Digital Reset: My Dopamine Detox

I'll show you my "Dopamine Detox Challenge" results and how I regained control in our hyper-connected world.

Hi everyone!

Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed by the flood of notifications and the constant presence of the digital world?

I felt the same way. That's why I took the Dopamine Detox Challenge, an important challenge in our hyper-connected world.

You might remember my newsletter before last, where I explained the importance and relevance of this challenge.

After three weeks of this challenge, I want to share my experience.

If you missed it, I recommend you look at it to understand the challenge completely:

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🔄 My Dopamine Detox Challenge

💡 Results / Problems

📈 Effects & insights

🎯 Challenges

🚀 Outlook for the next week

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🔄 My Dopamine Detox Challenge.

I adapted the challenge according to my needs. For some things, something needed to change now.

This was my Challenge:

• 60min Screen Time

• Whatsapp web instead of Whatsapp mobile

• No productive procrastination

• Replace display entertainment, me-time daily

• No P*rn

• Listen to music selectively

• Turn off sounds and notifications → Check messages 3-4 times a day

• Daily Action Plan

• Turn off your smartphone before you go to sleep, do not turn it on before your morning routine

• Cook for yourself, avoid fast food, caffeine, and industrial sugar (mainly sweets)

• 7-8h sleep

• Clean the environment and empty your apartment

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💡 Results / Problems

Positive findings

I quickly incorporated the 'Daily Me-Time' and 'Action Plan' into my routine, thanks to my existing habits of journaling and meditation.

I turned off my smartphone 15-30 minutes before sleep every night, which was one of the best points.

Instead, I read to relax my eyes. I set my Samsung not to allow me to operate apps from 11 pm to 7 am. That helped a lot.

I only turned the smartphone back on the following day after showering, eating breakfast, journaling, and meditating.

I could now use the time I didn't spend digitally in the evenings to clean up. I already have a small container with old postcards and other stuff. Finally, I have found time to sort out everything.

Somewhere in my subconscious was still stored that I should clean it out. So when you clean up your apartment or room, your head automatically becomes clearer. Simple, isn’t it?

Negative experiences

The biggest challenge was limiting screen time to 60 minutes, as I often exceeded the limit and reached 1hr 30min. Still, it was much more enjoyable.

In the beginning, I only used Whatsapp Web, but as time passed, I also returned to the smartphone; at that point, I failed. Nevertheless, I spontaneously turned off all notifications (except emails) and turned on no sounds.

I was addicted to platforms like Youtube, Whatsapp, and some mobile games. That was my absolute favorite point at the end. I see so many people every day looking right at their smartphones when they hear a “bing.”

The "No Productive Procrastination" point was challenging for me personally to change. I have now explicitly watched videos on Youtube or specifically something I need for content creation.

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📈 Effects & insights

After three weeks, I've taken back control of my smartphone usage instead of being controlled by the apps. I don't let them guide me anymore.

Permanently, I now have notifications turned off and a black & white filter turned on to avoid distractions and focus on what's important. I can highly recommend this to everyone.

I now look much less to see if I have new messages. And the best part: I don't feel like I'm missing anything.

My sleep quality has significantly increased, as has my motivation to get out of bed in the morning. A healthy evening and morning routine determine the complete course of the day.

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🎯 Challenges

The challenges of a dopamine detox challenge are many and can vary from person to person. Here are some of the most common difficulties that can occur:

1. Withdrawal symptoms:

Since dopamine activates our reward system, the sudden decrease in dopamine-promoting activities could make you feel unwell, irritable, or depressed.

It's important to remember that this is your body's normal reaction and that these feelings will pass. The first few days, I was very moody on the road, but that is subsiding.

2. Time Management:

Limiting your use of digital devices could cause difficulty in using your time effectively. Many rely on our devices to organize their day, so learning to get by without them could be challenging.

Find alternative pursuits that relax and distract you, such as reading, pursuing hobbies, and meeting friends, you know what I mean.

3. Social pressure:

In a society where constant connectivity has become the norm, feeling "off" may weigh on you. You might feel left out or isolated, especially if your friends and family aren't doing the same challenge. This is one of the most difficult points; it helps if you have another person doing such a challenge. Stand by yourself and your choices, even if it can be difficult in front of friends and family.

4. Change habits:

Changing habits is always a challenge. It's easy to fall back into old patterns, especially in stressful or unforeseen situations.

5. Work and School:

In many jobs and schools, digital devices are necessary. It may be challenging to minimize the use of these devices without sacrificing productivity or performance.

It's essential to be aware of these challenges and develop strategies to deal with them.

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🚀 Outlook for next week

Have you done a dopamine detox challenge before?

If you have any questions or want to share your experience, please DM me on Twitter or leave a comment below.

Next week I want to touch on biohacking and performance optimization and what it does.

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Thanks for reading; I hope you were able to get value out of it.

Have a successful week!

See you next week.

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Photos by:

https://unsplash.com/it/@alexshuperart