In a plugged-in world, a simple like or comment on social media can make or break our day. Scrolling social media activates the brain’s reward center, releasing dopamine, a neurotransmitter and hormone associated with pleasure. Each like, comment, or video is a mini reward that can trigger quick bursts of pleasure and engagement.
These rewards are sometimes involuntary. They don’t require much work or delay, making them highly addictive. With this comes an unhealthy relationship with social media. It can create social media exhaustion, if you will. To curb this, you have to reset dopamine receptors, re-sensitize the brain’s reward system, and regain balance and control. Some say that dopamine detoxes can help with mental well-being, focus, and impulse control. Dopamine detoxes are little breaks from social media that redirect your energy and mind into more mindful behaviors that rebalance dopamine regulation — let’s dive into it.
What is a Dopamine Detox?
Dopamine Detox is nothing new. Dopamine detox was originally called a dopamine fast, where Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) was used to limit addictive behaviors. The number one on that list? Internet use.
The “fasting” is the idea of limiting these problematic behaviors and shifting your focus to more mindful behaviors instead. Dopamine detox has branched off of this to encourage social media users to take a break from their endless scrolling and online behaviors.
Why is taking a break from social media important?
When you’re scrolling on TikTok late at night or looking at your Instagram feed to pass the time, it might seem like a passive behavior, but actually, your brain is being stimulated. Engaging with these digital platforms stimulates the reward pathways in the brain and can even be addictive. Social media use releases dopamine, aka the feel-good hormone. It directly affects our overall mood and happiness. However, when dopamine levels are too high, erratic behavior could occur.
This constant release of dopamine may lead you to feel tired, anxious, or even depressed. When your brain is saturated with too many dopamine activations, dopamine receptors lose their effect. The result? People lose the “good feeling” over time. In turn, they increase their behavior to try and find that good feeling again.
A dopamine detox is aimed to give you a break from constant stimulation. In a world where likes are viewed as rewards, a detox can help you gain control over your social media use and break free from the expectation of gratification from social media. The constant pressure to impress people on social media can lead to stress. The hope of a detox is that you’ll find pleasure in more fulfilling, natural activities that help your overall well-being.
Steps to take for a Dopamine Detox:
- Create a schedule
Like any addictive behavior, it’s hard to cut it off cold turkey. A healthy dopamine detox involves creating a schedule with “fasting” and “feasting” periods. Establish times when social media use is off limits, aka the “fasting” periods. Hold yourself accountable and ensure you’re staying off social media during the demarcated times. Try to schedule these during periods when you have productive and mindful activities planned. You start off small, such as one hour a day to spend time with family and friends.
It’s all about balance. You can designate “feasting” windows when you can indulge in the activity. For instance, you can decide that you will spend 10 minutes on social media every evening after dinner. Slowly as you get used to the time off social media you can adjust the schedule as necessary.
- Fuel your body with nourishing food
It’s no surprise that food has a direct relation to our mood. But, eating junk food can mess up our dopamine receptors and create unhealthy eating habits. Developing a healthy relationship with food combined with nourishing meals can support dopamine balance.
Foods that are rich in tyrosine and antioxidants, such as fruits and vegetables, support overall brain health and function. Nutrition regulates dopamine, restoring it to a healthy balance. You can combine the best of both worlds by adopting new cooking habits that involve making these fulfilling meals. It’s both a mindful behavior and dopamine regulation.
- Find an alternate activity
The key to reestablishing a healthy relationship with social media is taking a break with activities that are mindful and require low stimulation. Adopt new activities that are low dopamine release, such as meditation, gentle exercise, reading (in moderation), and nature-centric activities.
These activities will calm your mind, training your mind to respond to dopamine in a less addictive way. So, when you return to social media, it reduces the impact of overstimulation on your brain’s reward system. Find activities you enjoy to fill the time. Overall, this will establish a healthier lifestyle.
- Develop a hobby
Urges are normal. So, to set yourself up for success, try finding a new hobby to preoccupy your mind. Hobbies outside are preferred, such as golfing, riding a bike, or gardening. The goal of a dopamine detox is not to never use social media, but rather to create a lifestyle that balances the use of social media with other fulfilling activities, so your reward system remains regulated. After your dopamine detox, you’ll find yourself spending less time on social media thanks to your new hobby.
The best way to do this is to combine this with fasting windows. You can establish a day per week where no social media is used. In that timeframe, engage in a new sport or hobby.
- Practice mindfulness
At the end of this, you should be in control of how you spend your time on social media — not the other way around. It shouldn’t feel like an activity that is draining or you have to do. You can accomplish this by being mindful of your screen time.
Practicing awareness of urges during the dopamine detox will help you. While you’re avoiding social media, pay attention to when you experience urges to use it. Watch the desire to use it come and go without engaging in it, aka “urge surfing.” If you ride out the wave and be in control of your screen time, you’ll find out that after the detox you won’t feel the need to constantly be on social media.
Social media is a double-edged sword. It has a ton of positive benefits, but can also negatively impact your mental health. Ultimately, you have to establish boundaries. A dopamine detox will reestablish your relationship with social media, creating healthy parameters that help you find joy in it again.
