If, like so many of us, you find yourself starting your day by looking at your phone, life coach Claire Michalski warns that doing this negatively sets you up for the rest of the day.
Instead, she recommends ‘low dopamine mornings’.
Speaking an Instagram reel, she said that “how you start your day massively affects how the rest of your day will go” and warns that getting ‘quick fix dopamine hits’ by looking at social media, replying to messages etc, you’ll spend the day looking for dopamine hits in those same places, and, as we know, social media isn’t always good for us.
How to have a low dopamine morning
So, low dopamine mornings, which Michalski says we need to know about “especially if you have ADHD”, are simple but will take a little practice to get used to, especially for those of us who almost have our phones surgically attached to our hands at all times.
First, don’t pick up your phone. Yeah, I know, it’s a muscle memory thing at this point. However, Michalski recommends that when you wake, you do ‘slow dopamine releasing tasks’.
This means that first thing, you get up and go to the bathroom, wash your face, come back and make the bed. Then, get yourself a drink ― though she does advise that coffee isn’t the best choice as that is also a quick dopamine fix ― and challenge yourself to spend the first 30 minutes of your day phone-free.
Michalski says that over time, you can increase that to an hour and you’ll watch your productivity and focus ‘zoom’.
What are slow dopamine release activities?
According to Cleveland Clinic, some good, simple ways to slowly release dopamine include:
- Exercise
- Meditation
- Yoga
- Massage
- Playing with a pet
- Walking in nature
- Reading a book
Cleveland Clinic also recommends that if you feel that you struggle to produce dopamine naturally, these supplements might help:
- Tyrosine. Tyrosine is a natural amino acid and a precursor to dopamine. (Dopamine is made from tyrosine.)
- L-theanine. L-theanine is another precursor to dopamine.
- Vitamin D, B5 and B6. These vitamins are needed to make dopamine.
- Omega-3 essential fatty acids.
- Magnesium.
Brb, I need to plan better morning habits.