I was mindlessly scrolling - as so many of us do - when I came across the concept of a dopamine menu. It was associated with an article about fighting burnout. And if you’re anything like me right now, you can relate. Maybe it’s the time of year, season of life or just the heaviness of world events, but everyone I talk to lately is feeling some portion of this collective burnout. I was intrigued to learn more, so I kept reading.
A dopamine menu is a list of activities you love to do - activities that help produce dopamine.
A list you can have at the ready when you need a break, are in a funk, feel burnout coming on or even when you just want a little more fun in your life. The list is broken down into sections, just like a menu.
Appies are quick activities.
Things you can do easily and under 10 minutes. Think stretch breaks, journalling or dance parties.
Mains are the activities that really fill you up!
You absolutely love to do them, but they take a little longer. This could be catching up with a friend or hitting the gym.
Sides are things that can be added to other activities to make them more enjoyable.
Like music in the car or listening to a podcast while you work.
Dessert activities should be done in moderation.
Because too much is not a good thing. These are things like watching TV or scrolling social media.
Lastly, specials are just that. Activities that are special but harder to do and often cost more money.
Things like going to a concert or taking a vacation.
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Anyways the idea is, you put this list up where you can see it so that when you need that extra boost of feel good in your day, you choose from the list you curated instead of grabbing your phone for some mindless scrolling.
Here’s to fighting burnout, being intentional and surviving the holiday season with grace! Save this pdf to create your own Dopamine Menu. What are your activities going to be?
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