ADHD and Dopamine: Why Quick Fixes Make You Feel Worse
You pick up your phone because you're bored or just a little uncomfortable, and for a second, it works. Then you put it down and feel worse than before you picked it up. If that loop is familiar, this episode is going to explain exactly what's happening in your brain and why it matters for your ADHD.
ADHD and dopamine are connected in a way most people oversimplify. Yes, dopamine deficiency is a real part of the ADHD experience. And yes, that's part of why scrolling, spending, caffeine, and risky behavior feel so magnetic in the moment. But the relationship between ADHD and dopamine is more complicated than just "low dopamine, seek dopamine," and chasing quick hits is making most of us feel worse over time, not better.
Jenna gets into the neuroscience of what's really happening when you reach for a dopamine hit, why your brain is wired to crash lower after a high, and what that crash has to do with ADHD survival mode. She also introduces two different frameworks for thinking about happiness and fulfillment, hedonia versus eudaimonia, and makes a pretty convincing case for why the pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance of pain is a path to feeling emptier, not fuller.
Here's what we cover:
What dopamine is, what it does in the body, and why people with ADHD produce less of it
Why repeated dopamine hits from scrolling, spending, or substance use leave you worse off than when you started, not better
How ADHD survival mode shortens your time horizon so that all you can see is the next hour, and why that makes low dopamine symptoms ADHD even harder to get out of
The difference between hedonia (pleasure-seeking, pain-avoidance) and eudaimonia (meaning, purpose, flourishing), and how each affects your dopamine over time
How to naturally boost dopamine through growth, learning, and accomplishment rather than quick hits
Why Jenna's lowest moods have always coincided with periods where nothing in her life was growing, and what she did about it
What it looks like to build a dopamine foundation over time instead of riding the hit-and-crash cycle
This one is for you if you've noticed that the things that used to feel good are starting to feel like nothing, you're spending more time trying to entertain yourself and feeling less satisfied, and you're starting to wonder whether there's a better way to feel good that doesn't involve your phone.
"When you are growing in something at all times, you are going to find you are much happier, fulfilled, and enjoying life."
Grab Jenna's free The ADHD Regulation Guide to start understanding how nervous system regulation connects to the dopamine patterns Jenna covers in this episode.
If you're a clinician working with ADHD clients, Jenna's ADHD Regulation Method certification is now open for the waitlist.
And Jenna's book, The Simple Guide to ADHD Regulation, is available wherever books are sold. Check your local library too, since they have it.
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More about ADHD with Jenna Free
ADHD with Jenna Free is a podcast for adults with ADHD who are done surviving their symptoms and ready to start thriving with ADHD without the endless tips, hacks, and workarounds that have never really fixed anything.
Hosted by Jenna Free, a Canadian Certified Counselor (CCC) and ADHD therapist, this show exists to give you a completely different way of understanding ADHD in adults and the signs of ADHD in women. Because the reason you're stuck, overwhelmed, and exhausted isn't a lack of willpower, it's that your brain is running in fight or flight. And once you understand that, everything changes.
This podcast covers the full experience of living with adult ADHD: the real science behind procrastination in ADHD and ADHD task paralysis, ADHD executive functioning strategies that work, why ADHD and perimenopause collide in ways no one talks about, and the honest, solution-focused conversations that most ADHD podcasts aren't having. Jenna also shares her own story, what it looks like to go from chronically dysregulated to genuinely thriving, so you can see that this is possible for you.
This show gives women with ADHD, and anyone who has ever wondered whether ADHD can be diagnosed in adulthood, a path forward that isn't about coping harder, but healing.
I’ll answer questions like:
Do I have ADHD?
What is ADHD task paralysis, and how do I get unstuck?
Why is my ADHD getting worse in my 40s?
What does ADHD and perimenopause do to your brain?
How do I manage ADHD emotional dysregulation without medication alone?
Why do I procrastinate so much with ADHD?
Why don't ADHD tips and tricks ever work long-term?
What does it look like to thrive with ADHD
Can you heal ADHD symptoms without just white-knuckling through life?
What does nervous system regulation have to do with ADHD?
How do I stop feeling overwhelmed with ADHD?
If you're an adult with ADHD who's tired of the commiseration and ready for a show that believes your life can look completely different, you're in the right place.
The unedited transcript for this episode of ADHD with Jenna
Dopamine and ADHD
[00:00:06] Hello, and welcome to the ADHD with Jenna Free podcast. [00:00:09] Today we are talking about something that's probably of interest to you. [00:00:13] Dopamine adhd, and tying in a bigger picture conversation about happiness, contentment, fulfillment, and how that all fits together. [00:00:22] So I'm going to start by diving right into what is dopamine? [00:00:26] Dopamine is a chemical messenger or neurotransmitter that works in the brain. [00:00:30] It helps nerve cells send messages to each other. [00:00:33] It plays a crucial role in various bodily functions, including mood, motivation, attention, movement, and learning. [00:00:40] It's also called the feel good hormone because it contributes to pleasure and reward, but it's also involved in things like memory, behavior, and cognition.
How Dopamine Impacts the ADHD Brain
[00:00:48] Research does suggest that people with ADHD may produce less dopamine than those without adhd. [00:00:55] So it is something that's tied into the ADHD experience. [00:00:59] If we are producing less dopamine, and we know it's crucial in a lot of our bodily functions like mood and motivation, attention and things like that, then that's part of our struggle. [00:01:09] So many ADHD medications, like stimulants work by increasing dopamine levels in the brain, which can improve focus, attention and reduce impulsivity. [00:01:18] So that's one of the elements of why meds work for some people. [00:01:22] But I think it's also important to note while dopamine deficiency is a significant factor in the ADHD experience, ADHD is a complex condition with multiple contributing factors, including genetics, brain structure, and environmental influences. [00:01:37] So the reason I bring that up is because that's not our only issue. [00:01:40] Right.
[00:01:40] I think a lot of people think, oh, I just don't have enough dopamine. [00:01:43] So that's why I. [00:01:44] I do things that are impulsive. [00:01:45] That's why I scroll so much. [00:01:47] That's why I drink so much caffeine. [00:01:49] That's why I thrift. [00:01:52] That's me. [00:01:53] That's why I, you know, do risky stuff.
The Complexity of Dopamine Seeking
[00:01:58] It's much more complicated than just that. [00:02:00] But the dopamine is a part of our experience, and lack of dopamine is a part of our struggle. [00:02:07] Right. [00:02:08] So we're trying to figure out how do we deal with this effectively without falling into the idea that, well, that's just how it is. [00:02:16] So I have to seek these quick hits of dopamine, typically through things that do not serve me in the long run. [00:02:22] And that's just how it is, because in the end, we typically don't feel great when we take that approach. [00:02:30] So especially when we tie this conversation into the regulation conversation, how does it all connect? [00:02:37] So I am going to start by kind of asking the question, why is seeking hits of dopamine unhelpful? [00:02:45] So, so things like scrolling, spending, substance use, you know, risky behavior, those things that give you that rush, that kind of immediate dopamine hit, but then it falls after. [00:03:00] Well, the reason it's not helpful is because repeated dopamine hits can lead to a feeling worse after.
[00:03:06] So you're worse off than you started. [00:03:08] While dopamine initially provides pleasure. [00:03:11] Right, which is that instant hit we're looking for, which is why when you pick up that phone, it feels better. [00:03:19] The brain is wired to restore balance. [00:03:22] So the brain wants to find homeostasis, meaning it doesn't want to be excited all the time, it doesn't want to be low all the time, it wants to find that balance. [00:03:31] But if we are always getting those hits of dopamine through the phone or through substance use, things like that, your brain, brain is then going to try to counteract that, you know, that high or that big rush of dopamine by kind of going lower than it was before. [00:03:49] So you have this bit of come down or a crash or feeling worse, mood wise, energy wise, motivation wise after than you were before. [00:03:59] So that is why it's not just unhelpful because like, oh, I've been scrolling for an hour and I was wasting time.
The Downward Cycle of Survival Mode
[00:04:06] We're actually worse off chemically and biologically after than we were before we got that hit. [00:04:14] And that is kind of the definition of survival mode. [00:04:18] Right? [00:04:18] And that's what we talk about with regulation and dysregulation. [00:04:20] When we're in survival mode, we will tend to be quite shortsighted. [00:04:26] We do not have a zoomed out approach. [00:04:29] We're really seeing things very close up. [00:04:31] And all I know is, is I'm uncomfortable right now. [00:04:34] Whether that be from low dopamine or dysregulation, all very intertwined.
[00:04:39] But all I know is that scrolling in this second will provide some relief. [00:04:43] It'll provide a nice feeling. [00:04:45] And it's hard to tap into the realization or the awareness that, well, in an hour from now, I'm going to feel even shittier than I do now. [00:04:52] Right? [00:04:53] Because we're just trying to survive. [00:04:54] And that's the real, you know, quote unquote dangerous part of survival mode is we do tend to make things worse and worse and worse and worse of no, you know, really fault of our own. [00:05:06] Yes, we're making these decisions, but not with our conscious, logical mind. [00:05:10] We're making these decisions with our survival mind, our animalistic mind, quite frankly, trying to just get through the day. [00:05:18] I'm just trying to survive.
[00:05:19] And I'm seeking comfort to do that. [00:05:22] You know, I'm seeking a feel good feeling to do that to get through the day. [00:05:26] But, you know, a month later you may find, well, now that's not doing it right. [00:05:31] This is how substance use becomes an issue, right? [00:05:34] Because it's like, oh, one glass of wine after work helped me feel better, but now I need more than that because I feel worse after. [00:05:41] And so I need more to, you know, that's a separate conversation, but that is a part of this whole puzzle. [00:05:48] So this can create a cycle where we seek more dopamine to feel good, potentially leading to addiction, like I mentioned, and reduced enjoyment of previously pleasurable activities, which. [00:06:01] It also lends itself to the, you know, theory of relativity. [00:06:06] It's like, well, that used to bring me joy, but now that's kind of blase, like old news.
The Impact of Habituation
[00:06:12] Now I need more. [00:06:13] I need more excitement. [00:06:14] More excitement. [00:06:15] So when you start doing something, a lot is also called habituation. [00:06:20] So we, we see this with food, if it's like, wow, you know, I have cake once in a while and it's amazing. [00:06:27] I love this cake from this bakery. [00:06:30] You know, it's three hours away, so I only get it once in a while. [00:06:33] And it's so exciting when I get that cake.
[00:06:35] And I love it and it's so special. [00:06:37] But if you were like, oh, wow, they set up a thing where you can order that cake every single day to your house and you eat it every single day. [00:06:44] Kind of like it's just cake. [00:06:46] Which is actually. [00:06:47] That works in our favor when we're working on our relationship with food because we don't want foods to be, like, so powerful over us. [00:06:56] But I digress. [00:06:57] That is what can happen as well. [00:06:59] With scrolling, for example, Maybe at first, like, oh, wow, going on a little bit really gave me this good feeling.
[00:07:06] But now it's like I'm going on longer and longer and more and more and more. [00:07:09] Or Now I'm on 2x speed. [00:07:10] I can't even watch it at normal speed. [00:07:12] You can kind of see how things start to get elevated or, you know, kind of out of control at times, especially with substance use or even experiences. [00:07:22] Right? [00:07:23] This happens with everything. [00:07:24] I think my. [00:07:25] My parents are a really good example. [00:07:26] Like, my dad grew up, like, with not much, six brothers and sisters, you know, in a small town in Alberta.
[00:07:33] And he went somewhere on his first holiday where it's like, wow, it's so amazing. [00:07:37] You know, you're in a motel the next province over, and it's like, wow, this is so awesome. [00:07:42] And then as he's gotten through, gone through life and become more successful and moved out of that small town and everything, it's like now he's been to New Zealand and all these places and it's kind of like, oh, that's cool. [00:07:54] Wow. [00:07:55] The habituation, the normalization of things can happen very quickly. [00:07:59] And you probably have seen that for yourself, too. [00:08:02] Of the things that used to bring me excitement and joy and kind of that, oh, yeah, I'm excited. [00:08:08] Eh, Think of when we were kids, how excited.
[00:08:10] Or if you have kids, how excited they are about the smallest, sweetest things. [00:08:14] And now as an adult, it's like, I need so much to get excited about something. [00:08:19] So we really want to observe. [00:08:21] Wow. [00:08:21] When I go to those hits, it's going to require more and more and more for me to feel good and to have that dopamine experience. [00:08:29] So we want to keep an eye on it. [00:08:30] Am I heading down that road where I'm just looking for the quick hit? [00:08:35] I'm not thinking about the future. [00:08:37] I'm not thinking if I have actually feeling worse after.
The Pursuit of Pleasure vs. True Happiness
[00:08:40] And we want to keep our eyes open for that. [00:08:44] So what this is is essentially the pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance of pain. [00:08:50] Because when we are picking up the phone, right, it's soothing that discomfort, it's soothing the low mood, it's soothing the dysregulation, and it's upping that pleasure pleasurable neurotransmitter dopamine. [00:09:03] And so it's like, oh, that feels good. [00:09:06] But a really good conversation we need to have about this because, yes, the dopamine thing is real with adhd, but we would want to pigeonhole ourselves into thinking, well, I just need quick fixes and hits of dopamine because I really want you. [00:09:20] Before I get into this next part, I really want to ask you, like, are you fulfilled? [00:09:25] Are you satisfied? [00:09:26] Are you feeling content in life? [00:09:28] Do you feel, you know, this robust? [00:09:29] Like, wow, I really feel good about myself. [00:09:31] And I'm feeling fulfilled is just a great word for it. [00:09:34] I'm feeling fulfilled.
[00:09:35] Like life is feeling is filling my cup and I'm not itching to get that next hit. [00:09:40] Like, are you feeling good at the end of the day if you're in survival mode? [00:09:44] Probably not. [00:09:45] Probably not. [00:09:47] But we can also look at how much am I entertaining myself, right? [00:09:54] How much of the day am I, you know, kind of quote unquote, trying to make Myself happy, like with spending, with scrolling with caffeine. [00:10:04] So we don't want to pigeonhole ourselves into this idea that it's like, oh, I'm a person who can't control myself and I only need quick hits of dopamine. [00:10:12] That's just how I live my life. [00:10:13] Because if it is not satisfying you and you're not happy, in the end, what is the point of all those hours we're spending entertaining ourselves? [00:10:20] And I saw an article recently, I didn't even read it because the title was enough and the title was we are Entertaining Ourselves to Death. [00:10:27] And I was like, that's actually so good, I didn't even need to read it.
[00:10:30] I'm like, I know exactly what you mean. [00:10:32] And it really is true. [00:10:34] It's like, wow, I can't just be, you know, with my kids, I have to have a podcast in my ear. [00:10:40] I can't just, you know, walk to town and grab a coffee. [00:10:45] I have to, like, be listening to something or watching something in my phone as I walk. [00:10:50] I can't, you know, sit and wait five minutes for the meeting to start. [00:10:54] I'm on TikTok. [00:10:56] It's like, okay, we have so much entertainment.
Hedonia vs. Eudaimonia: Pleasure Versus Purpose
[00:10:59] We are so entertained, never bored. [00:11:04] But let's look at the big picture. [00:11:06] Zoom out. [00:11:06] Is that making us happy? [00:11:08] Are you feeling content at the end of the day when you. [00:11:11] When we fill every single spare second with a dopamine hit, typically not. [00:11:18] So hedonia, which is the pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance of pain, is kind of more that dopamine hit, quick fix, short term boost that we're looking for. [00:11:29] But that contrasts with what we kind of want to focus on a little bit more, which is eudaimonia, which actually one of my group coaching clients put me towards that word when we were talking about this concept. [00:11:42] And that focuses on meaning, purpose and flourishing.
[00:11:46] So another word that's kind of similar to that would be ikigai. [00:11:50] That's a Japanese word, I believe, for like your purpose. [00:11:53] Your meaning, like, wow, I wake up every morning with a purpose. [00:11:58] Not entertainment, not quick hits. [00:12:01] Right? [00:12:01] That's a very 21st century North American thing. [00:12:06] Just entertain me at all times. [00:12:07] I never want to be uncomfortable aboard. [00:12:09] But then we missed, like, oh, but what's meaningful to me, what's purposeful to me, what's fulfilling to me? [00:12:15] What is the dopamine, the feel good feelings? [00:12:18] Because I'm not saying we have to abandon dopamine and never feel good and like, not have those beautiful chemicals, but are we doing it In a way that's actually making us kind of go downwards all the time.
Natural, Healthy Dopamine and Growth
[00:12:30] Like, I'm feeling worse and worse and worse month by month, or are we going upwards? [00:12:33] Like, wow, I'm feeling better and better over time. [00:12:37] Of course, when we zoom out, we want to see some sort of growth, even if it's slow versus quick hit, quick hit, quick hit. [00:12:45] But then overall, I'm actually feeling worse over time. [00:12:50] If we're looking at Eudaimonia and focusing on meaning, purpose and flourishing, what does that look like when it comes to dopamine? [00:12:59] So there are healthier ways to naturally boost dopamine levels, which, which include engaging activities that promote enjoyment and relaxation, like exercise, that obviously gets chemicals and things biologically happening in your body that can make you feel good. [00:13:17] Meditation, spending time in nature, spending time with people in connection. [00:13:23] Right. [00:13:23] That can give us dopamine, but in a healthier, more prolonged way. [00:13:28] With health, hedonia or kind of those dopamine hits.
[00:13:31] If you saw that on a graph, it would be like the line goes up straight, but then it goes down and actually lands lower than you started. [00:13:40] Eudaimonia is like a very slow line up. [00:13:44] So much more of a lighter slope and goes up. [00:13:47] But then when it goes down, it doesn't go lower than you started. [00:13:51] In fact, it might end up like higher. [00:13:52] Like, wow, I feel better after that. [00:13:54] Complete, completely. [00:13:55] Like, it's kind of set me on an upward trajectory instead of making me feel worse after additionally focusing on tasks that lead to a sense of accomplishment, which this is huge for ADHDers.
The Role of Growth and Accomplishment
[00:14:08] If you find, I'm kind of digressing here, but if you find you're an adhder who's getting the quick hits, you're really focusing on the quick hits of dopamine. [00:14:16] That's what's kind of making you happy in the moment. [00:14:19] I really want you to start switching at least your internal dialogue of what dopamine means and as an adhder, how you want to plan to pursue that. [00:14:29] Because when you can go to more the Eudaimonia route, the meaning and purpose route of dopamine, you are going to find you are much happier, fulfilled and enjoying life. [00:14:43] When you are growing in something at all times, it could be a hobby, you know, you're getting better at knitting. [00:14:51] It could be, you know, you're taking a course in parenting and you're practicing the skills and you're seeing benefits in your children. [00:14:58] Yeah. [00:14:59] It doesn't have to be like, oh, at work I'm always hustling and Getting a promotion, Nothing like that.
[00:15:04] It could be training for a marathon. [00:15:06] It could be. [00:15:07] My friend I was just catching up with the other day over text and she's like, oh yeah, I ran a marathon in March. [00:15:12] I said, what? [00:15:13] Like she's not the type of person I thought would run a marathon. [00:15:16] She's like, yeah. [00:15:16] I was like, that's insane. [00:15:18] She's like, well, I gotta do insane things to stay stay sane. [00:15:21] She's a single mom and everything.
[00:15:22] And I'm like, that's a perfect example of that longer term meaning purpose, feeling good over time type of dopamine. [00:15:31] Of course I'm sure there was a lot of pain and suffering and struggle in that pursuit, but overall I'm sure she felt amazing after that marathon. [00:15:40] And you do not have to go run a marathon. [00:15:42] I will never run a marathon. [00:15:43] I can barely run down the block. [00:15:45] So that's not happening. [00:15:46] But you want might want to think, wow, do I have any growth occurring in my life right now? [00:15:53] My lowest moods, my quote unquote, at the time I saw as depression, but I'm pretty sure it was just really low crashing of dopamine and dysregulation. [00:16:05] But my lowest times in life have always been when I really don't have anything going on, meaning nothing.
[00:16:11] Where I am growing and pursuing something. [00:16:15] It's kind of like every day's the same. [00:16:17] I'm just in survival mode, just getting through the day. [00:16:20] Nothing's really happening. [00:16:21] There's no progress in life in any way, shape or form. [00:16:25] That is when I've had really low times and it's like I've had to work hard to get out of that. [00:16:30] But now with my regulation awareness, that would have been a different experience. [00:16:35] So I really want you to think about growth in your life and really be flexible with that thinking.
[00:16:43] It doesn't have to be in any sort of intense way. [00:16:47] It doesn't. [00:16:48] Definitely doesn't have to be work related, isn't it doesn't have to be monetary. [00:16:51] It can be, right. [00:16:52] As an entrepreneur, I have found that's a huge source of dopamine for me. [00:16:56] Yeah, it's a slog. [00:16:58] It is hard. [00:16:59] You got a lot of stress with it.
[00:17:01] It's definitely not a hit of dopamine. [00:17:03] It is like I'm going to walk through the mud and get to this place and feel like I've really achieved something. [00:17:12] Right. [00:17:13] That's the kind of dopamine we want to go for because that's what's going to have you feeling better a year from now instead of feeling worse every year as time goes on. [00:17:24] So please send me a DM on Instagram or TikTok or comment on the podcast or email me. [00:17:32] I really want to hear what kind of growth do you think you're going to be working on to shift your idea of dopamine from hits of dopamine to a more journey of dopamine, if you will? [00:17:46] Like, I want to work on something a little bit more long term to feel good. [00:17:52] I have found this with sewing. [00:17:53] It's something, you know, I haven't gotten back into it in quite a while, but that feels really good.
[00:17:58] Is it like a thrill? [00:17:59] It's definitely not giving me a hit of dopamine, but my goodness, when I sew something, if you're watching the video, I made this pencil case. [00:18:05] This is like the best thing I ever made. [00:18:06] I use it every single day. [00:18:08] And I always see it and like, it feels good. [00:18:10] Right? [00:18:11] When we're accomplishing something, learning something, we feel good even when it's hard. [00:18:16] And that is where, when we look back at the dopamine conversation and that hedonia version of it, like the quick hit, and I feel like, worse afterwards. [00:18:27] That's the pursuit of pleasure and avoidance of pain. [00:18:30] When we're avoiding pain at all costs, you're probably going to be quite dissatisfied with life.
Fulfillment, Struggle, and Meaning
[00:18:34] You are probably not going to have much meaning or purpose or feel very fulfilled because fulfillment tends to come from getting through the hard stuff. [00:18:43] And I saw a really lovely quote recently on TikTok. [00:18:46] I think I really am working on my relationship with TikTok and not scrolling, but it was a nice quote. [00:18:52] It said something like, how lucky am I to be struggling in a pursuit I chose or, like, be struggling with a hardship that I chose? [00:19:02] And like, that's so nice. [00:19:03] It's like my friend with the marathon, me with my business and my entrepreneurship journey, me with my sewing. [00:19:09] Like, lots of things go wrong, but it's like, wow, there's. [00:19:13] There's pain there and frustration and difficulty, but when you overcome it, my goodness, you feel good. [00:19:19] And that is how we build, kind of almost like building a foundation of dopamine, if you will.
[00:19:25] Like, wow, I feel good and fulfilled. [00:19:28] And that's becoming my homeostasis, my balance. [00:19:32] Instead of. [00:19:34] I keep getting hits of dopamine and then my homeostasis brings me down, right? [00:19:39] That brain's trying to find balance to get out of that high. [00:19:42] And now it's pulling me lower and lower and lower. [00:19:46] We want to work on dopamine. [00:19:47] That's building over time and making us feel better and better and better. [00:19:52] And that really, I have really found that to be the case.
[00:19:55] If I continue growing in something, I continue to feel better and better and better. [00:20:00] Do we have hard times? [00:20:01] Yes. [00:20:02] Right now I'm also learning tennis, but I'm loving it. [00:20:05] But it's, like, painful. [00:20:06] It's so hard. [00:20:07] It's really hard. [00:20:08] And all I see is how much I still don't know how much I still, you know, am doing very poorly. [00:20:15] But my goodness, you feel good after because it's like, wow, I'm trying something difficult.
Survival Mode, Zoomed-In Thinking, and True Contentment
[00:20:19] So when you are in survival mode, naturally, biologically, you are going to pursue pleasure and avoidance of pain. [00:20:29] That is not the answer. [00:20:31] That is not the answer to happiness. [00:20:32] That is not the answer to feeling good. [00:20:34] That is not the answer to fulfillment. [00:20:36] But it's what we're going to do when we're in survival mode. [00:20:38] So I'm not here to shame or blame at all because there's never room for that in regulation work. [00:20:43] But I do want you to come out of this conversation thinking differently about dopamine.
Zooming Out for Perspective and Happiness
[00:20:49] Okay, one last little tidbit. [00:20:51] I will say, when we are zoomed in and dysregulated, when you are in survival mode, your brain is zoomed in, meaning, all I can see is this hour. [00:21:03] All I can see is how good that that TikTok will feel right now. [00:21:08] It's like a drug. [00:21:08] It really is. [00:21:09] Or how good that I'm going to go shopping right now instead of, you know, doing the work I was planning because that's gonna make me feel good. [00:21:17] But then later you feel so guilty because you didn't need the stuff and you didn't have even have that money to spend. [00:21:21] And now we're feeling worse than when we started.
[00:21:24] But the zoomed in brain, which when we are dysregulated, your brain is naturally zoomed in. [00:21:29] It loses perspective. [00:21:30] Time horizon shortens. [00:21:32] All I can see is kind of like the next hour, the next few hours. [00:21:35] I'm not connecting with the reality that, like, how am I going to feel about this tomorrow when we are more zoomed out? [00:21:43] Which at this point you might just want to do that more intentionally. [00:21:47] Like, oh, I see. [00:21:48] I'm really zoomed in here and just focused on this afternoon. [00:21:51] So what we want to do is zoom out.
[00:21:52] Kind of like a mental exercise. [00:21:55] If I zoom out and think, okay, let me look at what I'm doing, is the way I'm pursuing dopamine making me happy overall. [00:22:03] And honestly, if it Is I don't care what you're doing. [00:22:05] If you are happy, you are content, you are feeling good about your life and you are enjoying this journey. [00:22:11] Carry on. [00:22:12] There's no this is right and this is wrong and you're bad if you scroll and if that makes you happy, you are a bad person. [00:22:18] No, this is simply looking at, is your life working for you? [00:22:22] Are you fulfilled, happy and content? [00:22:25] And if not, are you okay with that? [00:22:28] Right? [00:22:29] And if you are not okay with that and you're like, wow, I really want more fulfillment and true happiness in my life. [00:22:36] Not that you're gonna be happy all the time, right? [00:22:38] Because when we look at the eudaimonia angle, that includes pain, that includes difficulty.
[00:22:45] So this is not about joy and rainbows and sunshine all the time. [00:22:49] But wow, at the end of the day, do I feel like, oh, cool, you know, I feel good about that day. [00:22:55] I feel fulfilled and content right now. [00:22:58] That's a really beautiful thing to start looking for. [00:23:01] But we need to zoom out in order to see that because otherwise we're so zoomed in, we lose perspective and all we see is the instant relief. [00:23:10] And that's normal. [00:23:11] So if you're like, okay, I get it, I'm understanding it. [00:23:14] I've been wanting that shift for a long time.
Regulation as the Key to Breaking the Cycle
[00:23:17] I would like to be more big picture. [00:23:18] I would like to have my dopamine come from working towards challenging things and long term goals. [00:23:23] It's just not freaking possible right now. [00:23:26] I'm just getting by the scrolling is helping me, Jenna, so shut the hell up. [00:23:31] I get that. [00:23:32] I get that. [00:23:33] And if this conversation has spoken to you, I would love you to consider that perhaps regulation is the key. [00:23:41] Right? [00:23:41] Because if you're in survival mode, I get that this feels inaccessible.
[00:23:45] I get that all you have the bandwidth for is that quick hit, that relief just so you don't feel so uncomfortable. [00:23:53] But if you want that to change, we need to get out of survival mode. [00:23:57] And of course I would love you to grab the free guide if you would like. [00:24:01] It is new and improved. [00:24:03] It shares more about the three types of regulation, which I hadn't pinpointed before. [00:24:08] I just found a much better way to explain this work and the ADHD reset. [00:24:13] So be sure to grab the free guide in the show notes as well as the ADHD Reset group coaching program. [00:24:20] I am changing that up a little bit, mostly just in, you know, the name is still ADHD groups.
[00:24:27] Same function as before, getting a little bit more dialed in. [00:24:31] It is now called the ADHD Reset group coaching program, so be sure to check that out. [00:24:37] I'll put the information of that in the show notes as well. [00:24:39] I will be doing a little bit of a pre sale for the next round. [00:24:45] I've had so many people every day since the last round close saying is it too late, Is it too late? [00:24:50] Is it too late? [00:24:51] So I know there's lots of people ready to go. [00:24:53] So what's really cool is this pre sale will be the week of June 9th, so I'll be opening the doors just for five days. [00:24:59] And if you join then instead of waiting till the actual program opens end of July, you will also get a course that I'll have. [00:25:09] It is a pre recorded course, which I know is not always perfect for us, but it'll be very succinct, very quick and very interesting.
[00:25:15] I think about how do I set up, you know, my tools that I'm using, my home, my environment and the physical stuff before you start the reset and the work to get regulated because we need to look at our environment and our tools and kind of more tangible stuff in a regulated way. [00:25:33] And it is a unique perspective of tackling that sort of stuff when we look at it through a regulation lens. [00:25:39] So you get a free little course before we start the program if you join the week of June 9th. [00:25:46] So I'm really excited for that. [00:25:47] I've never done that before, but the course is really coming together and it's pretty fun and very like made for the ADHD brain. [00:25:53] So it's quick, to the point, visual, not to worry. [00:25:55] It's I'm not going to drone on and on. [00:25:57] Maybe sometimes on the podcast I do, but hopefully you're finding it all helpful.
Outro & Final Thoughts
[00:26:02] So please rate and review follow along on the podcast. [00:26:06] It really helps a lot. [00:26:07] Share with a friend if someone's been talking about, you know, their phone addiction about dopamine, send this along. [00:26:13] It's a bit of a different perspective and I think it's really going to help our own vision of what does dopamine, meaning what does having low dopamine, mean? [00:26:22] And how can I pursue dopamine and feel good feelings in a way that's going to actually help me in the long run? [00:26:30] So thank you so much and we'll see you next week.