Happy Fall Quarter, Her Campers! With midterms quickly approaching, taking care of ourselves can often take a backseat. However, I’ve learned in my time here that the stress of a busy class schedule can quickly catch up to you.
WHAT IS A “DOPAMINE MENU?”
I stumbled across the concept of a “Dopamine Menu” as I was doom scrolling on TikTok one night like the rest of us. This TikTok trend, where users share a list of activities that bring them joy and excitement, has quickly gone viral. Common additions include things like going on runs, coffee dates, and sunset walks. Intrigued, I decided to redirect my doom scrolling to a deep dive into the origins of this “Dopamine Menu.”
The trend is a boiled-down version of a concept created by Jessica McCabe, an author and content creator who helps people with ADHD work with their neurodivergent traits instead of against them to live a fulfilling, stimulating life. On her Youtube Channel, How to ADHD, McCabe explains the concept of a Dopamine Menu.
It is a curated list of activities that a person can do to trigger the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that causes feelings of pleasure in the reward system of our brain. While the Dopamine Menu is geared towards those with ADHD, whose brains may process Dopamine differently than neurotypical folks, having a resource like this on hand can be beneficial to everyone, especially busy college students.
I can confidently say that creating my own Dopamine Menu has been a game changer for my mental health, and I’ve found myself relying less on bad habits like hours of social media scrolling to get my daily fix of Dopamine.
WHAT’S IN IT?
Just like a restaurant menu, the Dopamine Menu is divided into sections: appetizers, entrees, sides, desserts, and specials.
Appetizers are activities that require minimal planning and can be completed within a few minutes. They give you enough stimulation to ease boredom and anxiety without taking you away from your responsibilities. Think five minutes of stretching or meditating, a quick walk, or making a cup of coffee. These are great for study breaks to keep you energized and focused.
Entrees are activities that require more time or planning, but bring you joy and excitement. I enjoy these on my days off or when I have an hour or two to spare. As a fitness girlie, going to the gym or a run by the beach are some of my favorites on this list.
Sides are things that you can incorporate into other tasks to make them more engaging. One of my go-tos is listening to music on my way to class or while studying.
Desserts are things that give you a quick rush of dopamine, but are only short-lasting or unproductive. Activites like scrolling social media or going out with friends can be effective ways to ease stress and boredom in moderation, but should not be relied upon as your only source of stimulation. These “dessert” items are often the ones that we fall victim to time and time again for their immediate reward, but if done too often these activities can become addicting or lose their effectiveness.
Specials are bigger activities that can only be done occasionally, as they require more time or money to complete. Activites like going on a trip or seeing our favorite band in concert can do wonders for our mental health, but require much more energy and resources to complete.
As the concept has taken off, people have curated their own Dopamine menus to fit their needs and lifestyles. For example, some have created menus for different times of the day, different days of the week, or for different settings (such as school, home, and work).
I have found McCabe’s version to work best for me because it categorizes activities based on the amount of money and time you have to spend.
MY “DOPAMINE MENU”
Here’s my Dopamine Menu, tailored to my busy lifestyle. I’ve included many of my favorite activities to do around Isla Vista and Santa Barbara for all of my fellow UCSB girlies!
APETIZERS:
- Make my bed
- Five-minute meditation
- Walk to the beach and back
- Blast music and dance
- Plan my going-out fits for the weekend
- Work on my Pinterest boards
- Make a new playlist
- Five minutes of social media scrolling (set a timer!)
Entrees:
- Complete the Labyrinth at Campus Point
- Go to the gym
- Window shop on State Street
- Take an everything shower
- Walk the trail from Manzanita Village to Campus Point
- Grab Caje with a friend
- Take a Core Power Class
- Go for an ocean dip
- Make a Tik Tok or Instagram post
Sides:
- Listen to music
- Call my best friend
- Have a coffee
- Listen to a podcast
Desserts:
- Night out with friends
- Online shop
- Snag a sweet treat
- Binge-watch my favorite show
Specials:
- Pier jump at the Goleta Pier
- Hike to the hot springs
- Throw tortillas at a soccer game
- Attend a concert at the Santa Barbara Bowl
- Volunteer at a beach clean up
- Visit the dunes
- Sunset swim at Butterfly Beach
- Day trip to Ojai or Solvang
I encourage you to think about what activities bring you joy and fulfillment, and use them to craft your own Dopamine menu!