Quick dopamine fixes of ultra-processed food, social media, and binge watching TV shows can leave clients feeling ‘addicted’. How do we break the cycle?

“There’s something wrong with me,” she said, her eyes pleading with me to help her. “I think I must be addicted to food.”

She went on to describe eating while working, eating while watching TV, eating while driving. But instead of accepting this at surface-level, I probed deeper.

She struggled with being able to put her phone down, feeling addicted to the scroll as well. She would often binge watch shows on the TV while scrolling on her phone and eating junk food. She didn’t have any hobbies, she didn’t exercise, and she very rarely saw friends in real life. She had trouble falling asleep at night, often being on her phone for hours in bed.

I had seen this before and it wasn’t addiction, it was dopamine-seeking.

Dopamine is the brain’s reward chemical, driving motivation and pleasure. Lots of activities can give you a dopamine hit, but in more recent times I’ve seen more and more reliance on very highly stimulating activities. Things like eating ultra-processed foods, scrolling and posting on social media, and binge-watching TV cause big dopamine spikes… and then a crash that makes your clients crave another dose. This can create a vicious cycle and make them feel utterly addicted.

In fact, over time, relying on these quick dopamine hits seems to reduce the pleasure they derive from everyday activities. To get them back to a more balanced place, they need to get more dopamine from other activities. This reduces reliance on the quick hits and has the added benefit of being good for their health in other areas, too!

Here are 5 ways to cultivate ‘good’ dopamine:

1. Get moving and make it fun

Exercise increases dopamine but without the crash. It doesn’t need to be a rigid gym routine, either. Dancing, hiking, swimming, playing sport – whatever they enjoy! A little hack to make it feel even more rewarding it to pair it with something enjoyable, e.g. listening to their favourite podcast whilst going for a walk, or having a good chat with their mates when golfing. This helps their brain to pair the exercise with pleasure (not punishment), making it easier to stay consistent and get all those mood-boosting benefits.

2. Get learning

Trying something new triggers dopamine. A new recipe, an instrument, trying their hand at sketching, or just reading about a topic that’s brand new to them. These all give that sense of reward to their brain. Plus, they help to de-stress your clients and give them that much-needed self-care time.

3. Have what you want, add what you need

Food is naturally tied to dopamine, and there’s nothing inherently wrong with that. The problem comes when clients rely on ultra-processed foods for fast, intense dopamine spikes. These then lead to crashes that make them crave more. Swinging wildly up and down wreaks havoc on their mood and blood glucose levels, too.

Focusing on including foods that support a more steady dopamine release is key. No need to cut out the junk food entirely (that risks making your clients feel restricted, craving the food even more, and getting stuck in a restrict-binge cycle). Instead, pair junk food with more nourishing foods. Have the cake with yoghurt and fruit, for example. Over time, the cravings lessen and mood levels out.

4. Get social IRL

Social media has connected us more than ever, but also left us lonelier than ever. On the flip side, real life social connections create a lasting sense of belonging and emotional wellbeing.

Can your client call a friend and chat over the phone? Can they join a local group? Can they start with something really small and just say Hi to their local barista while waiting for their coffee?

Smiling, eye contact and conversation all come with dopamine boosts, and make your clients less dependent on chasing likes on social media and other forms of digital validation. Their self-worth naturally starts to build with these in-person connections.

5. Prioritise rest

I’m guilty of it myself – feeling like there aren’t enough hours in the day and that I need to be productive 24/7. But the truth is, true productivity requires recharging our batteries. Having a good wind down routine at night, reading a book before bed, deep breathing, even just stepping outside for a moment and having a little stretch – allowing rest without guilt is essential to maintaining a healthy dopamine balance, and their sanity as well.

Dopamine-seeking is natural – we don’t need to eliminate it. But if we can help our clients to redirect it to more healthy ways than eating ultra-processed foods, doom scrolling and binge-watching shows, their reliance on those quick fixes lessens over time. Plus, these small, intentional shifts, help them to build a healthier relationship with food, movement and life in general!

What about you? What are your favourite ways to get a natural dopamine hit that are also good for your overall health and wellbeing?