Dopamine Reset: How To Restore Your Natural Balance?
The commonly known dopamine fast brings the concept of complete simplicity to the area of the psyche as a means to reconnect with ourselves An accessible option for anyone who has been saturated in this society of immediacy and constant hyperstimulation. In this article I will briefly explain how pleasure and pain interact with each other, the role of dopamine in this relationship and how this affects the development of addictive behaviors, life dissatisfaction and low tolerance for frustration.
Minimalism is, like any art form, an attempt to bring a little order to a chaotic world. An order that inspires us with peace and calm, restoring our connection with natural pleasures. With a temporary renunciation of what is left over and superfluous, we can recover that honest look at what really generates lasting gratification for us to define how we want to live.
To understand how fasting or dopamine reset can influence us, we must first lay some basic foundations that allow us to understand how the brain’s reinforcement circuit works. This center, also called the “reward circuit,” manages the experience of pleasure and pain Pleasure and pain are processed in the same brain area and are kept in constant adjustment ensuring balance. They are regulated, in fact, like a kind of seesaw.
Just as when faced with cold, the body emits muscle contraction responses (shivering) to generate heat and maintain our body temperature; The brain also has its own pathways to keep our sensations of pain and pleasure or satisfaction and dissatisfaction in balance.
So, when we experience pleasure, the brain reacts by pushing the scale toward the pain side in the same proportion as the pleasure experienced. This process explains why the more you pursue pleasure, the more emptiness you experience
When we feel joy, dopamine is released onto the pleasure plate of the scale. Since our physiology strives for homeostasis (balance), it cannot allow the balance to be tipped that way for more than a short period of time. What happens is that the brain exerts a force proportional to the pleasure experienced on the plate of pain, causing the balance to remain tilted on this perception of dissatisfaction for another short period of time. That previous pleasure, after a while, feels like an affliction.
This was called Opponent Process Theory by Richard Solomon and John Corbit and goes like this: “Any prolonged or repeated deviation from hedonic or affective neutrality provokes a subsequent reaction of opposite value to the stimulus” In colloquial terms it means that the constant and repeated use of immediate pleasures (video games, social networks, processed foods, drugs, pornography, compulsive shopping, etc.) leads to unhappiness by decreasing our motivation.
The repeated experimentation of instantaneous and artificial pleasures causes the sensations to become less intense and shorter, while the sensations of discomfort become stronger and last longer over time. We call this neuroadaptation.
The search for pleasure like this directs us towards discomfort, towards anhedonia, what we used to enjoy now not so much. In a society where instant gratification reigns, this is how addictions are born innocently and naively We have drugs, sex, social networks and all kinds of things at the click of a button that anesthetize us from possible unpleasant emotions.
Deciding to indulge in this type of instant enjoyment can momentarily relieve us if we go through a difficult situation, but when we inadvertently normalize unbridled consumption of these stimuli, our pathways to obtaining pleasure can become saturated.
What is a dopamine reset?
In the expectation of obtaining a reward we always find the presence and release of dopamine. From the moment we visualize the substance or behavior that we find irresistibly pleasant in our mind, dopamine makes an appearance and its amount in this release is proportional to the dependence it generates in us
Human beings have evolved in an environment of scarcity and have never been immersed in an environment with such a quantity of stimuli capable of generating such a rapid release of dopamine. Our ancestors did not have social networks, junk food, infinite repertoires of objects with same-day delivery, psychotropic drugs, alcohol…
The same environment made it easier for them to remain regulated in this aspect, they normally went to natural pleasures such as a sunset, deep social bonds, games in the community, creation of tools that were useful to them, celebration of rituals, exploration and discovery of new environments, etc. So that any eventual suprastimulus did not impact their perception of vitality.
This does not stop there, since the abuse of pleasure in order to go through states of discomfort diverts us from taking measures against what is making us uncomfortable. We distance ourselves from the emotions that are expressed as alarm when faced with “something” that we do not feel according to how we want our life to develop We do not travel through them, we do not listen to the valuable message they have for us.
But far from going silent, they come back with more and more force, each time in a more insidious way, while we have less and less energy to confront them. We do not tolerate them, we have been weakening ourselves by numbing our existence with avoidant behaviors. We need more and more rewards to feel the same pleasure as the first time and we need less and less damage to feel pain.
If we subtly remain in a state of low motivation and reluctance, ignoring emotions that arise from “what I didn’t do”, “what I allowed”, “what I ran away from…”, etc. In the face of any misfortune that life throws at us, we will find ourselves overwhelmed and unable to manage it. This is partly due to starting from an already negative basal level, which will make the added problems perceived as unapproachable When the suffering only increases and with each impulsive search for pleasure to cover it up we feel weaker, it may be time to give ourselves a break.
If we adopt a reflective and temperate posture that urges us to put order in order to free up space and take charge of everything we have been carrying around, we may still be tempted by this dopamine reset. It is a cleansing of the superficial that allows us to reach that which is located at a deeper level and that for a long time we have not dared to look at.
It is a light, simple life, without distractions, a simple order of return to natural pleasures that transmits peace and serenity. This is not easy. You go through a period of abstinence considered more arduous during approximately the first 15 days When we deny the use of dopamine as an escape from our emotional difficulties, thoughts and most painful sensations, these will make themselves felt strongly on us.
It is the mental mastery gained by living in the present moment with a curious, honest, and non-judgmental attitude that will allow us to deal with this pain. Mindfulness is very useful in these moments of discomfort And since the balance also tips the other way, we can help reverse this process or at least be active agents in driving forward progress to restore balance.
If for years we have dedicated our days to banal distractions without addressing our concerns, if we feel that part of our life has been lost due to the comfort of an empty routine and now we find ourselves mired in chronic boredom, it is perhaps because the balance remains tilted towards the side of pain counterbalancing all the times we have ignored our true sources of well-being. And achieving them possibly involves addressing things that we have not wanted to accept, such as fears and unresolved conflicts.
The good news is that a responsible, moderate and intermittent exposure to pain will cause the brain to act by putting weight on the pleasure side to restore the balance within tolerable margins for it. “Just as pain is the price we pay for pleasure, so pleasure is our reward for pain.” Anna Lembke
Hormesis is dedicated to this, a branch of science that studies the beneficial effects of brief exposure to small painful stimuli such as fasting, cold, sauna, physical exercise… For example, a cold shower of 1 to 10 minutes can improve your mood for hours.
Chasing pain is difficult, but the most intense pleasure may come from overcoming difficulties, discomfort, challenge, and discipline. Acting according to your values and being faithful to what is important to you may be something that your life lacks. Pursuing it and committing to it can itself be what gives you greater strength, mastery, and worth Maybe you suddenly feel like you’ve gained life. Recover your passion for building your daily life.
