By now we’ve all been informed about the dangers of dopamine addiction, but just in case you needed a quick recap, Dopamine is one of the happy hormones responsible for feeling pleasure, satisfaction, and motivation. When levels are too low we feel less motivated to do the things that we love and less excited about life. Left to its own devices, it could lead to full on depression as it did in my case.

Dopamine addiction is the biggest affliction of modern-day society. For me, this used to manifest as substance abuse in the form of alcohol, sugary treats and even carbohydrates in unhealthy volumes, poor impulse control in the forms of shopping and cancelling plans last minute because ‘I just didn’t feel like it’, and giving into desires for sleep, food, Netflix and sex.

Of course, these dopamine hits are incredibly short lived, and just kept me wanting bigger and bigger hits the next time, the definition of addiction. It quickly became unhealthy – social drinking turned into binge drinking bottles of my favourite red wine on my own. Sleep turned into eighteen hour marathons with Netflix on in the background as I convinced myself that I needed more and more quality rest that I was not getting. Shopping and retail therapy led to maxing out several credit cards at once and causing financial stress over how to pay them back.

So how can we raise levels safely? Science says its takes ninety days to reset your baseline, and calls for a total detox from anything causing arousal, but I believe we can all make small changes to chase good dopamine hits that last longer, and lead to more fulfilling lives. Like any path to sobriety, we need to take care of the below in order:

1. Sleep. This was a big one for me and is the foundation of all healthy habits. During some major life changes I went from sleeping around the clock to no more than 15 minute power naps each night to survive. All my systems started to shut down and I was in survival mode. Now, having changed my living situation, invested in the right bedding and mattress for me, and introducing more relaxation and breathing work into my routine, I can sleep 7 hours a night and wake up feeling rested and raring to go. If you’re not getting the optimal level of sleep for your body and mind, fix this one first!
2. Hydration. The brain is three quarters water. Even a 2% reduction in water levels causes memory and attention problems. Therefore, its key to keep hydrated especially when you first wake up, and through out the day. My solution is to invest in a quality reusable water bottle. Have it personalised and tailored to you, so that you are motivated to use it! And of course, cut down the alcohol to manageable quantities.
3. Fuel. This is all about putting quality nutrients into your body to keep it working for you, not against you. This meant I had to cut out the temptation for sugared treats and junk food, and start to introduce fresh fruits for breakfast, homemade salads for lunch, and some inspiring cookbooks for dinner! (I have yet to hack that one!). Make sure each meal has protein, healthy fats and fibre and try to reduce pure carbs on their own (there goes my bowls of pasta!) Treat your body right, and it will treat you right.
4. Exercise. Once you’ve hacked nutrition treat your body to movement! I love tennis but will try my hand at any sport (taking up squash this season) as well as incorporating some healthy strength and resistance training. If you’re not sure of this, seek out a personal trainer, or simply follow some YouTube videos to get started. You will notice increases in energy and strength, and a general appetite to move more!
5. Mindfulness. This is the most talked about one, but doesn’t work unless the first four categories are met. Finally, give your mind some healthy nutrition too. There’s countless ways to slow down and practice mindfulness but for me it’s generally about starting and ending the day right. Mornings are for gratitude practice and journalling (try to avoid using your phone, instead invest in a quality notebook and pen), evenings are for relaxation and a few minutes of breathwork to wind down. In the day time we can all take a few minutes to tend to a houseplant, read for a few minutes, listen to music or make a mindful cup of tea, instead of reaching for our phones and connecting to social media or messages.

Try incorporating one change in each category and notice the benefits of small changes to your habits over time. The short lived dopamine hits will automatically die down, and you’ll be left with more room to practice mindfulness techniques and do the things that lead to positive and longer lived hits of happiness!