Dopamine Detox for High performance

Dopamine is a “feel good” chemical released in our brains under certain stimuli. In an evolutionary sense, it was meant to reward early humans for behaviors that would aid in their survival. It’s released by all kinds of pleasant activities; from shopping to sex.

When regulated normally, Dopamine is associated with rewards, motivation, and productivity. Today’s world, though, can overstimulate the human brain in myriad ways. That over-stimulation becomes problematic as “hits” of Dopamine become more and more addicting. The resulting addiction cycle leads to all forms of anxiety, sleeplessness, and lack of motivation.

In more extreme cases, that same addiction cycle can also lead us into risky or unhealthy behaviors, as we chase those hits of “feel good”. Promiscuous sex/porn, drugs, and outrageous spending are common vices of Dopamine fiends.

One of the biggest contributors to Dopamine overload is one that you wouldn’t think of, too. Your cell phone (that you’re probably reading this on) is bombarding your brain with potentially addictive Dopamine triggers all day long. Every beep, vibration, and notification is like a little hit of “Dope”. You subconsciously start to look forward to those hits, and miss them when they don’t come.

If you start your day by looking at your phone, please stop. Doing that was one of the most profound changes I made on the road to self improvement. I started a morning routine that involved paper pages in books, rather than the glow of my phone. That allowed me to start my days with more calm and confidence, almost immediately. I made the same adjustment at night; and as a bonus, less exposure to blue light before bedtime is also very beneficial for restful sleep.

With reducing my screen time as step #1, here’s what I did for the rest of my Dopamine detox:

  • I did some serious self reflection to identify my top 3 temptations. What were the 3 things that I was most guilty of indulging in too often? I now only allow myself to do or have these things as a reward for set amounts of productivity. Four hours of work = 15 minutes of a reward. 8 = 30. etc.
  • I cut more sugars and processed foods out of my diet. No one is perfect, but trying harder makes a big difference. Less sugar highs and lows will drastically affect your mood. Try 30 days of strict fasting from sugar, and then ease into healthy moderation.
  • Dopamine is actually a neurohormone, so its proper regulation requires a healthy schedule for sleep and rest.

Sunday School or Oprah? Who Manifests Best?

In this new, enlightened age, a lot of us have grown up to condemn the religions of our parents. People have come to understand that the church has been used to control and oppress people throughout history, and our culture’s collective intelligence has progressively shifted away from the rules and regulations of religious condemnation. For many new age thinkers, that means lots of talk about vibrations, law of attraction, and “manifesting your dream life”; and I think all of that is great… but what if Mom and Dad were right about more than you want to admit?

The Law of Attraction is amazing. It’s a practical way of understanding the way that the physical universe works; just like gravity is. Your thoughts have a physical frequency, which is broadcast by your brain, into the world around you. Those “radio waves” travel out into the world, and attract back people, things, and opportunities that are on the same frequency as YOU.

If you want to believe in the Law of Attraction- awesome. That means that:

A) You can have, do, or be anything that you want.

B) If you are not achieving A, you have to take responsibility for that.

You’re creating whatever circumstances exist in your life right now. You can create new circumstances too… but you have to change the way you think/believe, speak, and ACT first.

Personally, I’ve had to think long and hard about what that meant on lots of occasions. I can tell you that certain activities consistently “raise your vibration”, and bring you closer to whatever dream life you’re trying to manifest. Those things are love, reading, exercise, positive thinking, generosity, etc.

Certain other things consistently “lower your vibration”, and eventually lead to circumstances that DELAY THE FULFILLMENT OF YOUR BIGGEST GOALS. Oddly enough, these usually turn out to be the same “sins” that they warned us about in Sunday school. It’s not just Christians either. It seems like the fathers of many religions had ancient knowledge that some things just are not good for us: drugs, pornography, alcohol, promiscuous sex, gambling, etc.

SO WHAT’S THE DEAL?!?!?!?!? Here’s why they were right all along:

All of those activities, and others like them, affect the way your brain works on a physical and chemical level. They are scrambling your radio transmitter, and changing the frequency of the “radio waves” being sent out by your brain.

When your brain is sending out that scrambled signal, no matter how “together” you think you have it, you’ll NEVER get people, things, or opportunities work out as they were meant to in your life. You’ll ALWAYS attract results that are on the wrong frequency for you. Here’s some proof:

Marijuana- https://www.cdc.gov/marijuana/health-effects/brain-health.html

Pornography- https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/is-pornography-harmful/

Alcohol- https://www.webmd.com/connect-to-care/addiction-treatment-recovery/alcohol/serious-effects-alcohol-on-brain

Gambling- https://theconversation.com/designed-to-deceive-how-gambling-distorts-reality-and-hooks-your-brain-91052

Worry- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26651008/

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How can I manage my time Better?

I’ve read tons of self improvement essays, self help books, and watched 100’s of YouTube videos on time management. Still, I tend to procrastinate or lose track of time. Here are some of the best tips that I’ve found for staying on track and on schedule.

The biggest battle for a lot of people is their phone. It’s scary how much time can be wasted staring at the screen of a smart phone. Most smart devices automatically track your usage, so you can easily see how much time you’ve lost to your technology. I was the worst, so I’ve been trying to limit my screen time in the following ways:

  • Uninstall social media apps. I’ve been trying to access social media for only a few minutes per day, and only on my laptop. By eliminating mindless minutes of scrolling through timelines, the screen timer on my phone started to drop immediately.
  • Keep your phone on Silent or Vibrate, and don’t keep it in your pocket. This made a huge difference for me. Rather than taking out my phone to check every notification, I started putting my phone in my bag. Since it’s always on vibrate, messages won’t easily disturb me when I’m focused on another task. I can check my phone at designated times, and I only turn the ringer on when I’m available to answer phone calls or reply to messages, immediately.
  • I don’t use the calendar in my phone. Your mileage may vary here, but this works for me. Instead of getting lost in my phone, answering old text messages, etc., I’ve switched back to a paper day-timer. I keep my schedule on a paper calendar, with a pencil.
  • Whenever possible, switch to hard copy books as well. Reading on your iPhone or Kindle can lead to other distractions; emails and text messages can extend your screen time, and sidetrack you from finishing your reading.

Aside from limiting your screen usage, another one of the most impactful ways to be more efficient with your time, is to wake up early and get stuff done! It’s easy to sleep in. Sometimes, if you’re not careful, it’s even easier to trick yourself into thinking that you got up early. I used to wake up at 6:00, but not really get much work done until about 9:00. If I had early training clients, I half-slept through their sessions. I experienced a huge boost in productivity when I started to use those extra 3 hours every morning. For me, that means about 5-10 minutes of deep breathing, meditation, or reading to get in a positive and productive mindset. Immediately after that, without hesitating, I jump into my tasks for the day. If you tackle the hard stuff first, you’ll be amazed how much you can accomplish before 9:00 AM.

It also helps to:

  • Keep daily and weekly to do lists.
  • Say “no” to unnecessary commitments, and leave room for what you need to do.
  • Face your problems, first. Putting things off often allows issues to snowball, and the resulting mess can cost you way more time, later.
  • Build in time for self care and personal development. You won’t be able to manage your time well, if you are burned out.
  • Try hiring a coach. You can get accountability and regular help with time management in my online coaching program: https://joetoproathlete.com/product/online-trainer

Just like with training, and every area where you seek to improve, tracking progress will help you be more successful. Take notes on what saves you time, and on what makes staying organized easier. Taking notes will also keep you more focused on your goal. It all comes down to how much you want to be successful here; as always.

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Weekly Inspiration

Your food choices are important and worth a little bit of time.  Nothing worth having comes easily.  I know you work hard on your fitness.  I know you care about getting results.  That’s why you’re reading this, right?  If being healthy and fit is worth the hours you spend in the gym every week, and it’s worth the money you spend on your gym membership, isn’t it worth the extra 30 minutes it will take to prepare healthy food instead of eating that McDonald’s?  Aren’t your goals more important than the temporary satisfaction that you’d get from drinking that chocolate milkshake?

You always have the power to choose.  Apply your willpower and strong character (I know you have one) to your food just as you would to life’s other important choices.

Weekly Inspiration

Life is full of challenges.  Each day presents us with a new set of problems to solve and opportunities to seize.  It’s a trial by fire, and all you need to do is keep putting one foot in front of the other.  The small things will fade away, and the big things will work themselves out, if you just keep walking.

Are you having a hard time on your weight loss journey?  At work?  At home?  Step one is to take step one…