I'm Feeling Kinda Burned Out, But This Woman's "Dopamine Menu" Hack Just Might Help
I don't know about you, but 2023 has felt like the longest year of my life. Now, with the sun going down before I log off work, I'm feeling a bit extra rundown and wishing I could simply hibernate until next year.
But recently, I came across a viral tip for adding more joy to my days and keeping burnout at bay, and it honestly seems like something that could help me feel a bit more like myself. Behold, the dopamine menu.
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that's tied to pleasure and the reward center in the brain. You might get dopamine from listening to your favorite music, eating a cookie, spending time with friends, being in nature — basically, from doing anything that you really enjoy.
In a video that's been viewed over 1.5 million times, 27-year-old Kristen West (@thecenteredlife) shared how she uses her dopamine menu to build more enjoyment into her days.
Kristen is a self-employed graphic and web designer and small business owner who told BuzzFeed, "As someone with ADHD, I had to create all these systems to force myself to get things done in a timely manner when I became my own boss."
And she loves sharing the systems, tips, and tricks that help her work with her ADHD instead of against it.
She starts the video, saying, "So, sometime in the last two years of always working and then burning out, I stopped doing things that actually make me happy. And to help with that, I've been using a tool called a dopamine menu which I learned about from this YouTube video."
Here's how it works. Kristen explains, "There's four categories: You've got appetizers. These are quick boosts of joy that you can do in under 10 minutes. Entrees — these are the passions that really light you up but take a little more time."
"Sides, which you can do at the same time as boring tasks and make it more stimulating. And desserts. These are our usual go-to's like social media. They're tasty in moderation, but they can make us feel yucky in excess."
Once you've made a menu, Kristen recommends putting it up somewhere you'll see it frequently throughout the day. "It will be a handy visual reminder of what actually fills us up whenever we're feeling low and tempted to binge on brain desserts, if you will."
YouTuber Jessica McCabe mentioned in her video that she's set her dopamine menu as the lock screen on her phone as an extra reminder, and I think that's genius.
Watch Kristen's full video here:
@thecenteredlife / Via tiktok.com
And in a follow-up video, she shared what's on her dopamine menu and encouraged viewers to chime in with their selections.
For Kristen, her entrees include exercise, working on creative projects, and playing an instrument. A good appetizer would be a quick walk, making "a cute little snack," or taking a dance break. Sides are things like listening to music, racing a timer, and moving while she works. And for dessert, a nice scroll on her phone.
I got inspired to make my own dopamine menu and stuck it up on my fridge where I'll see it often.
I work from home, so my appetizers are all things I can easily fit into a quick break, like doing a few stretches, chipping away at the NYT crossword, or spending some time with the cats (either playing with or brushing them, depending on their moods). For my main courses, I chose exercise and spending time with friends, as well as some hobbies that pick me up, like creative writing and crochet.
The only sides I could think of were listening to music and listening to podcasts, so I'd love any side recommendations you might have. And my desserts are just the classics: TV and scrolling.
I'm hoping that having this visual reminder around will help me spend more time doing things that are meaningful to me and less time doom scrolling. And honestly, just taking the time to jot these things down made me feel more eager to get into them when I have the time.
In the comments of Kristen's videos, people shared more great ideas, like this person's girl dinner edition of the dopamine menu:
People also shared other similar strategies they've tried, like this commenter who keeps a note on their phone of things they like to do.
But on the other hand, some people joined in to say that they don't even really know what they actually like anymore, which is a tough feeling. Hopefully, hearing more from others about what they like to do can help get those juices flowing.
Have you ever felt like this? Tell us how you worked through it in the comments! One thing that's often helped me is thinking about things I loved when I was a kid and reconnecting with those parts of myself.
Kristen told BuzzFeed that she loves using her dopamine menu and has found it really helpful. "When I'm feeling overstimulated and fried from focusing on a project, it's easy to reach for my phone to numb out."
"It helps to have my dopamine menu visible when I'm overstimulated or bored so I don't have to do the in-the-moment labor of finding activities that'll make me feel better."
And she shared a helpful tip for anyone who wants to try using a dopamine menu themselves. "If you want to try it out, I'd recommend keeping it somewhere you can see it and also make it EASY to reach for the things on your menu!"
"For example, if your entree is practicing guitar, keep your guitar out and visible if you can so that there's less friction between you and that menu item."
Now I'm curious, have you ever tried using an activity menu like this? What would be on your dopamine menu? Or do you do something else that helps you enjoy your time more? Let's talk about it in the comments.
