With new implementations like the school-wide no-phone policy and the hall passes, it is clear that Liberty is taking a shift away from phone use. These changes are meant for student focus to shift back to classes, and allows students to be more present. All over social media, more and more wellness trends advocate for not just detachment from a device, but for true attention to be paid to the real world. This sounds nice in theory, but on busy days, I usually set all this aside. It takes too much time to decide on an activity, and consuming media is easier and more entertaining. After a long day of work, being on my phone feels like an indulgence I’m entitled to rather than the detrimental choice it really is.
In an NPR interview about an article he wrote for the Atlantic, writer Derek Thompson accurately describes the effect of using phone time as a break. “…while externally it looks like nothing is happening, internally, the dopamine is flowing and we are just thinking, my God, we’re feeling outrage, we’re feeling excitement, we’re feeling humor, we’re feeling all sorts of things. We put our phone away and our dopamine levels fall and we feel kind of exhausted by that, which was supposed to be our leisure time.” In the end, the break turns into another energy drain. However, as I mentioned before, trying to choose an alternative can be bothersome. This dilemma was quickly solved when I heard about Dopamine Menus.
Dopamine Menus, introduced to me by the podcast Something More Human, have been making rounds on Tiktok as a fun craft that acts as a self-care reminder. Formatted like a restaurant menu, people are encouraged to sort activities into categories such as appetizers, entrees, drinks, and desserts. Appetizers are small, bite-sized activities that cost no money and low effort. Entrees are longer, more coordinated plans that involve some thought beforehand, and yield a significant end product or take up part of a day. Specials are often even bigger than that, costing money, time, and planning. Desserts are on the more indulgent side, while drinks are meant to be activities that refresh one’s mind or body.
Three weeks ago, I created my own Dopamine Menu. My previous issue of being overwhelmed by choices was no longer taking up my time, because the menu clearly laid out many options that I knew
I already liked. It was only a matter of picking my convenience level and going through with it. Dopamine menus can be made online and viewed on a screen beside work, or made out of paper and serve as a physical reminder to take a real, refreshing break every once in a while. During my three weeks, I have stayed away from unnecessary scrolling and felt more ready to return to my tasks after I did what I listed for myself on the menu. It even helped me to stay in touch with my friends more, which can be an easy thing to neglect as more opt for a video calls and texts instead of regular meetups.
All in all, I definitely recommend that Liberty students make their own Dopamine Menus. This fun activity can help shape good self-care habits that will be useful in the long run.
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According to Derek Thompson, a writer for the Atlantic, “…we are donating our dopamine to our phones rather than reserving our dopamine for our friends. And as a result, we find ourselves in this uncanny space where we simultaneously have more time to ourselves but are made so exhausted by that alone leisure time that we’re pulling back from opportunities to be truly social.” Thompson’s article rang true for me as I look at my own habits as well as those of my peers at Liberty.
