Abstract – What is Dopamine?

If you’re reading this right now, and you’re someone who struggles with anxiety or depression, perhaps you feel overwhelmed, finding yourself worrying too much, lacking motivation, feeling lazy, and procrastinating until the very last minute. Maybe you lack energy and feel fatigued a lot. Perhaps unbeknownst to you, you’re battling a form of addiction; something is affecting and controlling your life. Maybe you feel numb, like a zombie, from the moment you wake up to the moment you go to sleep.

Are you lacking passion, joy, and peace in your life? Maybe you can’t connect with your loved one on an intimate level, leaving you feeling disconnected. It might sound crazy, but dopamine virtually affects every single aspect of your life, and if you can relate to anything that I just shared, then this article is for you. 

What I’m about to share with you could potentially be the most powerful thing that you will ever learn about solely because there are so many people from around the world who are suffering unnecessarily and experiencing a lot of pain from the aforementioned symptoms, yet 99% of society has zero clue that what we’re about to discuss is potentially the very root cause of these issues. We’re not just going to shed light on these issues and the source of this suffering but also provide you with a guide, a clear path to successfully and quickly detoxing. Ultimately, to get better and reverse these symptoms that are more prevalent than ever before in today’s modern technological age.

Dopamine, a neurotransmitter primarily associated with the anticipation of pleasure and reward, plays a crucial role in human behavior, attention, and motivation. Anytime there’s anticipation of something good coming into your life, we ultimately crave and desire this feeling more. We love the novelty. Anything that’s new in our lives makes us feel great because of this neurotransmitter. This explains why dopamine is potentially the root cause of anxiety and depression, amongst other mental illnesses, ultimately leading to the downfall of most relationships. Based on modern-day statistics, most relationships don’t make it past the honeymoon stage. This aligns with when the rush of dopamine from a new relationship settles in. Essentially, the first 12-18 months of a relationship is fueled by dopamine; past that timeframe, you must stand the test of time and actively choose that partner to make it work. Most individuals aren’t able to graph the concept of love being a daily choice, not just a fleeting feeling of infatuation or, rather, dopamine. Because of dopamine and our addiction to it as a society, people are constantly striving toward the next new, shiny object. 

The neurotransmitter, dopamine, makes us constantly desire more and more, never becoming fully satisfied. The problem is, once we get what we initially desired, what we fantasized about, obsessed about, what we thought would make us happy, the neurotransmitter (dopamine) turns off, and we don’t feel as satisfied as we thought we would. In fact, you feel empty inside. Then, you start craving and desiring even more. You become stuck in this delusion, an illusion where you never reach the deep happiness, joy, and peace that you long for. Instead, it’s these quick pleasure and reward dopa hits. The more you get these easy hits, the more empty you feel. This is why they refer to dopamine as the molecule of “more.” Dopamine fuels our desires. The modern environment, characterized by instant gratification through social media, multitasking, and constant gratification, has led to the phenomenon known as “dopamine addiction.” This article delves into the science behind dopamine addiction, its neurobiological mechanisms, societal impacts, and actionable strategies to mitigate its effects.

Introduction

Dopamine is often dubbed the “feel-good” neurotransmitter due to its association with pleasure, reward, and motivation. When we engage in pleasurable activities – such as eating, exercising, or socializing – dopamine is released in the brain, reinforcing these behaviors and encouraging repetition (Schults, 2015). However, the rise of technology and social media has altered how we experience rewards, leading to chronic overstimulation of the dopamine system (Hyman, 2010). This overstimulation can foster a cycle of addiction, where the pursuit of quick rewards supersedes long-term fulfillment.

As you may know, I’m very passionate about writing these blogs and hope to improve more and more every day to provide the very best content possible. Not just science, studies, and statistics with proof, but more importantly, relatable and digestible information that you can use to your advantage to get real, legitimate results. At the end of the day, that’s what really matters, right? RESULTS! 

This topic is extremely important to me. I’m almost having trouble writing this right now because I am so excited to apply this specific guide in my own life. Literally, everything I’m about to write about in this guide will show you how to completely change your life with the simplest (although not easy) methods and techniques to regain control of your focus, peace, energy, motivation, sexual health, athleticism, mood, your productivity and much more. We live in a world full of distractions, and if we aren’t careful, these distractions can ultimately ruin our lives.  I’ve personally experienced this through mindless social media scrolling, past drug use, unregulated sleeping patterns, binge-watching on blue light TV screens, binge shopping, and for decades, always feeling the constant need to be stimulated, distracted, and having my attention in five different places at once.

I always thought, “Yeah, dopamine. It’s kind of important but not enough to write out a plan to make some serious changes, though.” Now, I’m starting to believe it’s the root of everything. We are so afraid of being bored nowadays, but the secret lies in being comfortable with being bored and embracing the boredom; what are we afraid of? My main goal in life is to operate at a slow but steady pace. You know what they said about the tortoise and the hare, right?

We have to become aware of all these quick dopamine/pleasure hits within our lives. The more we minimize the need for constant stimulation and pleasure, which are really just spikes of dopamine, the more satisfaction and fulfillment we will experience. Now when I take breaks, my intent is to not distract myself with social media, but to embrace the moment. Sometimes, this means just staring at the wall for 5-15 minutes in your free time. It’s more than ok to have some downtime; you don’t always have to go 110% every second of every day. In fact, if you practice this method, you’ll be more productive and more focused. Another huge component that most individuals have a tough time adjusting to is doing only one thing at a time. Even if you have kids, you can and should still practice this. For instance, if you’re eating a meal or taking a walk, you don’t always need background noise. When was the last time you tried eating with no other distractions? Be present with the food, the flavors, and the environment, and have gratitude for your meal. Eat slower, take your time, and embrace these special moments.

Dangerous Sources of Dopamine Addiction + Solutions:

• Social media scrolling + Excess Phone Usage (YouTube, Instagram, Dating Apps, TikTok, X/Twitter, etc.) – Read / Walk / Play an Instrument Instead
• Comfort and never challenging yourself or always putting off difficult tasks – Instead, transmute those negative feelings of avoidance towards difficult tasks and view them as a chance to level up and change; you need a strong WHY and reason to do this. 
• Binge Watching T.V. Netflix or listening to music – Read / Walk / Play an Instrument Instead
• Enjoying only the honeymoon phase of relationships and jumping from person to person. Avoid the “The grass is greener” facade; be sure to water your lawn. – Don’t date if you experience this mental illness. Learn to be comfortable being alone and bored.
• Alcohol and drugs, Including but not limited to marijuana, excess amounts of nicotine, and even some Nootropics – Switch to real farm food, plenty of meats, and raw fats, and try taking L-Tyrosine (500-1000mg) in the A.M. 30’ before food
• Cornography, Masturbating, and most definitely edging (Prolonging ejaculation sometimes for hours) Not only does masturbating, edging, and watching “corn” make you socially awkward, it also can potentially make you a terrible lover and make it nearly impossible to connect with your partner/spouse on an intimate level. Masturbating releases a high amount of prolactin and skyrockets your dopamine levels. What goes up, must come crashing down. It can also lead to PE and ED for men. Lastly, it makes you out of touch with reality. – Be more active, keep busy, perhaps take a cold shower, nourish your body, workout etc.
• Avoid being overly isolated. – Socialize with friends and family, being sure to be present. 
• Shopping Sprees & gambling – As you start to add these solutions in, naturally, you will feel less cravings. 
• Over celebrating small wins and spending too much time in those highs and lows — Seek balance instead of celebrating after you finish a task; celebrate after you accomplish a major goal; the longer you hold out, the better.
• Overexposure to blue light, artificially lit screens, LED lights, etc. – Use Blue Blocking Glasses (Yellow during the day + Red/Orange after sunset) Ra Optics or True Dark – Also use Red light (Gemba Red) – or Candle light at night. Avoid all artificial lights at night if possible.
• Video Games – Read Books/Walk/Workout/Play an Instrument/Meditate/Nap/Pray/Hike/Do Some Errands/Clean etc.
• Inability to embrace boredom, the need to be constantly stimulated/distracted. Always feeling the need to be entertained, distracted, pleasured, and rewarded, oftentimes without struggle or effort.. – Consider taking boredom breaks where you simply stare at the wall (5-15’), embracing the boredom/focusing on a specific thing. You can also simply just rest, breathe (Buteyko), nap, or meditate.
• Constant Multitasking: Certain activities can be labeled as “white activities”, i.e., chewing gum, walking, cooking, etc. However when I play guitar, I find it challenging to even chew gum at the same time, take it with a grain of salt – Focusing on one thing at a time, eat/walk/work without distractions. Studies have shown people who multitask are in fact, worse at multi-tasking than people who don’t. They are also more easily distracted.
• Binge Eating, Even the need to make your food extremely flavorful every meal, Junk Food, Anything can be addictive: soda, chips, working too much, you name it. – Consider exploring some fasting and making some of your meals bland. Digital/phone fasting, word fasting, fasting from coffee, drugs, alcohol, food, fasting from anything addictive/destructive. Balance or overall elimination is key, if necessary.

Managing Dopamine to Sustain Motivation

Dopamine is closely linked to our sense of motivation. It has the potential to enhance our depth of focus and lower our threshold for taking action toward specific goals. You may find some things repeating over and over in this blog. That’s the point. We have to break these extremely debilitating habits. An easy way to think about dopamine is that when our dopamine levels are high, we tend to focus our attention on outward goals – things we want – and we feel motivated to pursue them. “Dopamine is about wanting, not about having,” said Dr. Anna Lembke, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and the chief of the Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic at Stanford.

My goal is to overly highlight how much dopamine levels shape our emotions, our perception of life, and how capable we perceive ourselves to be. So, when our dopamine levels are chronically low, we feel constantly unmotivated, derive less pleasure from pursuits, and feel physically tired. One thing I want to mention is that I firmly believe, without a doubt, dopamine is the major cause of relationships failing more and more easily than ever before in today’s world. People are always looking for something new and exciting, you will understand this trend more as you continue to read this blog.. Love is a choice, a daily choice, not just a fleeting momentary feeling.  Just like food, the first bite is amazing, but as you continue to repeat the cycle, the next bite, and the one after, becomes less satisfying. Infatuation is dangerous. Let’s dive into how we can start managing our dopamine levels to enhance motivation and overall health.

3 Primary Ways to Start Rebalancing Your Dopamine Levels:

Stop Seeking Pleasure. Seek Purpose and Meaning.

1. Take boring breaks

2. Inhabit the in-between (downtime)

3. Do everything one thing at a time

A gentleman informed me that once he broke free from his dopamine addiction, he had a tough time multitasking. His focus became laser-like, but his multitasking ability was significantly reduced to the point where he would go on walks with his team and would have to stop walking to send a work text. Again, many clients of ours have informed us that this is not practical for their lives with the chaos of kids. However, we cannot make that assumption. Anyone can improve their focus and break free from the shackles of dopamine addiction.

I don’t like to consider taking care of kids as a form of “multi-tasking.” Being a parent is a dominant and major task in and of itself. Now, if you are taking care of kids and trying to study/listen to podcasts, watch your favorite Netflix series, or even listen to music, it can be over-stimulating in excess. Balance is key. Either way, in this blog, we explore many simple yet highly effective strategies and techniques to regain center, peace, and focus. To be able to slow down while simultaneously being far more productive and energetic. The thing is, when your dopamine levels are constantly over-stimulated and crashing on a daily basis, you become a zombie, and your entire life starts to suffer in every aspect.

The Neurobiology of Dopamine

Dopamine Pathways

Dopamine is synthesized in several areas of the brain, most notably the ventral tegmental state (VTA) and substantia nigra. The VTA sends projections to various regions, including the nucleus accumbens and the prefrontal cortex, which are integral to reward processing, motivation, and executive functions (Nestler et al., 2009).

1. Reward Circuit: The release of dopamine reinforces behaviors that provide pleasure, creating a feedback loop that encourages repetition.

2. Motivation: Dopamine levels influence motivation and the drive to pursue goals, contributing to both adaptive and maladaptive behaviors.

Mechanisms of Addiction

The concept of “dopamine addiction” refers to the compulsive engagement in activities that

release dopamine, even when they lead to negative consequences. The addiction can manifest

in various forms, including substance abuse, compulsive gambling, and excessive use of social

media. The key mechanisms are:

• Neuroadaptation: Chronic exposure to high dopamine levels can lead to desensitization, requiring more significant stimulation to achieve the same pleasurable effects (Volkow et al., 2011).
• Withdrawal Symptoms: Reduction in dopamine activity can lead to withdrawal symptoms, such as anxiety, depression, and irritability, further entrenching the cycle of addiction.

Societal Impacts of Dopamine Addiction

Social Media, “Corn” and Instant Gratification

Social media platforms are designed to exploit the brain’s reward pathways, providing users with continuous streams of dopamine-inducing stimuli. Notifications, likes, and shares create an environment where users experience short bursts of pleasure, reinforcing the need for constant engagement (Twenge et al., 2018). Not only social media but also “cornography” websites, naked pictures of beautiful women/men, masturbation, and even buying stuff can offer massive dopamine spikes. Anything that goes up must come down, so when we experience these massive spikes of dopamine, we will also experience a massive dip in dopamine as well, which makes you feel like total trash!

Fear of Boredom

The fear of boredom, often referred to as “boreout,” can drive individuals to seek constant stimulation, leading to decreased attention spans and increased anxiety levels (Jain & Bhattacharya, 2016). The avoidance behavior fuels a cycle of dependency on immediate rewards, further exacerbating dopamine addiction.

Multitasking and Cognitive Overload

The modern propensity for multitasking – juggling multiple tasks simultaneously – has been shown to impair cognitive performance and increase stress levels (Ophir et al., 2009). This phenomenon is linked to dopamine addiction, as individuals seek the quick rewards of task completion, often at the expense of deeper, more fulfilling engagement.

Managing Dopamine to Sustain Motivation

So again, we have this baseline of dopamine, it can fall or rise depending on various compounds we ingest, certain actions, and even our thoughts can influence the rise or fall of our dopamine levels. The thing is, our baseline dopamine levels are influenced by sleep, behavior, genetics, food/supplements, drugs, and the level of dopamine we experienced on previous days. We never want our baseline of dopamine to be too high or low. Our goal should be to maintain sufficient levels of baseline dopamine so we can experience higher levels of motivation on a day-to-day basis.

Let’s discuss a few ways to develop a healthy level of baseline dopamine:

1. Avoid Bright Lights and artificial blue light between 10 p.m.- 4 a.m. In other words, only use candlelight and red light (Gembared) at night. Even in the early morning hours, try to avoid artificial blue-lit screens and LED lights. You can also wear blue-light blocking glasses (yellow tint for during the day and red/orange for nighttime). Bluelight has been shown to severely disrupt normal sleep patterns and activate a brain region called the habenula, which drastically reduces the amount of circulating dopamine in your system. If you absolutely have to use light while it’s dark, then try your best to simply dim the light as much as possible while also using red light/blue light-blocking glasses (True Dark or Ra Optics). Avoid melatonin supplements because they can lower dopamine levels and ultimately disturb your normal sleep patterns.

2. Consider supplementing with Tyrosine or eating foods containing high amounts of Tyrosine. Some tyrosine-rich foods include hard-fermented cheese, red meats, and certain kinds of nuts. Tyrosine is an amino acid and is used for dopamine production. Huberman suggests that ingesting caffeine potentially increases dopamine but also increases the availability of dopamine receptors. Ultimately causing your body to be more sensitive to the circulation of dopamine. Avoid consuming caffeine too late in the day, especially without food.

Solutions and Strategies to Break Free from Dopamine Addiction

To combat dopamine addiction, a multifaceted approach is required. Below are research-backed strategies that can help individuals regain control over their behaviors.

1. Digital Detox

• Set Boundaries: Establish specific times for social media use and stick to them. For example, designate “no-tech” hours during meals or before bedtime (Rosen et al., 2014). Consider also using a device that locks your phone, preventing you from using it.
• Uninstall Apps: Consider removing high-dopamine apps from your phone or using website blockers to limit access to social media during work hours. Consider buying a work phone that prevents you from scrolling through social media etc.

2. Prayer, Mindfulness and Meditation

• Practice Mindfulness: Engage in mindfulness exercises to enhance awareness of your thoughts and cravings. Mindfulness can help reduce impulsive behaviors driven by dopamine-seeking (Keng et al., 2011).
• Prayer and Meditation: Regular meditation has been shown to increase the gray matter in brain areas associated with self-regulation and emotional control (Davidson et al., 2003). The method I thoroughly enjoy is to pray first, then meditate on that prayer, and then during my meditation/nap, I will (for 5 minutes or so) practice a deep “VOO” with the deepest part of my voice stimulating my vagus nerve. I then follow this up with breathing emphasis, focused on slow nasal breathing (buteyko breathing) while repeating the Jesus prayer (Lord Jesus Christ Son and Word of God have mercy on me a sinner). Something along those lines. The prayer creates the initial intention/focus, the “VOO” stimulates the vagal nerve, the breathing enhances this relaxation and is undeniably one of the most important exercises we should be practicing daily, and finally, the prayer, or perhaps positive affirmations helps to refocus and recenter our wandering mind/thoughts. Also, during the calm, relaxed prayer, you may notice worries, reminders, and insecurities consistently coming up. This is a good time to start “transmuting” those negative thoughts that disturb our peace. Our job is to GUARD OUR PEACE. We must actively reprogram our subconscious mind because, quite literally, our thoughts determine our lives.

3. Engage in Physical Activities

• Exercise Regularly: Physical activity increases dopamine levels in a balanced manner, promoting overall well-being without the harsh spikes associated with addictive behaviors (Meeusen & De Meirleir, 1995).
• Try New Activities: Engaging in new physical activities can create novel experiences, providing natural dopamine boosts without the risk of addiction. This is why we emphasize so much on playing. Play and explore more. We advise beginners to adhere to strict rules and bumper plates when starting out, but as you become more knowledgeable on biomechanical function and optimal/safe movement patterns, you can begin to start playing within these parameters. Perhaps try new sports and use both sides of the body. Your brain will thank you!

4. Limit Multi-tasking

• Focus on Single Tasks: Practice single-tasking by dedicating specific time blocks to one task at a time. This can enhance productivity and satisfaction (Rubenstein et al., 2001).
• Use the Pomodoro Technique: Work for 25 minutes, followed by a 5-minute break. This technique can maintain focus while preventing cognitive overload. Actually, right now, I’m going to take a quick break and literally stare at nothing for 5 minutes, something I never do. The gentleman I mentioned earlier? Yeah, he was preaching this technique as well; you can do a 25/5 ratio or even a 45-60 minute work and 10-15 minute rest ratio. There are varying ratios you can play with, but you get the point. When you take a break, do nothing, maybe even go for a quick walk. Here’s the secret: your breaks need to be more boring than the work you are doing, whereas if you use social media or something really stimulating during your break, it makes it far more difficult to focus and be productive for the rest of your entire day.

5. Cultivate Leisure Activities

• Pursue Hobbies: Identify activities that bring joy and fulfillment outside of screens – such as reading, gardening, or crafting – which can reduce reliance on high-dopamine activities (DeVries et al., 2020).
• Connect with Nature: Spending time in nature has been linked to improved mood and emotional well-being, providing a natural balance to dopamine levels (Barton & Pretty, 2010).

6. Educate Yourself- Understand Dopamine

• Familiarize yourself with the neuroscience of dopamine and how it influences behavior. Knowledge can empower you to make conscious choices about engagement with dopamine-triggering activities.
• Seek Professional Help: If addiction feels overwhelming, consider reaching out to mental health professionals who can provide tailored support and strategies. Heck, feel free to reach out to us, and we can do a quick 10-minute consultation. None of this is intended to be used as medical advice.

7. Play, have fun with it, turn it into a game… + You Need a WHY/ REASON to Change

• Challenge yourself and cultivate the WHY; anytime you come across something that you don’t want to do, view it as not a roadblock but rather a chance to level up; each time you level up, you become more powerful, more focused, more alive, and present. You actually start to enjoy life more! For instance, I cannot stand writing out the citations/sources for each blog and every time I get to that point, I dread it, I feel this pit in my stomach (ok maybe not that dramatic), just this negative feeling, almost like rolling my eyes haha… However, now when I’m confronted with this immediate negative feeling, I transmute it into a positive feeling. I changed it by actually getting excited! I now have a WHY. I am now fully aware of all the damage that COMFORT and overSTIMULATION have caused in my life.

No, I’m serious; I don’t think most people get to the point of realizing just how bad dopamine addiction is for your overall well-being and productivity. I make this my WHY, and then I transmute that negativity by saying, “Good, this is my chance to reverse that cycle!” Guess what, just like a muscle, the more work you do that you don’t want to do will grow specific parts of your brain literally designed to make you crave and enjoy the process of doing hard and challenging tasks.

Managing Dopamine Peaks

1. No need to over-celebrate every win. One of the problems we can experience is leaning too much into the wins. This means that if we don’t properly manage how we feel after we achieve our goals, a milestone, whatever it may be, a win, then this could potentially lead to, over time, a decrease in satisfaction and motivation with everything. The goal is to maintain motivation and not celebrate every single win. Some wins are worth celebrating, however, not every win deserves a break, a reward or a celebration. Huberman calls this RIRT: Random Intermittent Reward Timing. Use this technique always to avoid feeling dull or unhappy. Everything will be much more enjoyable and easier without experiencing those massive peaks and valleys. That’s the secret of dopamine management. Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. Balance.
2. Focus. Try focusing your visual attention on a specific point. I ended up buying this device called Mendi, even though I don’t have an affiliate code yet; I have to share this because I’ve been using it for a few weeks, and the results are extremely tangible. Basically, a headband hat projects infrared light onto the prefrontal cortex to maximize circulation/blood flow while at the same time, you play this little game on your phone, which forces you to sit there for 5-15’ (10 minutes usually) focusing on a ball like a spotlight, it’s actually quite amazing how much of a difference it makes in my focus, I used it twice before writing this blog, can you tell? Spotlighting is a technique where you maintain focus on one particular object for several minutes. Huberman states that when you focus on a particular point, a medley of neurochemicals (epinephrine, dopamine, and others) are activated and put you into a ready state of clarity and focus. We have to remember that the brain does not know external rewards – it only understands the associations of events with internal chemical (dopamine) release.
3. Here is why I recommend the Mendi device for stimulating the prefrontal cortex (PFC). The PFC is the executive control portion of our brain; it is part of the dopamine pathway and offers subjective, top-down control (a “belief effect,” as Huberman describes) for maintaining optimal levels of motivation. This shouldn’t be mistaken as a placebo but rather something that is fully under your control. For example, telling yourself that you are progressing towards your goals is a profound stimulator of dopamine release – and it’s fully under your control. You can’t really fool yourself this way, but as you get closer and closer to reaching your goals, acknowledge it.
4. Avoid Layering too many sources of dopamine hits. What dopamine hits are we talking about? Things such as energy drinks, with music, nootropics, and pre-workout/caffeine, can all stimulate dopamine, and when stacked (Which they commonly are), can collectively cause a massive crash and downward spiral. This really affects our long-term motivation and drive. Try going for walks and performing workouts without music, podcasts, caffeine, etc. As we mentioned earlier, try utilizing L-Tyrosine in your arsenal to enhance focus and motivation (500-1000mg), preferably taken half an hour before mental or physical work. Again, try to avoid becoming reliant even on this supplement, no need to do it every single workout/work bout. If you have BPD (bipolar disorder) avoid taking tyrosine. We advise you to avoid taking it too late in the day (preferably before 3 p.m.).

Let’s finish off with an overview of Solutions + Dopamine Detox Plan 

A.M. Routine –

Avoid any & all phone/social media usage for the entire morning. Your dopamine is highest in the A.M. so use it for productivity and get your priorities done early. Avoid Multi-tasking, take boredom/meditation/slow breathing breaks 5-15’ at a time in between work.

After waking up…

1. Hydrate + Pray + L-Tyrosine + Magnesium Bicarbonate + Shilajit + Pearl Powder + A.M. Sunlight + Posture + Quick Walk
2. Eat Your First Meal Slowly without distractions (No T.V. | YouTube | Podcasts | Emails etc.) Move/Rotate after your first meal.
3. Get a Workout in and/or Start Working without distractions, be present and only focus one task at a time, avoid multi-tasking, and consider working for 45-60 minutes on with quick 5-minute boredom breaks (Staring at a wall)
4. Embrace the Downtime, no need to always go 110%. If you have time before a meeting or appointment, feel free to just sit there quietly, patiently, and be grateful for the present moment.

Afternoon Routine –

Still try your best to limit all phone/social media usage so you can come back to work and finish strong. Continue to avoid multi-tasking (too much), focus on one thing at a time, and take a few boredom/meditation/slow breathing breaks. 30-45 Minutes of work with 5 minutes of staring at a wall, relaxed, breathing. The breaks MUST be more boring/non-stimulating so that when you go back to work, you’re productive.

1. Mid-day Prayer + Take a 20-90 minute nap (whatever your body needs) where you focus on slow, deep (Buteyko) breathing and calming your mind/thoughts down, try to not let your mind wander too much, always bring it back to center, I like to slowly pray the Jesus Prayer or other prayers for this. 
2. Try using the Mendi Device or Redlight on the brain (specifically the forehead/prefontal cortex) + Also try vagal nerve stimulation, there are several high-quality devices that stimulate the vagus nerve, you can also try saying “VOOO” very deeply to try and activate/stimulate the vagus nerve near your solar plexus (this is a free method without having to buy an expensive device).
3. Eat your Food slowly in silence or without external digital stimulation, be present, enjoy it, be grateful for each bite. Add some rotation (Stickflow) and/or a quick walk after your meal.

Evening Routine –

If you really must get your dopamine hit in, it’s best to do it after you finished all your work/workout and use it as a reward, but not too close to bed. 

1. Workout + Evening Prayer + Eat + Quick Walk
2. Do some activation stretches and slow deep breathing before bed with red light. Take a hot bath if desired. Read a book, wind down. Light some non-toxic candles, Try not to overcelebrate any wins, think of your energy as steady and flowing rather than chaotic and all over the place with peaks and valleys constantly up and down.
3. Do some cleaning, organizing, minimalizing, prep for the next day, Perhaps meditate before bed. There’s a lot you can do, you get the idea. 

Dopamine Detox Routine Summary:

• Slow, Focused Prayer + A.M. Sunlight + Daily Morning Walks & Play/Exercise at least 20-45’ Daily
• Experimenting with L-Tyrosine in the A.M. (500-1000mg) 30’ before a meal, Not Medcial Advice.
• Avoiding Multi-Tasking – Focus and complete 1 thing at a time
• Intermittent 5-10’ + Boring Breaks between work and tasks (Staring at a wall) and/or Quick Meditation Breaks
• Mendi Infrared PFCS Device and/or Redlight on Brain 
• Daily 10-60’ Naps + Slow Nasal Breathing (Buteyko) Focus on the breathing, no background videos/music.
• Avoiding Social Media, Phone usage, Netflix, T.V., Drugs, Alcohol, Artifical Bluelight at Night, Sleeping Late, Less Music, Celebrating too many “wins”, too much pleasure, and the constant need to be distracted/entertained.
• Being okay with being bored, even in between your meetings/appointments, take time to cherish the moment, be grateful, be present, enjoy and embrace boredom, even experiment with eating bland food, plain water etc.
• Consider using Vagus Nerve Stimulation via “VOO” (Chanting/Mantra) and/or a device such as the Hooster Veira Prime, (We do not recommend the Pulsetto, be aware of some of these scammy vagal nerve stimulation devices).

Out of all of these, I would say the most important would be to not multi-task, to eliminate digital/tech usage as much as possible, whether background play or focus, and take boredom breaks more often. The more we become aware of all of these micro/macro dopamine hits and the constant pleasure/reward stimulation, the more we can begin to mitigate these dangerous dopamine triggers and ultimately achieve a healthy baseline level of dopamine. 

Conclusion:

Dopamine addiction presents a complex challenge in our modern society, driven by technology and the pursuit of instant gratification. By understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of addiction and implementing practical strategies, individuals can reclaim their time and mental well-being. Breaking free from dopamine addiction is a gradual process, requiring commitment, self-awareness, consistency, and diligence, but ultimately leads to a much more fulfilling life.

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14. Huberman Podcast This guide provides a comprehensive overview of dopamine addiction and practical steps to mitigate its effects, emphasizing the importance of understanding the underlying mechanisms and fostering healthier habits.