This is inspired by “Dopamine Nation” by Dr. Anna Lembke. Listen to  Sabbath Cafe Podcast #129 for my reflections on the book. 

At the end of her book, “Dopamine Nation”, Dr. Anna recommended a “dopamine fast” to reset our dopamine flooded brains.  Simply put, it’s to identify the habits where once we start, we find it hard to stop, and fast from it for 24 hours.  I felt ambitious, and decided to fast from online-games and TikTok videos for 48 hours.  

Right now, I’m at the 24 hour mark, and it’s been both easy and hard.  

It’s amazing how TikTok style videos still find ways into my feed.  Before I knew it, I’m scrolling through these micro videos again on Facebook, YouTube… To facilitate this process, I pulled out non-digital projects like paper journals and sketch books so I can keep my hands busy and catch up on my creative works.   

Dr. Anna warned about anxiety, irritability, and depression as part of the withdrawal process.  However, at first, I actually felt relieved and enjoyed catching up on some sketching with the extra time that I had.  Surprisingly, I also remembered many things from my to-do list that I had procrastinated on. My “age-related bad memory” turns out to be related to my “dopamine habits.”  

The anxiety and irritability didn’t hit me until the next day.  Actually, it wasn’t so much the anxiety that surfaced, but the pain and frustrations behind the anxiety. Without my “coping habits,” I came face to face with the deep anguish and pain that I’ve been feeling lately from some life changes.  

Here’s a quick disclaimer.  I don’t think what I’m dealing with is extraordinary.  These are simply life situations that we all go through.    My favorite psychologist once mentioned that life is difficult and full of challenges.  And it is in facing and working through these challenges that we can find meaning. That changed my perspective in dealing with trials in life.  Nevertheless, when I am in the midst of it, the emotions can still feel pretty overwhelming.  

I was also surprised because I didn’t think I was repressing my frustration. Reality bites, however.  Without the coping habits, fears and feelings of disappointment surfaced. Their intensity caught me off guard.  Thankfully, I remember how to work through negative feelings.  Feelings need to be acknowledged.  “I feel hurt because…” “I feel disappointed because…”  As I continued to acknowledge my negative emotions, they dissipated, and gave way to peace. Then I remembered insights and scriptures God highlighted about my situation.  These insights cut through the confusion, and reminded me of God’s faithfulness.  For the first time in a long while, I felt hopeful again. 

This is the power of a “dopamine fast.”  I’ll be honest, going through this exercise was not pleasant.  However, it helped me understand why I’d become so easily irritated lately.  When I stopped my coping habits, I stopped “running away,” and started facing my own issues.   

… to be continued in “Dopamine Fast Diary – Part 2“.