Here’s an easy guide for making a dopamine menu, feel free to follow along and give it a try yourself; we’ve included some suggestions and examples for you to use!
What is a dopamine menu?
It’s a set of “courses” that are filled with options of activities that produce dopamine for you. You have your appetiser/starter, main/entrée, sides and dessert courses; plus there’s also a specials board for those activities that require a little something extra.
The reason for making a dopamine menu is that it’s good for busy brains to have an easy reference point that can be accessed for dopamine fixes – whether they are in need of a quick one, or a longer one. It can be hard to consider activities that are beneficial to your mental health, when you’re in the midst of being stressed or overworked. Scientific studies are also starting to show that creating and using a dopamine menu is a particularly effective technique for people who have ADHD.
Let’s define what each course is about:
Appetiser/starter – these are quick activities that take very little preparation and don’t keep you busy. They aren’t there to distract, only to provide a quick burst of dopamine.
Main/Entrée – longer activities that give a greater mood boost and usually take longer to do. Just like the main course of a meal, they should provide long-lasting satisfaction.
Sides – do these alongside another task that’s boring or uninteresting, so they boost your mood instead of letting it drop.
Dessert – don’t partake in these all the time! Again, these are a type of quick fix, but like real desserts, aren’t good for you if the only thing you eat.
Specials – these activities are designed to be a bit more unique and take some additional preparation, can be a bit more expensive or might even be a bucket list item. We like to create a separate menu for these activities – just like you’d usually find in a restaurant!
Remember, you don’t have to eat the courses in order and that sometimes, it can be better to just have a side for a quick, but effective dopamine fix! There are no set rules for using a dopamine menu.
So how do you put a dopamine menu together?
Firstly, brainstorm activities that give you a mood boost without causing regret, and then break those down into which suits each course. Pick options that are realistic and manageable for yourself, rather than what you think would be good by social measures.
Secondly, pick how you want to display these in an easy-to-access manner. We’re going to use one of our limited edition journals for our menu and make it into a double page spread, but you can do a digital version, or you could make a single page ‘menu style’ that can be put on the fridge, on the wall, in your car etc. Maybe it’s your style to use sticky notes – just make it something that’s good for your own use!
Thirdly, make the items you need for your activity accessible. Don’t let barriers get in the way of starting, as it can be easy to be put off. Some examples include, placing a book on the coffee table ready to go or having the correct TV channel ready for the morning by changing it the night before. Think of it as preparing your ingredients.
Finally, get some barriers in place to stop overindulgence in unhealthy activities, such as doing lots of options from the desserts’ menu. You could try putting timers on your phone to limit social media usage, or make yourself complete a chore before having a snack.
The most important factors are making your dopamine menu fun AND useful – so enjoy the process of making it and take the time to make it uniquely yours. Playing around with some fun marketing is a good way to achieve this!
