Alexandra Konstanti

First up, the coffee. You can practically feel the warmth and comfort in your words. The anticipation of having this first sip in the morning. Coffee lovers get this! The smell, the feel of the cup in your hands, the walk to your favorite café that is like a blissful ritual. My brain is already up for it, already celebrating from the night before.

Then, the writing, the exciting hunt! There is this rush to dive into the next topic, to lose yourself into research and create from scratch. It’ s like a painting ready to be formed, like having a newborn. It’s the dopamine coming from this creative process.

Movement. Bachata every Monday gives something to expect, also motion, flow, a sense of freedom to the body. Pilates four times a week, offers balance and strength. Body and brain both appreciate it. The endorphins have done their work.

Chores, not actually the word that you expected to read after the previous pleasures. But don’t get hesitant or gloomy, there is the ultimate hack! Podcasts! Who said multitasking doesn’t work? Combining automatic procedural moves with entertainment, updates or reflection is the trick that the brain loves.

Special treat- Foodie Adventures! Always seeking the new dish, the new spot, the next surprise for the taste buds. It is on schedule once a week and the mind is already having a fist of anticipation.

So that was my DOPAMINE MENU. What is that you say? Let’s debrief it.

It is like a personal menu of all the big and the small rituals that you have that bring you joy, keep you inspired, and give you that mental boost every day.

This menu has evolved into a trend, especially on TikTok, originating from an old YouTube video of Jessica McCabe. Jessica is the creator of the channel “How to ADHD” and author of “How to ADHD: An insider’ s Guide to Working With Your Brain (Not Against It). But what has this menu to do with ADHD or mental health disorders?

The Benefit of It

In today’s AI and social media world, it has become entirely “normal” to scroll for hours on your phone, watching countless videos and endless content. This gives the brain a hit of dopamine that doesn’t actually last. On the contrary, it can turn into a vicious cycle of rush, guilt, and fatigue.

A “Dopamine Menu,” however, can help people—especially those with low dopamine levels, such as individuals with ADHD or depression—engage in a variety of activities that maintain higher dopamine levels for a longer period of time. Because this is crucial for mental health, this menu should be prepared in advance (just as a chef collaborates with their crew to plan a restaurant menu) and put on display as a daily reminder. The goal is to feel good and find joy in these activities.

The Menu

As with every menu, we have:

Appetizers

These small treats are just a few bites to prepare your stomach for the main course! Similarly, these activities aren’t meant to last long. A five-minute meditation, a quick stroll in the park, preparing your favorite coffee, or reading a chapter of a book are some examples. They’re short but sweet, meant to give a small boost to start.

 Main course

An hour at the gym, grocery shopping, journaling or writing, cooking yourself a nice meal—these are activities that require more time and focus. They are intended to recharge you more than the brief “appetizers,” much like main dishes are meant to fulfill your hunger. This main course should be planned in advance; it’s not typically a spontaneous thing.

Side dishes

Side dishes are there to accompany the main meal and that is exactly what they do. They complement must do tasks and make them more fun to engage with! Listening to music or a favorite podcast while tackling chores you usually find million excuses and procrastinate to do them, make these tasks rewarding.  As your dopamine is high enjoying while doing your chores, can make it happen.

Desserts

All the sweet-toothed folks out there know how good desserts can be—yet also not the healthiest. That is why they try to keep this sugar consumption in moderation. Sweet treats like scrolling on social media, binge-watching a Netflix series, or enjoying junk food are things many people love. However, overdoing them can backfire.

Specials

What’s the chef’ s special for tonight? The suspense you feel every time you plan something out of your routine raises the dopamine levels high. You have an occasion to expect for, a quest to fulfill. This can be a yearned- for journey, a magical concert, an out of the ordinary experience, name it.

A Balanced Diet

As I was researching about this trend, I realized that all of us somehow have a “life menu” in our minds and we find solace in it when we seek the little joy in our existence. Sometimes we overindulge in desserts or, even worse, we fill our plates exclusively with those. Other times, we might stick only to appetizers or skip to the main course without any balance. In other words, we imbalance our “diet”.  A thoughtfully arranged delicious menu can offer a sense of completion leaving you with a light stomach.

What about a life one?