Every time you experience something pleasurable, its potential for creating positive emotional responses diminishes.
It's the law of diminishing returns.
It's also why humans are so good at survival… we are wired to seek out more and more novel experiences.
However, in a world of plenty… this wiring starts to backfire.
Our once cherished hobbies become dull...
Experiences are no longer stimulating...
We are left feeling like "something is missing."
How can you avoid this?
Be mindful of how often you repeat the same experience.
Try mixing up your activities and incorporating new ones into your schedule.
Avoid dopamine stacking.
Love going to the gym? Also, love adding in pre-workout, intense workout music, and blasting your favorite tune before a heavy lift? This is dopamine stacking… and maximizes your momentary pleasure, but the intense load on your nervous system causes the experience to "fade" more quickly.
Instead, try alternating experiences, one day lifting without music, skipping the pre-workout every other workout, and in doing so, "temper" your dopamine load.
Get healthy rest.
Being bored is crucial. Boredom is the product of a low dopamine state. It can be EXCRUCIATING … but it's absolutely necessary. These periods of low stimulation give your dopamine system a break and help you avoid the all too well-known state of BURN OUT!
*This article was adapted from a Twitter thread & Reddit Post by Hayden*
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