This past July, I made the decision to delete all social media apps off my phone… with the exception of Pinterest. I had to delete everything, I loved it all a little too much. So much so that it only took me seven days before redownloading everything again, except for TikTok. With endless things to look at including: fashion, recipes, book reviews, movie montages, and random vlogs – I found myself constantly on my phone.
I made it through all of August and the first week of September without giving in and redownloading it. Unfortunately for me, instagram reels weren’t enough. Soon enough I redownloaded Tik Tok and immediately caught up on all the trends I was missing. As I scrolled, I came across a trend I hadn’t seen before I deleted the app. A trend called the dopamine menu.
This isn’t a new concept. Sources like The Nutrition Junky and Buzzfeed include information about how the trend is meant to encourage and include activities you can do to minimize stress in your life, or to distract you from a bad habit. The menu is meant to be flexible, with multiple sections like a real menu, where you can include activities that can take a little or a chunk of time out of your day. Podcast host and Tik Tok influencer Payton Sartain defines the menu as, “your go to list of things you can do to feel good throughout your day so you don’t default to doom scrolling on social media”. Much like Payton Sartain, and the thousands of other videos created under her sound, I have also created my own “dopamine menu”.
My menu consists of nine activities: having a clean space, buying flowers, journaling, listening to music, painting, taking photos, reading, and going outside. A lot of the other videos hopping on this trend that I watched included likewise and simple things that anyone can do, regardless of where they are. I think what’s important to consider when crafting your own menu, is to not overcomplicate it, and make the activities centered around something that brings you joy and gets you off your phone.
When I’m back home in Rhode Island, being outside means going to the beach. While I’m in Boulder, being outside means I can go to football games, concerts, hike mountains, and walk around the Pearl Street Mall, all of which are things that I enjoy doing. By just thinking what can I do outside that could make me happy? I can usually create a long list of activities that I can do or try.
My creative outlets over the past few months have included: reading, exploring new music, journaling, and photography. Having something physically different from my phone in hand, like canvases, books, and my journal, keeps me from reaching for my phone and allows me to enjoy something that actually makes me think. Most recently, I’ve been in love taking photos and have been experimenting with different cameras and where I take pictures.
Having a clean space is a major part of my dopamine menu. I love having a clean space because I truly believe that my room is a reflection of my mind and interests. By decorating and making my space the way I want to, it makes it so that it feels comfortable and safe. Additionally, having a clean room allows me to better focus on one thing at a time. If I’m sitting at my desk and I can’t think because I know it’s usually because my room is dirty.
I love the concept of a dopamine menu, but one thing that I also made sure to include in my menu as a side dish, was limiting scrolling on social media. Although the purpose of the menu is to keep you from scrolling, the bottom line is I love to scroll. It’s important to find social media separation when suddenly it becomes all consuming. In moderation however, social media is a fun way for me to get inspiration for my room, paintings, and find music suggestions. These last few months, I have worked hard to try and find a balance with my social media usage. As problematic as TikTok was, without it I didn’t know about the menu, but now I do. I realized that without taking time away from social media and watching other people’s projects, I would have the time and inspiration to create things for myself.