Are you addicted?
I don't know about you, but I like watching the little reels on Facebook, especially when I am tired and need a brain break. But to be honest, I don't have good boundaries around that. As I was talking with a
friend about this, she used the phrase "microdosing dopamine". I can't believe there is a term for that!
Every time the phone dings, or a new reel comes up, I get a little 'high'. And that can lead to addiction. Crazy right? But it made me think about our lives in general, the way that we focus on certain things. Like a person at a slot machine in Vegas, unaware of their surroundings, focused on the next ding that brings a reward. Is it possible to get a dopamine high from watching too much news? Listening to too much talk radio? Watching too many sports games? Playing too much fantasy football? Binge watching too much TV? Spending too much time on social media? Working really hard to get one more
promotion?
What are we addicted to? And how do we break that cycle? For me, honestly, I had to put a time blocker on my phone, so that I don't waste the precious time I have.
Someone said, "Time is the only currency that you can only spend once." I created a poster in my office that counts down the days of the year so that I am more aware of it. A friend of mine recently put a jar of glass balls for every week that he has left in his life (as much as one can know) and every week he takes one ball out. Time is precious.
So here is my challenge. Keep track of your time, see how much of it is just looking for little dopamine
rushes. How much time do you spend on TV? How much time on sports events? How much time on shopping? How much time on religious experiences? None of these things are bad, please don't
misunderstand me, but too much of a good thing is still bad.
Here are some suggestions for changing your timeframe: instead of spending all your time watching the
news and hoping for better outcomes, go and volunteer a couple hours at one of our many local
nonprofits, that will change the outcome for someone. Instead of being on social media, put it away during meals at the table with your family and get to know your spouse and children again. Instead of binge-watching games, coach a game through Parks and Rec. Instead of spending hours inside the church volunteer at a school and bring Christ to the community.
I personally started spending less time on social media and more time with people at a coffee shop. I am
putting my phone away when I am with people to give them my full attention. I stopped opening my phone while in line at a store, instead I think, listen and acknowledge the people in line with me, or serving me. Nothing against microdosing dopamine into my system, I just need to find a better means of doing it.