The Hits Just Keep On Coming
Here is the problem with good stuff: Despite what that old Alan Jackson song says, too much of a good thing is a bad thing. We hear a lot about dopamine these days, for good reason. We hear that scrolling through social media gives us dopamine hits as does catching a big fish or getting a winning scratch-off. I hear about all sorts of dopamine-inducing activities that make you feel happy, boost your self-esteem, make you feel everything is right with the world. Today I saw an article about “dopamine sewing” which sounds right up my alley.
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter hormone and is often referred to as the pleasure or reward hormone. Like most things to do with the human body, it does not pay to oversimplify things, including dopamine. It does far more than simply make you feel good. Dopamine is involved in many aspects of mental health, is a part of the fight-or-flight response, and affects the cardiovascular system, the kidneys, the pancreas, the immune system, and the gastrointestinal system. It is important and plays a big role in every minute of every day of your life, so it needs to be taken very seriously Modern life has a way of supplying us with way more dopamine hits than our bodies are intended to have. When we overdo dopamine hits, the dopamine receptors start to lose their sensitivity, meaning it takes more and more dopamine to get the same response or feeling, then after awhile, no amount of dopamine will work. If this sounds like some addictions you have heard about, you would be right. A person can get themselves into this situation by doing things like overdoing social media, shopping, gambling, or even sugar rushes. I think this happens to most of us at some level at least every now and then My phone gives me a ‘Screen Time Report’once a week, which I kind of hate because it alerts me to the ugly truth at times. When it gets too ugly, I will take all social media apps off my phone so it is not as easy to just mindlessly swipe my thumb up the screen. Lately I have been turning my phone on Do Not Disturb when I go to bed then forgetting to turn that setting back off. Not having those bings and dings and boops continually has greatly simplified life and has started resensitizing me to the real pleasures of life, like my grandbabies’ pretty little faces, watching the bumblebees and butterflies on the flowers, and appreciating having good health and good friends. Oh, and of course some dopamine sewing, knitting, drawing, etc.
Boredom can be a very, very good thing, too, and is actually worth cultivating. To some of us boredom is actually peace, quiet, space. Boredom is an opportunity to turn inside and do some introspecting and, my favorite, metacogitating. It is an opportunity to talk to your Creator and listen for Him to talk back. Boredom can lead to your most creative ideas and greatest insights.
I think it is time for me to go remove some apps from my phone. SpringCreekArts-Guild@gmail.com