do moving forward:
Prioritize single-tasking
Go analog as much as possible - drive to the store instead of prime, cook, etc.
Deliberate practice every day - learn piano, write, and do other activities that stretch my skills and expand what I’m good at. Doing things that don’t have immediate feedback is good for normalizing dopamine.
Declutter the house - this made me so excited because it’s a dopamine regulator that happens in the background. The only thing I need to do is declutter and maintain that. It’ll support my healing on autopilot.
It’ll be hard to discipline myself, so I plan to take it a chunk at a time.
That’ll be a gradual change, but it's worth it.
If you want to share your commitment with the TGS community, post it here :)
Francesca
PS. This month's theme changed my life. I can't tell you how grateful I am we get to dive deep every month into one topic rather than skim the surface and move on. It makes a real difference. I hope it does for you, too.
Vote for July's topic
What would you like to read about?
1) Abraham Hicks - I’ll share insights based on quotes from Abraham Hicks, whose teachings are about the law of attraction. Abraham is the name of a non-physical entity that is channeled by Esther Hicks.
2) Mike Dooley - I’ll share insights based on quotes from Mike Dooley, whose teachings help with manifesting. He’s also the creator of The Universe emails.
Did this spark any thoughts, questions, or insights? Tell us in the comments. I love hearing from you, and you never know who else needs what you have to say!
Good Quote
Good Question
Move up the ladder to higher vibrations by writing at the top of a blank page:
What would that look like if I were to visualize feeling the best I possibly can?
and see what flows from your pen. No judgment or editing.
Good Thinking
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Did this inspire any thoughts, questions, or revelations? Tell us in the comments. I love hearing from you, and you never know who else needs what you have to say!