How I Found Motivation, Happiness, and Meaning Through Dopamine
I learned that my fatigue, low mood, and lack of motivation were all due to low dopamine. And that I was actually in complete control of feeling better, more energetic, and more motivated. Learning these SIMPLE ways to regulate my dopamine has changed my life. Here’s what I learned…..
In This Guide, You’ll Learn How I Regulated My Dopamine Levels. Including:
What is Dopamine and Why Does it Make Us Happy, Motivated, and Energetic?
I was floored to learn that how I felt every day was tired directly to my dopamine levels. Dopamine is the “reward” chemical that allows you to experience:
It’s what helps you feel human.
Without it, we’d all be zombies sitting around eating ants all day with no drive to do anything. Instead, you’re reading this article in a functionally limitless language on a digital computing miracle via an invisible information superhighway that stretches to outer space.
Yeah… that’s dopamine.
If you don’t produce enough of it (or if you’ve grown numb to it after years of dopamine-killing activities), you will feel:
I always thought it was something about me. I was defective. I was sick. Something was wrong with me.
When I learned that it was actually my dopamine, and that I could actually “FIX” myself, I felt liberated.
I Tried Everything and Nothing Worked… Until I Learned What to do And What Not to do to Regulate Healthy Levels of Dopamine
Every day felt like I was just going through the motions. I had no interest in anything. No motivation to do anything.
I was told exercise would help, so I tried yoga, 5x5’s, running a mile every day - nothing.
I heard dieting was the answer so I went carb-free, tried paleo, lost weight - still felt numb.
Relaxation, diet, socializing, exercising - nothing helped me feel any better.
That’s when I learned that nothing was working because I was my own worst enemy. It didn’t matter what I did, because I was actively tanking my dopamine levels every day.
Now, it’s been two months and I already feel GREAT. I’m more motivated, lively, and interested in other people. I feel happier and have the energy to get through the day. I actually WANT to go out and talk to people.
Here’s what I avoided to stop tanking my dopamine, a few activities that made me feel a bit better, and the amazing supplements I discovered that were the tipping point that finally made me feel like me again.
The 4 Things I Avoided That Helped Me Feel Better
Constant stimulation numbed my dopamine receptors. I was so burnt out that I was never motivated to do anything because I was constantly spiking my dopamine levels.
Here’s what I did that helped my dopamine levels return to normal.
#1) I Quit Drinking Coffee… Almost
You have no idea how hard this was for me. I was a 4-cups-a-day kind of guy. The morning just didn’t feel right without it.
But listen to me when I say this - coffee is killing your dopamine, and quitting has made a HUGE DIFFERENCE in my life. I feel so much better without it.
All of that caffeine is like an adrenaline bomb to your system that eventually wears out your dopamine. When it wears off, you’re numb, tired, and moody.
Step #1 in bringing your dopamine levels to where they need to be is seriously limiting caffeine (even if it makes you want to kill everyone).
#2) I Stopped Eating/Drinking Sugar
I love sweets. I can never get enough of them. But they were making me miserable. Sugar disrupts your dopamine system, giving you a quick sugar high and then a massive, lifelong sugar low. Not to mention all of the health side effects.
Drop it.
#3) Playing with My Phone
Science has shown that smartphone addiction leads to imbalance in the human brain [1].
Our brains are wired to release dopamine after successful social interactions, but when you are having thousands of them per day, it sends the brain into overload. Each time we look at the screen, it’s like addict getting a fix.
Seriously…
Did you know that Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, and all of the games on your phone stimulate the same reward pathways as cocaine?
Read that again.
Eventually you become so used to the instant dopamine hit that nothing in the real world interests you anymore. Not friends, not family, not your job - nothing.
Now I strictly limit time on my phone, and I NEVER play ANY games. I either read a book, go for a walk, or meditate (much more on this later), and I feel so much better.
#4) I Stopped Drinking Alcohol
Alcohol signals our brains to flood us with dopamine, initiating that buzz we all love. Over time, though, it actually depletes our storage of dopamine, leaving us numb and craving more alcohol. It becomes the only cure for the disease it creates.
Ever since I stopped drinking, my life has changed. Yours will too. Trust me.
Here’s What I Did Next...
That’s everything I did to stop killing my dopamine. The next thing I had to do was start promoting healthy levels of dopamine production in my brain.
And it was SO MUCH EASIER than I ever dreamed. When I first read that it only took eating right, sticking to a simple routine, and listening to my favorite music, I didn’t believe it.
But it ACTUALLY WORKED. Then after researching and testing, I discovered supplements that helped me achieve AMAZING results faster than I ever thought possible.
Here’s what are a few simple ways I started regulating dopamine and feeling better.
The 5 Ways I Increased Dopamine Levels Naturally
Here are a few simple ways that I rediscovered meaning in the little things in life. Ever since I started doing them, I finally felt normal.
It doesn’t happen right away, but little by little you’ll start to feel better. Imagine, a sweet dopamine reward from real social interaction, feeling peaceful and involved in conversations instead of anxious and isolated, energetic and vivacious instead of fatigued and low.
If I can do it, anyone can.
#1) Stock Your Fridge Full of Chicken, Nuts, Seafood, Cheese, Eggs, and Milk
You need to flood your brain with dopamine, but years of abuse have depleted your storage. Tyrosine is going to help you get it back.
Tyrosine is the direct precursor to L-Dopa, the amino acid that crosses the blood-brain barrier and tells your brain “MORE DOPAMINE NOW”. This inundated your system with the materials it’s craving and will awaken your dormant dopaminergic system.
Foods packed with the raw materials to ignite your dopamine furnaces are:
I don’t know about you, but I love a license to stuff my face. Oh, and stuff my face I did my friend.
Tyrosine gives your body the raw materials it needs to create more dopamine. Think of it like flooding a broken and empty oil rig full of crude oil: You’ve still got to fix the damn thing if you want to make gas.
Of course, you can skip the heavy eating by taking supplements with tyrosine and even more powerful dopamine-encouraging nutrients to light a spark under your dopaminergic system.
#2) Listening to Music
“Just a simple song and it can set you free
There’s no need to rush, we’re talkin’ bout dopamine
I feel it comin’. I feel it comin’, babe”
Yes, The Weekend was talking about your dopamine levels. No, seriously listening to The Weekend or any other music you love increases dopamine. Music has proven to have a transformative effect on our brains and even increase brain dopamine levels [2].
Any time I was feeling down, I forced myself to listen to music. It really helped!
#3) Meditate for 20 Minutes a Day About What You Want to Achieve
I don’t care if it’s cheesy. This stuff works.
I hated the idea of meditating, but after meeting so many people who swore that it cleared their heads, invigorated their minds, and helped balance their mood, I had to try.
And it changed everything…
Now I think clearly, can focus on my goals, and don’t get stuck in the anxiety downward spiral (I get anxious about being anxious, then more anxious about the fact that I’m anxious).
No fancy retreats, no expensive classes, no nothing. Just bare bones guided meditation in the dark corners of my mind… I mean, my room. Here’s what I did:
Repeat this twice a day. You will begin feeling more relaxed, happier, and focused in a few weeks. Increase the time you meditate as you get better. It’s like any exercise.
#4) Use Your Body Instead of Your Car
GET OFF YOUR A**!
Exercise enhances dopamine synthesis [3], makes you a sexy beast, and has positive effects on everything from anxiety to brain function. We are made to be active.
I was the typical couch to office and back to couch guy. Everyday.
So I made little changes. Nobody goes couch to 10k in a few weeks. Here’s what I did instead:
These are all baby steps, but they pay off massively. Along with my diet and mild exercise, I lost 10 lbs in 3 weeks. I felt EUPHORIC.
I haven’t felt a sober rush like that since god knows when. My clothes fit better, people at work complimented me, I stopped being fatigued just from walking up a flight of stairs. I’m writing this 20 pounds lighter than I was when I started this journey and I’m LOVING LIFE.
All of these changes helped, but I only felt a bit better physically. If I had to point to one “AHA!” moment where it all just “clicked”, it would be when I started taking Dopify. It’s a supplement containing optimal blends of all the most potent dopamine-enhancing ingredients known to science. Once I got my system back to functioning normally, Dopify helped me happiness faster than I ever thought possible.
How Dopify Made me Feel “Normal” Again
Like I said - I felt a bit better, but things didn’t really change until I started taking Dopify. I can’t say exactly when but soon I noticed I had more energy than ever before. I felt motivated to get S*** done. I could actually talk to human beings and not be stuck in my own head.
It’s because Dopify is made with the optimal blend of dopamine-enhancing ingredients that revitalize your dopamine system and optimize your natural levels. Once you get your natural levels back to normal, Dopify takes over.
Before I knew it, I saw improvements in every area of my life:
I Started Generating Positive, Happy Thoughts Regularly
I was always stuck in my own head. I assumed the worst about everything and everyone. Every event in my life was shaded grey. Remember, dopamine is what helps you feel pleasure.
Dopify is PACKED with tyrosine. There’s more tyrosine in a bottle of Dopify than there is in your fridge full of eggs and seafood. In one study, just 100 mg of tyrosine was associated with significant improvements in mood and cognition [4].
The meditation, exercise, and positive feedback helped for sure, but I didn’t feel anywhere near this good until I started taking Dopify. Just one serving contains more tyrosine than most foods. I still have good and bad days, but way more good days than not.
I Felt More Motivated Than Ever and Finally Found Enjoyment and Pleasure
I started to actually focus and enjoy the process of completing goals instead of getting far ahead of myself and quitting. I got S*** done and took pride in what I did. I felt INVINCIBLE. Unstoppable.
And that’s coming from me, someone who always came up with an excuse for doing the bare minimum.
Dopamine is responsible for motivation. More dopamine equals more motivation. It’s basic math.
The Mucuna Pruriens (MP) and Ginkgo Biloba (GB) in Dopify both recharged my depleted dopamine stores. MP is known to help dopamine, adrenaline, and sperm count [5], and GB is known to increase extracellular dopamine [6]. It’s also widely accepted for its anxiety benefits.
I Felt Energized and Focused
You know those feelings of fatigue I was complaining about? They’re gone. I feel revitalized. My brain is finally stimulated by daily life again. Quitting alcohol and caffeine helped, but Dopify took it to the next level.
Dopify is formulated with a supplement that helps golfers, runners, and cyclists perform at their peak. Phosphatidylserine (PS) is a phospholipid (materials vital to cellular function, cell repair, and hormone secretion) that helps your body and mind align to execute with excellence. It’s abundant in a normal, healthy brain (definitely not mine).
One study on healthy golfers showed that 200 mg of PS significantly increased good ball flights and reduced perceived stress at the tee [7].
In another study, elderly subjects who took 300 mg of PS per day performed better on memory function tests including daily events, people's names, and places visited. They even scored better on tests evaluating the difficulties in everyday life caused by memory issues [8].
I can honestly say that if it weren’t for Dopify, I may never have found this level of happiness, motivation, and meaning in life. Whereas I used to be fatigued, apathetic, and cynical, I now feel revitalized, driven, and positive.
Dopify helped me rediscover life and feel normal again. I’m sure it can help you too.
References
[1] https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/08/160831085320.htm
[2] https://press.rsna.org/timssnet/media/pressreleases/14_pr_target.cfm?ID=1989
[3] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969996103000305?via%3Dihub
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2736402
[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18973898
[6] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2828029/
[7] https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1550-2783-4-23
[8] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2828029/
[9] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2966935/
