Dopamine Menu
Eric shares his unique approach to managing ADHD through a "dopamine menu," which categorizes activities into entrees, desserts, and specials. He emphasizes the importance of engaging in fulfilling experiences that connect to personal goals, while also acknowledging the allure of less productive "dessert" activities. The conversation highlights the balance of enjoying life's pleasures in moderation, ensuring that choices are meaningful rather than mindless.In this clip
From this podcast
Chasing Life
How to Hack Your Brain’s Reward System
Related Questions
What are your thoughts on my plan to manage my relationship to dopamine and coffee in relation to my work? I feel like my dopamine system has become depleted from too much scrolling online and watching random YouTube videos. Between that and daily coffee, I sometimes have trouble getting motivated to do work that I enjoy. Here’s my plan: Increasing Baseline Fundamentals (Daily): * Good sleep * 10 min Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR) * Nutrition * Morning sunlight (5-10 minutes minimum) * Exercise Additional Good Things for Balance: * Time in nature with no music * Reading fiction * Watching films * Listening to music Increasing and Maintaining a High Baseline: * Healthy habits around sleep, nutrition, and exercise. Things to Moderate to Regulate Dopamine Levels and Avoid Depletion: * Coffee: It seems like coffee activates receptors to increase dopamine indirectly but can make experiences feel less satisfying when I don’t have that big peak. Solution: Coffee only on workdays. Typically a small amount, occasionally larger or multiple when needed. This will decrease my tolerance significantly. * YouTube (education): Solution: Pre-work session only. Remove from TV and phone. * Hinge: Use only when I have no future dates lined up. Max 1 swiping session per week. If I have multiple dates lined up, I can stay off of it. * Junk food: Some days yes, some days no. If I have several days with junk food, I’ll take a few days without. * Masturbation: No porn, and minimize usage to increase desire for dating. * Video games (with friends): Play with friends once a week only. Things to Remove Entirely to Avoid Depletion: * YouTube (scrolling) * Scrolling the internet (e.g., ESPN, NBA, Hollywood Reporter, Variety, etc.) * Porn * Video games (solo) What do you think of this plan?
If I play highly novelty and high-speed video games in moderation that give me significant spikes, but I'm also practicing meditation, eating good food, exercising, and engaging in activities that increase dopamine baseline levels, will my dopamine baseline remain balanced?
How can I balance guitar, surfing, drawing, yoga, dance, and poetry effectively while staying off screens and taking a dopamine break?