Ah yes, dopamine menus; the latest wellness trend to hit social media. Shockingly though, dopamine menus are actually pretty dang useful. If you haven’t heard of a dopamine menu, I’m about to shed some light on what that is and how to make one for yourself. Plus, I’ll give you tons of great (imo) inspiration for activities you can add to your dopamine menu to help you when you’re in a bad mood, overwhelmed, unmotivated, sad, or you just don’t feel like yourself.
By the end of this post, you’ll know how to make a dopa-menu, how to categorize your dopamine menu, and you’ll have plenty of inspiration to build your own.
Now get comfy and let’s get to it!
Oh, by the way! Wanna join the 30 day glow up challenge? I created this challenge to provide daily, bite-sized steps for you to glow up in 1 month. It’s totally free and easy to use. Snag it and start your glow up!
K first, what’s dopamine?
Look, I’m not a scientist. Or a doctor, or therapist, or whatever. And you’re not here to read a scientific journal.
So I’ll keep this short and sweet — dopamine is the feel-good hormone that is released in your brain when you do something enjoyable. It also plays a big role in our reward system, because obviously if something feels good then we’ll want to do it again (and again!).
For example, when you do something enjoyable — like eating French toast, watching your favorite show, having a great workout — dopamine is released in your brain.
Of course, dopamine is released when you do potentially harmful feel-good activities too, like drinking too much alcohol.
Once the dopamine is released, you naturally want to repeat whatever behavior gave you that super good feeling. That’s why dopamine is so important when it comes to habit building and decision making.
Why do we need dopamine?
I’ll put it simply, friend.
Dopamine is super important for everything from movement and memory to pleasure and motivation.
As it says on Healthdirect, “Dopamine acts on areas of the brain to give you feelings of pleasure, satisfaction and motivation. Dopamine also has a role to play in controlling memory, mood, sleep, learning, concentration, movement and other body functions.”
So yeah, the things that make you feel good do so because –ta-daaa– dopamine!
What is a dopamine menu (aka dopa-menu)?
A dopamine menu, which is often referred to as a dopa-menu, is a list of dopamine-inducing activities that you can pick and choose from anytime you need a mood boost, depending on how much time you have on your hands.
For instance, a “starter/appetizer” on a dopamine menu is an activity that doesn’t take up a ton of time or suck you in, but will still give you a hit of happy.
An “entree/mains” requires a bit more time – like going for a walk or cooking a meal.
A “side” is an activity you can do while doing a different main activity, like listening to lofi music while studying or cleaning the house.
Next up, we have dopamine “desserts.” These are activities that (like dessert) are really enjoyable and easy to over-do, but they’re best in moderation.
Finally, a lot of people include a “specials” category on their dopamine menu. These are activities that are a splurge, can only be done now and then, and might be more expensive or require more than a couple hours to do.
Keep reading to learn what my personal dopamine menu includes and get inspiration for your own.
I also share a huge list of extra ideas so you can create your own version of this, including starters, entrees, sides, desserts, and specials.
How do you make a dopamine menu?
Step 1: Make a giant list of alllll the things that make you happy.
While you can search online for tons of great activities to add to your menu, this step should be deeply personal to you.
While I love cuddling and playing with my cats, you might dislike cats so obviously, that activity wouldn’t go on your dopamine menu. (Also, you might not like cats but I know you’d like my cats. It’s physically impossible not to.)
Step 2: Categorize your list
You can put your happiness-inducers into categories that fit the “menu” format I mentioned above, or according to how much time investment each activity requires.
For example, if you don’t want to label your dopamine menu with starters/entrees/desserts/specials, you can categorize them by “under 5 minutes,” “10-30 minutes,” “1-2 hours,” etc.
Step 3: Write your final list down somewhere you can easily refer to it
Now that your list is finalized, write it out on some cute paper, make it a file on Canva, or put it as notes in your phone.
Once you’ve got your list, you can pull it out and pick an activity from it anytime you need a dopamine boost that’s not scrolling on TikTok forever and ever, amen.
My personal dopamine menu go-tos:
Starters
- Put out fresh flowers
- Get a long hug from my lobster (boyfriend)
- Cuddle or play with my cats (their choice obvi)
- Make my favorite honey cinnamon latte at home
Entrees
- Do a work out
- Stare at the ocean
- Collect seashells at the beach
- Watercolor
- Read romantasy or re-read a favorite book
- Clean the bedroom
- Bake cookies or banana bread
Sides
- Listen to Lofi music
- Sip on a coffee (hey, it’s my dopamine menu — I can have coffee on here more than once 😅)
Desserts
- Visit a bookstore and get a new book
- Spend time on Pinterest
- Check out a new coffee shop
Specials
- Go on a road trip
- Visit a new coastal town for the weekend
Those are my personal favorite ways to perk me up and create joy throughout my week.
But there are tonssss of other amazing activities you can add to your own menu. Of course, everyone reacts differently to different things!
Some of these might be a happy hit for me, but not for you. That’s okie dokie, friend. As always, take what resonates and leave the rest <3
Activities to add to your own dopamine menu
Starters
- Have a delicious, nutritious snack
- Light a delicious smelling candle
- Clean off your desk or make your bed
- Do box breathing
- Meditate for 5 minutes
- Do a red light session
- Put on your favorite confidence outfit
Entrees
- Journaling
- Read a motivational or inspiring book (I love You Are A Bada**)
- Write a letter
- Spend a few hours out in nature
- Read your favorite fiction book (Romantasy books always cheer me up!)
- Go on a walk or run
- Take an ice bath
- Visit a park
- Go on a hike
- Do your self care routine (take an “everything” shower, do your nails, do a face mask and skincare routine, etc.)
- Call a friend
- Go for a long drive and listen to the perfect playlist
- Reorganize or redecorate your space
- Take a hot bubble bath
- Have dinner or a coffee date with a friend
Sides
- Play your favorite song
- Listen to calming instrumental music or Lofi
- Sip on a cup of coffee or a matcha latte
- Listen to an uplifting podcast
Dopa-Menu Desserts
- Watch your feel-good comfort show
- Get on Pinterest and relax for a set amount of time
- Scroll on Instagram or TikTok (set a timer!)
- Play video games
- Do some light online shopping or visit a shop
Specials
- Go to the movies
- Attend a concert
- Have a shopping spree
- Get a massage
- Get a facial
- Take a vacation
- Get your nails done
Final thoughts for how to create a dopa-menu
Okay, friend, I hope you found some good ideas for how to create your own dopamine menu!
All of those activities can be great ways to perk you up and give your brain that extra little boost it needs.
What I find to be really helpful is to just write a giant list of things that make you happy, energize you, and put you in a good mood.
From there, you can organize your dopamine menu into categories if you wish, or don’t.
It’s completely up to you how you want to do it. The important thing is to have a solid list of “the little things” and the big things that bring you joy.
Then you can refer back to your list whenever you’re having a tough day, or even just because you feel like it!
Did this post help or inspire you at all? If so, I’d love if you’d take a quick moment to share it with a friend or online! Every share is much appreciated by me 🙂
Sending love and good vibes,
Sav
