A simple fact of life is that we need dopamine in order to function. We need it for motivation, for feeling a sense of accomplishment, even for controlling our muscles and motor functions. Plus, dopamine yummy :p
A dopamine menu is just as it sounds – it’s a list of activities, actions, and objects that bring you joy! It can take many forms, and can be as complex or simple as you like. I honestly get joy just from making them, so making a dopamine menu would itself be on my dopamine menu. Let’s get into it!
1. Understanding What a Dopamine Menu Is
As I said in the intro, it is just as it sounds, but I wanted to give a little extra info just in case.
Firstly, the dopamine aspect: dopamine is a hormone made by our bodies that plays a key role in how we feel pleasure, stay motivated, stay focused, and move our muscles. When we do things that we enjoy, dopamine is released, which is where the concept of having a dopamine menu comes in.
The menu aspect simply describes the idea that you can create a bank of your favourite activities and things, and organise them into a hierarchy depending on how much time they take or how rewarding they are.
2. Listing the Things you Enjoy
This is my favourite bit. I like to work through the following categories, and list down my favourite things in each one (I’ve added a couple of my own as examples):
- Hobbies – Painting, baking, reading…
- Activities – Going shopping, going out for dinner, going to the pub with friends…
- Music – Hyperpop DJ sets on YouTube (for dancing), ballet or operas (for reading), video game soundtracks (for working)…
- Media – The Handmaiden (film), South Park (TV show), Resident Evil (video game)…
- Foods -Chicken Kiev, cherries, cinnamon swirl bake…
I would never judge you for your faves, so don’t judge me on mine…
3. Organising
Since it’s a menu, it stands to reason that we’re going to have starters, mains, sides, and desserts – you don’t have to, though! If you just want to make a list of your faves, you go for it! I just like to create a hierarchy so I can figure out how much time and effort I need for each individual item on my list. Here’s how I like to organise them:
- Starters (or appetisers) – a quick mood boost e.g. browsing Pinterest for a couple minutes to look at pretty things.
- Main – an activity that requires more time e.g. playing a game or watching a film.
- Sides – something that makes another activity more enjoyable e.g. having music on while I clean
- Dessert – pure indulgence activities that need to be used in moderation to appreciate e.g. gong to the pub or scrolling on TikTok.
The idea of a menu may not be your thing, so you might want to come up with your own categories, for example:
- When I’m bored/need cheering up/overwhelmed
- When I have 10 mins/1 hour/a whole evening
- When I’m low/average/high energy
It’s all about what works for you!
4. Presentation
I lied earlier – this is my favourite bit.
As always, you can present this anyway you want to! I like to get super specific, so in the past I’ve made little displays of particular categories for my dopamine menu, as seen here:
Here are some other examples I’ve seen, that a little more menu-ish, that are super cute as well:
Search around for some inspo, and find what style fits you!
5. Use It!
Make sure to have your list displayed somewhere or easily available so you can make use of it when you’re in need of a pick-me-up! Framing it can be a nice touch, or just sticking it to the fridge with some cutesy magnets <3
In Conclusion
It may seem silly, but having an easily accessible list of the things that bring you joy really can turn a mundane or even frustrating day around. I’d definitely recommend making one if you’re looking to develop a more positive mindset! I have a blog post about that here if you’d like to take a look!
I hope this post has been of some help <3