A dopamine detox is what you need to be more focused –

You may have heard of dopamine and its relationship with social networks. Otherwise, it’s better to pay attention to the paragraphs below: learning how to detox this substance can make all the difference to your productivity and well-being.

WHAT IS DOPAMINE?

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter belonging to the catecholamine family. “It is released in various parts of the brain and acts in different functions”, explains the endocrinologist Dr. Paula Pires. “It takes information from one neuron to another, regulating mood, the sensation of pleasure, compensation and even regulating some endocrinological functions, such as appetite.”

Dopamine’s relationship with social networks is in the so-called reward system. This is a neural circuit in the brain that directly influences our emotions – it ensures the motivation to carry out certain activities, such as the feeling of happiness that we eat when we are hungry, or when we receive a like on a photo on Instagram.

“When the neurons of this system are activated, they release dopamine in specific regions of the brain, causing an increase in the sensation of pleasure”, he continues. “Because of her, we became addicted to likes, drugs and even high-calorie food.”

The downside of dopamine

Dopamine is essential for the body for a number of reasons, but it also has a dark side. One of them, as mentioned, is related to drug addiction, for example. But there are many others.

“Schizophrenia is related to dopamine levels in the brain,” explains Dr. Paula. “This disorder is probably due to high or unregulated levels of dopamine in the brain. Given this, treatment for schizophrenia includes drugs that block dopamine receptors.”

And that’s not all: with repeated exposure to stimuli that release dopamine, what mental health professionals call “tolerance” can occur. In this process, frequent not only in states of chemical dependence, but also in relation to physical exercises, games, social networks and even sexual intercourse, the brain begins to not be stimulated with that amount of stimulus and seeks to increase the use or behavior in an excessive and, of course, harmful way.

“You feel that what made you happy no longer satisfies you, causing an increase in feelings of sadness, melancholy and boredom”, explains the psychiatrist. Dr. Jessica Martani.

DOPAMINE DETOX: WHY DO IT?

Faced with this cycle, it is easy to understand how we are all addicted to dopamine. Any cell phone notification triggers this brain mechanism and, in the long run, the result is that we spend more and more time connected to social networks.

“I observe that we are in a world full of dopamine, one-click food, social networks, access to different relationships with one click, online shopping, online games, pornography, in short, we are in a world where rewards are easily obtained compared to to other times in our life and evolution,” says Jessica. “More and more people are trapped in search of these rewards and, because they are inundated with so many, none is enough. I then observe a greater sense of frustration and apathy, of emptiness, which can favor psychiatric illnesses, increasing anxiety, depression, greater difficulty in dealing with frustrations and boredom.”

Tasks in which the reward is not immediate, therefore, become more difficult and procrastination, the difficulty of focus and attention becomes part of people’s daily lives.

Changing this already so intrinsic behavior is not simple – seek professional help, by the way, can be a good start. But, according to the psychiatrist, another important point is to observe their relationship with activities that provide harmful outcomes (think of addiction and use or constant search), their time of use or behavior related to these activities, the frequency and the harm they have caused in your life – from there, it is necessary to draw up a plan to recalculate the route.

“There is no recipe for cake, the actions depend on what the activity or substance is, the degree of dependence for some is possible to reduce based on planning, schedules and it may vary, requiring therapy with a psychologist or even drug treatment with psychiatrist doctor”, he says.

An important point is to seek to change one behavior at a time. For example, if you realize that you are addicted to Instagram and video games, before taking everything out of your routine at once, choose one of these issues and work on one of them at a time. At first, the ideal is to limit this activity for a few periods instead of completely excluding it from your daily life.

The results are worth it. Among them, some studies highlight:

Greater sense of calm and tranquility once you break the cycle of hyperarousal
Improves productivity and creativity
Burnout prevention, once we get out of the addictive mindset of always wanting more
Reconnection with yourself and your own thoughts