Screens are unavoidable these days, woven deeply into the very fabric of lifestyle. From waking up to the alarm and checking your phone, to unwinding at the end of the day with a quick (hopefully) doomscroll, they dominate daily routines. And, in between, screens take up a substantial part of the day, whether at work or during the commute back home.
It does not end there either! Screens come in varying sizes. You leave your phone to switch to a tablet or a laptop, and then eventually lounge in front of the TV by dinner. The very basic framework of daily life is now defined by screens. Attempting to remove them can feel like everything may fall apart, as screens appear to hold your schedule together, akin to an emotional lifeline, no matter how overstimulated you feel.
Despite this, those short bursts of dopamine, from watching cat dance to brainrot AI-generated slop, keep you hooked. There’s a fleeting sense of relief, but it soon dissipates. And before you realise, you are sucked into a vicious cycle.
What is the fix? In conversation with Abha Singh, consultant psychologist at SRS Hospital and Sanjeevani Multispeciality Hospital, she recommended something unique called ‘dopamine fast.’ Let’s see what dopamine fast is and how it is expected to benefit you.
What is dopamine fast?
The psychologist observed in her clinical practice that many come in feeling too ‘overstimulated.’ For them, too, she suggested a dopamine fast.
“What I encourage my clients to do is giving your nervous system a chance to remember what quiet feels like. To remember that a walk, a conversation, or a slow cup of tea can actually be satisfying, without needing to compete with infinite scroll,” she added.
Doomscrolling essentially is to fill the void of the silence, but the expert strongly recommended learning to sit with stillness, even when it is uncomfortable. Doing so can gradually improve one’s relationship with their own thoughts, while also strengthening attention and focus. It is essentially about reframing how we engage with our time and attention. It shifts the focus to being present, something that becomes hard when you are constantly on the phone, exposed to the stream of notifications and reels. So being away from this short-lived dopamine is ‘dopamine fast.’
But is it possible? It may be intimidating, but Singh assured, it is doable. “Your brain is remarkably adaptive,” she reminded us about the brain’s neuroplasticity abilities.
What are the warning signs of dopamine addiction?
How can you know if you have a crippling addiction to the dopamine from social media? The psychologist shared some examples from her own clinical practice: “I look for patterns in my clients: reaching for a phone the moment discomfort arrives, inability to sit through ten minutes of boredom, a creeping sense that nothing feels quite as good as it used to.”
Who should be careful about dopamine fast?
While dopamine fast may appear to be valuable for everyone, as it is really simple, for some people who are already dealing with their psychological problems, they may need additional support.
Abha Singh explained, “If you’re navigating active depression, an eating disorder, or you rely on digital connection as your primary source of support, please don’t do this alone. A fast without clinical scaffolding can deepen distress rather than relieve it.”
Practical tips on how to do dopamine fast
Here are some practical tips the psychologist shared with us:
- Start with one hour, no tone week: Pick a screen-free morning hour and protect it like a therapy appointment.
- Don’t just remove, replace: Abstinence does not work, swap scrolling with something that requires a little effort, like journaling a walk or reading a physical book.
- Expect the discomfort window: Urge to reach for phone typically peaks between 20 and 40 minutes into a fast. Sit with it; it passes.
- Ask hard questions: Before picking up the phone out of habit, ask yourself what you are trying not to feel. Anxiety, loneliness, and boredom may be behind most of the time.
- Design environment: Willpower is important, move apps off the home screen, leave the phone in another room during meals or switch to greyscale.
- Bedtime no-screen time: Treat 60 minutes before bed as a no-phone zone.
Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.
