dopamine.

Why does everything feel like too much and not enough at the same time?

Ever feel like your brain is glitching?

Like, we know there’s sunshine outside.
Andrew Huberman told us it’s good.
Our moms have been telling us to do surya namaskar since forever. And sure, it does feel good when we do it.
But do we actually do it? Every day? Nah.
We’ll scroll through 27 reels on mindfulness before we actually move.

Like me, working from home.
Even though I know that going out helps.
Even though sunlight is free.
Even though moving my body feels amazing after.

But it’s hard to do the hard thing.
Even if we know it’ll be worth it.

Why not?
Where’s the motivation? Where’s the spark?
Why is it easier to open five apps than the front door?

Maybe it’s not us.
Maybe it’s our dopamine.

What Even Is Dopamine?

Ever open your phone for “just a minute”… and suddenly it’s tomorrow?

Dopamine isn’t pleasure. It’s the pursuit of pleasure.
It’s not “yay, I’m happy.”
It’s “ooh, that felt good. Let’s do it again.”

Find food? Dopamine hit.
Get a like on your post? Dopamine hit.
Win a level on a game? Scroll to the next? Buy a thing? Think someone texted you? Dopamine, dopamine, dopamine.

And that’s not a bad thing.
Dopamine was supposed to keep us alive.
But now? It keeps us online.

When Did Life Become One Long Notification Ping?

We get a new follower. Feels nice.
10 mins later? We’re checking again.
Cat videos, doomscrolling, ASMR, “what I eat in a day,” unboxing, crying influencers, oddly satisfying soap-cutting…

It’s not just social media.
It’s our group chat.
It’s food delivery apps.
It’s the background noise of “more.”

Welcome to the Dopamine Loop

It’s not just about hits.
It’s about the cycle:

Want > Get > Enjoy > Crave again > Repeat faster > Burn out > Feel meh > Chase again

And repeat. And repeat. And repeat.
Until the things that once excited us now feel… meh.
So we chase more. Again.

This isn’t just theory. This is our day.

Some Fun Facts That Aren’t Fun at All:

We can get a dopamine hit from checking if we got a message, even if we didn’t get one.
Multitasking reduces dopamine efficiency. So yes, we’re tired for a reason.
Our brain can’t tell the difference between a real reward and a digital one.

The Yoga Loop (My Real Life Example)

The most boring yoga session of my life was my first one.
I hated every second.
No music, no fast cuts, no dopamine.

Just me… breathing? Stretching? Ugh.
And I kept looking at the clock.

But I kept going.
Session two, three, four.
And suddenly, I started to like it.

I wasn’t entertained. I was present.
That was new.

Turns out, boring things aren’t bad.
They’re grounding. They bring you back.
Because when you’re overstimulated, you stop noticing.

So next time, when you’re stuck in the scroll

Just remember:
A cat will chase a red laser dot for 45 minutes…
Even if it never catches anything.

Are you… the cat?

Or are you finally putting the laser pointer down?