🗂️Keep in Mind What Is TikTok’s Viral 'Dopamine Menu'?

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If you find yourself losing motivation to do much else besides scroll on your phone, TikTok, ironically, may offer a solution: Create a dopamine menu. It's not obvious by the trendy name what that even means, but there is no shortage of videos out there explaining the concept. Essentially, you're creating a list of the things you love to do or the things you need to do, as long as you get a little rush of fulfillment or joy from them, then referring back to it when you feel stuck. Here's what you need to know about the new viral trend.

Why is there a menu involved?​

First of all, a dopamine menu is actually what it sounds like, which is to say it looks similar to a restaurant menu. You have appetizers, entrees, sides, desserts, and specials. These categories each serve a purpose: to help you figure out which kinds of activities belong under which heading. You're familiar with how restaurant menus work, so these groups can help guide you as you figure out how much time and energy each activity might cost you. Here's what each means:

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  Appetizers are small activities that bring you a quick rush of fulfillment or happiness, but don't take a lot of time or effort. Going on a walk or grabbing a coffee can be an appetizer.
  
  
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  Entrees are still accessible, but require a little bit more from you. If texting an old friend is an appetizer, getting dinner with an old friend is an entree. Think of these as activities that pay off a little more. Going to the gym is an entree, for instance, because it requires more out of you than an appetizer, but it also gives you a greater reward at the end.
  
  
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  Sides are activities that work together with a different task. Perhaps cleaning your bedroom could be an entree, as you do feel accomplished when it's over, but that's still hard work and can be frustrating, so listening to a podcast or favorite artist while you do it could count as a side.
  
  
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  Desserts are indulgences you don't always "order" but really cherish when you do, like a bubble bath or splurging on something from your Amazon wishlist. Getting takeout can be a dessert. Then again, if you really enjoy cooking, making a delicious meal could literally be an entree. Where you sort things depends on how much effort they require of you, personally, and how great you judge the reward to be.
  
  
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  Specials are similar to desserts, but less accessible and frequent. Going to a museum might be a dessert but going on a vacation would be a special. They are more resource-intensive than your standard self-treats but should give you a major sense of happiness or accomplishment.
  

What do you do once you've made a dopamine menu?​

It's best to actually write this out somehow. A contributing factor to why these menus are all over social media is that there is an appeal to actually making a menu by hand. If you're the crafty type, creating one using paper, markers, stickers, and other art supplies could even be an entree for you.

Once you've made your dopamine menu, you keep it on hand so that when you're feeling low on energy or joy, you can whip it out and pick from it, like you would at a restaurant. Depending on how "hungry" you are for something to do and how much time and energy you have to "spend," you select what you want.

The goal here is to create some structure so you can look at a ready-made list of things that will increase your mood, motivation, and overall happiness. You're aiming to deny yourself the opportunity to claim you just couldn't think of anything to do on a day you're bored or lackluster. Spending some time thinking about what really makes you happy or what will thrill you when it's finally taken care of reminds you that there's plenty to do, so even making the menu itself can be a little dopamine hit.

I decided to try it out. Here's what I came up with:

Credit: Lindsey Ellefson

It was actually trickier than I thought it would be since a lot of the things I do for self-care and fun—like take classes, have meetings for my personal businesses and projects, go to in-salon appointments, or go on trips—are pre-planned and don't lend themselves to day-of dopamine hunting. I had to think about tasks I enjoy that are accessible on any given afternoon when I'm feeling low. I was impressed that I came up with so much, but I'll warn you this does take some time. Ultimately, I was pleased to see the variety among the things that make me happy.
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