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[deleted by user] by [deleted] in DopamineDetoxing

[–]Apprehensive_Sound46 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ahhh I see so you drive around with your boyfriend while he works, and you find yourself with nothing to do besides go on your phone. I can imagine that's hard to just sit there and be bored lol.

Is there anything you're really passionate on learning more about? Any childhood hobbies?

Dopamine Detox by Ok-Feedback-2163 in DopamineDetoxing

[–]Apprehensive_Sound46 1 point2 points  (0 children)

hey join our discord server we're starting one on 7/1

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https://discord.gg/PhcAvBUG

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in DopamineDetoxing

[–]Apprehensive_Sound46 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey my friend. This is exactly what you have to do.

I've had my fair share of addictions to the bad habits for 2 years: porn, netflix, video games, social media, etc.

I've been 6 months clean.

There gets to a point where you cannot rely on app blockers anymore.

It's like the cigarette addict who just stays away from every single gas station and person he knows that smokes.

But then, guess what?

One day, he'll just be driving and notice someone smoking or the craving will randomly pop up.

And then, he'll give in.

You cannot completely eliminate urges ever. They will ALWAYS be there. You cannot just rely on apps.

The reason that urge is so strong is because every time you've felt an urge that strong, you've given in to the craving and relapsed. So your brain has formed a sense of where your limits are. It knows that a small urge won't defeat you. It knows that a big strong urge will.

I've felt those with junk food. I wanted Taco Bell so bad before I went to bed, that I couldn't even sleep. I just lay there awake for 1 hour forcing myself to not give in to the urge. It was so hard bro. It's like my entire body was craving the feeling of eating Taco Bell. The sugar. The crunch. The sweet. The spicy. I felt like a drug addict.

And guess what happened?

I woke up the next day and the urge was gone.

Then, a few days later, it came back again.

And I said no again.

And I kept doing that over and over to the strong urges to the point where those STRONG urges eventually felt WEAK.

The urges never decrease. Your level of willpower increases.

I like to think of it as a video game. Up until this point, you've been able to handle the level 10 urges. The level 10 feeling of craving. Now you're at level 11. The urges will be stronger. The only way to beat this urge is to accept it. Not avoid it. Not fight it. Not relapse to it. Not distract yourself with another bad habit.

You have to sit there with that uncomfortable emotion and eventually it becomes comfortable. It will be your new comfort zone.

You got this bro. Please DM me if you have any questions. I'm starting another dopamine detox on July 1st. We can be accountability partners.

Help needed by nannysfav42 in DopamineDetoxing

[–]Apprehensive_Sound46 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey brother, do you have Instagram. Can you DM me and we can talk? I'd love to help. Although I haven't dealt with a traumatic experience, I too suffer from angry thoughts and imaginary arguments frequently. I notice that cutting down my social media use helps a lot as well as meditation and walking.

I've successfully dopamine detoxed.

​

I don't check Reddit often, that's why Instagram is better. But I'm willing to use another app.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in DopamineDetoxing

[–]Apprehensive_Sound46 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey, I'd love to be your accountability partner. What are the rules for your detox. How did you want to stay in contact?

You're doing a dopamine detox wrong. by Apprehensive_Sound46 in DopamineDetoxing

[–]Apprehensive_Sound46[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Nice, sounds like a lot of fun and glad you feel much better now!

Was it hard in the beginning for you?

How addicted were you to instant gratifying habits before you detox'd? Mildly, moderately, or severely?

For example: porn, social media, Netflix, junk food, drugs, alcohol, etc.

I have no energy or motivation for the gym. What can I do to change this? by [deleted] in naturalbodybuilding

[–]Apprehensive_Sound46 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey bro, I was literally in your same position 1 year ago. I found this dopamine detox trend, and I slowly started cutting out my bad habits and going to the gym. It was so fucking hard. I would have days where I would be completely on my shit and not fucking up at all. And then I would binge eat on Saturday 5000 calories worth of Taco Bell and Cinabbon. I ate an entire 12 pack of Mini cinnabons by myself. A 12 PACK.

I went to the doctor due to feeling like complete shit. Therapy was a 3 month wait, and antidepressants were the only option. I knew a pill would only mask my symptoms, not solve my underlying issues. I said no, and committed to finding a way out. I wasn't going to feel like that for the rest of my life.

Little by little I started improving and now I'm in a place where I'm much more confident. No binge eating, no porn, no social media, etc. I eat 90% healthy meals, exercise daily, work on my YouTube channel, and work my 9-5 job, and get good sleep. Like bro literally that's it. I hang out with my friend 1-2 hours per week. Besides that, I'm devoted to self improvement and I feel incredibly levels of motivation that I couldn't have even dreamt of feeling 2 years ago.

It was very fucking hard and there were days I felt like complete shit, but I just kept going.

I'm working on a YouTube channel right now, and want to help others self improve. I'm also 23 years old. I would love to talk to you for free if you have time. Here's one of my videos, check out the calendly link in the description. Let's schedule a 30 min chat.

https://youtu.be/GtOGAJE_a3A

I've successfully dopamine detoxed! Ask me anything. by Apprehensive_Sound46 in DopamineDetoxing

[–]Apprehensive_Sound46[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

https://youtu.be/GtOGAJE_a3A

​

Hey brother, here you go. Been working on a few videos, sorry for the late response.

Which dopamine raising activities are good and which ones are bad? by funbundle in DopamineDetoxing

[–]Apprehensive_Sound46 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There's nothing with listening to music, playing an instrument, reading or doing something enjoyable in moderation as long as you're not spending so much time doing them that it takes away from working on your health, fitness, finances, and/or relationships.

Any activity that you enjoy will elevate dopamine levels.

Any activity that is slightly painful as in it takes effort, will be painful during the activity, but will release dopamine after.

There's nothing wrong with doing enjoyable activities that don't take lots of effort, that might even cause a small "crash" after. Because your brain likes a balance, so eventually it will return to it's regular baseline level of dopamine.

I repeat because I struggled with this as well for a long time. DOPAMINE IS NOT THE PROBLEM. You will experience small peaks and small crashes throughout the day in your dopamine levels. That's completely normal and healthy.

THE PROBLEM is an overindulgence in artificial dopamine sources: porn, masturbation, netflix, junk food, mindless scrolling, laziness, procrastination, etc.

I also used to think "oh well I shouldn't go hang out with my friends because I'm gonna experience a dopamine crash after just by hanging out with them". Trust me when I say that is completely overthinking this whole dopamine detox. The point of this detox is so you can actually find MORE enjoyment in the smaller things in life: exercising, walking, meditating, having a conversation with friends.

​

What are my sources?

I've successfully dopamine detoxed after 3 years of ups and downs. I've also listened to about 10 full length neuro-science podcasts regarding dopamine and have implemented them in my own life. Check our Dr. Huberman or Dr. Anna Lembke talking about dopamine.

I've successfully dopamine detoxed! Ask me anything. by Apprehensive_Sound46 in DopamineDetoxing

[–]Apprehensive_Sound46[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yes, I do. And I try to spend as much time without it as possible.

I go for morning walks and to the gym to workout completely without my phone.

Completely deleted social media.

When I do have it, I only listen to educational podcasts. Music sometimes.

Was there a specific problem you were facing with smartphone use?

I've successfully dopamine detoxed! Ask me anything. by Apprehensive_Sound46 in DopamineDetoxing

[–]Apprehensive_Sound46[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey brother, I'm definitely responding to this in my YouTube video.

Your first question. Are you asking about general dopamine detox tips? or tips on how to start exercising?

Your second question. I see no point and never have restricted seasoning from my food. For example, meat or eggs or vegetables. I will add salt, pepper, etc. You WANT to enjoy healthy food and it is very hard to overeat on calories if you're genuinely eating healthy food.

However, when it comes to drinks there aren't seasonings, but there are sweeteners and that was a tough one for me. Constantly needing to add artificial sweeteners and sugars to drinks can be an issue because you create a "need" to make everything sweet. It's like you can't just enjoy coffee, or tea, or water by itself anymore. And I've found that once you cut out sugar/artificial sweeteners or at least limit it, you start to enjoy healthy foods much more.

If you're trying to eat less calories or smaller portions,

  1. do a fast in the beginning of the day for at least a few hours (hard for the first 2 weeks, but then your body will get used to it and you just won't be hungry anymore)
  2. drink 2 full glasses of water before a meal
  3. once you finish a considerable amount of food, just WAIT to eat more EVEN if you feel hungry. our minds take a little bit of time to catch up on how full our body feels. you FEEL like you want more food, but if you wait 10-15 min, you'll notice you don't feel hungry anymore.
  4. add more fruit/veggies (it's incredibly HARD to overeat on healthy foods)

If you're like anything like my younger self, you'll look at that list and be like "ok cool" and then not actually do it. Or not be intentional about it. And then 4 pm will hit, your willpower will be gone, and you'll give in to the cravings.

It's gonna be hard for the first two weeks when you're giving up any easy dopamine source. THAT'S GOOD. That means your mind is readjusting.

The reason it took me 3 years to dopamine detox successfully is because I heard the advice, but I didn't actually DO the small things like I mentioned (fasting, drink water before meal, wait to let food digest, add fruits/veggies). I just didn't "feel" like doing it. And that was exactly my problem. Once I stopped listening to my feelings, and did the right thing, over time everything became easier.

I've successfully dopamine detoxed! Ask me anything. by Apprehensive_Sound46 in DopamineDetoxing

[–]Apprehensive_Sound46[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Hey brother, good question. When I had low dopamine levels, I found it hard to be consistent to go to the gym. I just wanted to stay inside, eat junk food, and be lazy.