In Her Campus’s series The College Try, our writers test out viral wellness, dating, fashion, productivity, and pop culture trends firsthand. This month, Gracie Tran gives following a dopamine menu the ol’ college try.

October was a rough month for me: I went through a breakup, struggled with my mental health, and found myself in a slump I couldn’t quite get out of. I felt really unmotivated and struggled a lot with doing basic things such as working or cleaning my room, and even lost interest in doing things I love, like writing. As you can probably tell, a girl was severely lacking dopamine. Recently, however, I came across something that might help me: a dopamine menu. 

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter and hormone in the brain that acts like a chemical messenger. It communicates signals between nerve cells and the rest of the body, and is often associated with things such as reward and motivation. “Think of it as the ‘this is worth doing’ signal more than a happiness chemical,” founder of New Reflections Counselor, Lisa Abrotsky, MS, LMFT, tells Her Campus. “It’s what gets you up off the couch to do something.”

Dopamine is released when you anticipate something or do things that feel enjoyable, novel, and rewarding — like accomplishing goals, moving your body, and socializing. “You don’t need anything fancy to get it going: go outside for a few minutes, put on a song you love, finish one small thing on your list, call someone who makes you laugh,” Abrotsky says. “Small wins count.”

Sometimes, figuring out what to do for a bit of dopamine can be hard, but that’s where a dopamine menu comes in! A dopamine menu is a short, personalized list of activities that you can do when you need a little boost. “When you’re tired or down, the hardest part is deciding what to do, so most of us just end up scrolling,” she says. “[But] if you’ve already written your list, you just pick something.”

When it comes to building a dopamine menu, Abrotsky says that she tells clients to set it up like a restaurant menu: “Quick [activities] are your appetizers,” she says. “Bigger things, like a workout or cooking a real meal, are your mains.” She also describes things like scrolling and gaming as “dessert,” Saying they’re “fine to have, just not [as] the whole meal.”

I really needed the dopamine, so I took the time to make myself my own cute little dopamine menu, and at the advice of Abrotsky, I set it up like a restaurant menu. My appetizers were small things I could do for a quick pick-me-up and included things like getting myself a sweet and listening to music I love. My main courses were things I could do when I had a lot of time to kill and included moving my body, being productive, and being with my friends. And finally, my desserts were things I let myself indulge in, like scrolling on social media and spending the night out on the town.

I followed my dopamine menu for a week and TBH, it was just what I needed.

Day 1

Normally, I go to the gym in the evenings, but I decided to take a hot girl walk today instead. I put moving my body on my menu because walking triggers the release of dopamine and activates your reward system. I figured it’d be nice to be outside and enjoy the autumn weather since it’s starting to get cooler where I live. I ended up going to my favorite park and walked around the lake while listening to my favorite Olivia Rodrigo songs. I really enjoyed my walk, and it definitely put me into a really good headspace.

Day 2

One of the things I put on my menu as an appetizer was getting myself a sweet treat. Work wore me out, so I decided to get myself a little sweet treat as a pick-me-up. I went to Starbucks and ordered my usual chocolate chai latte and their new Venti Black Night Cookie. My drink was really good, and I loved the cookie. It was super sweet and super chocolatey, which I really liked.

Day 3

I had a lot of time to kill today because I was off from work, so I decided to go for a main off my menu. I chose to be productive today. Being productive always puts me in a good mood, and today was spent doing just that. I had my writing shift with my editor, and we were able to get a story out — which made me happy. After that, I finished packing and headed up to Huntsville to visit my sister, Emma. She was finishing up her shift at the local cafe when I got there, so I got myself a matcha, listened to some music, and worked on an article assignment I had. 

Day 4

It was finally Saturday, so I let myself indulge in a dessert on my menu. I’ve been waiting all week for Saturday night, and it was finally here. Emma and I had made plans to go clubbing, and I was so ready. After going to Chili’s, we headed back to her apartment and started getting ready. 

Originally it was just going to be the two of us, but her roommate and friends ended up coming along with us (which made it 10x more fun). We pre-gamed and then headed to the club, where I danced and sang the lyrics to my favorite 2000s hits. After that, we hit up a karaoke bar for a bit before heading home.

Day 5

I told myself I’d do a dessert only once… but I didn’t stick to that. Me and Emma decided to make today a chill shopping day. Shopping wasn’t on my menu, but I guess it was now. We found a shopping strip with all of our favorite stores and did a bit of retail therapy. I bought myself a cute dress, along with stuff to decorate my bathroom with. Afterwards, Emma dropped me off at home, and I caught up on all the sleep I missed out on the night before.

So, was building a dopamine menu worth it?

I’d say most definitely. This week was honestly such a good week for me, and having a list of things that’d make me feel better helped a lot. If you’re in a slump, then I’d highly recommend making your own dopamine menu. It’s a really good thing to put in your mental health toolbox, and it’s fun, too!

• HC The College Try
• mental health
• wellness