#dopaminefast

So, I tried a “digital dopamine fast” because apparently, it’s the thing in 2025.

You’ve probably seen people on TikTok talking about it, turning their phones off, deleting every app, and sitting alone with nothing but their thoughts. Sounds wild, right? I thought so too, until I actually tried it.

First, What Is a Dopamine Fast?

It’s not about eliminating dopamine (you literally can’t, your brain needs it). It’s about reducing artificial dopamine spikes from constant scrolling, binge-watching, gaming, or notification-checking. Basically, all the stuff that keeps our brains buzzing like a Vegas casino.

In 2025, we’re overstimulated. And these fasts are trending because people are tired, not physically, but mentally fried.

What I Did During My Fast:

No social media

No YouTube, podcasts, or streaming

No online shopping

No phone unless it was a real call or emergency

No multitasking, just single-tasking and boredom

Instead, I went for walks. I journaled. I read an actual book (like, paper). I stared out the window. It felt weird. And then… oddly peaceful.

Here’s What Changed:

Day 1: Constantly reaching for my phone out of habit

Day 2: Felt restless, bored, and honestly a bit anxious

Day 3: Brain fog started lifting. I had deeper thoughts.

Day 4: Felt calm. Got more done. Didn’t crave entertainment

Day 5: Realized how much junk input I normally consume

I didn’t become a monk or anything. But I noticed I was more present, my attention span improved, and I actually enjoyed doing nothing, something I hadn’t felt in a while.

Why It’s Trending in 2025:

People are escaping the “infinite scroll” burnout

Mental clarity is becoming a flex

Productivity influencers are endorsing it

I've been reaping dopamine fasting benefits for years.

It started when I realized that contrast is good for me.

For example, after I hadn't seen my girlfriend for several days, seeing her felt better.

But recently, I've been experimenting with taking dopamine fasting to extremes.

Today, I'll break down how dopamine fasting changed my life and can change yours.

I also made a video to help you remember these principles fast. (Combining text-based and auditory information helps retention.) Here it is:

What is dopamine?

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter linked to motivation.

When we experience pleasure, our neurons release dopamine.

This is how neuro-associative conditioning happens: we associate pleasure with that experience.

And we want this experience more in the future.

Dopamine fasting benefits

Our bodies release too much dopamine today.

This overstimulation comes from social media, technology, sex, food, and so on.

And it causes symptoms such as addiction, lack of motivation, and brain fog.

Dopamine fasting is about reducing the amount of stimulation, hence the amount of dopamine.

And when we do so, it helps reduce all these bad symptoms.

The idea is that by getting less dopamine, we increase the amount of dopamine receptors in our brain.

And then, we need less stimulation to feel pleasure.

Even simple activities start to feel great.

Mild dopamine fasting: things I avoid

Every day, I do a mild version of dopamine fasting.

The first part is reducing or eliminating pleasurable activities:

No sleeping in

Waking up and deciding to stay in bed feels great.

But after you start a day with this huge stimulation, the entire day is a challenge.

It's like you experience the peak state in the morning.

And then everything during the day feels boring in comparison to it.

It seems boring.

But I don't sleep in.

Yeah, I lose that huge stimulation.

But then the rest of the day isn't boring anymore.

It's exciting.

No distractions

Distractions feel great, especially when tackling difficult tasks.

It's a pleasurable escape from your challenges.

But when you go back to work, it feels boring.

So, I stopped all distractions.

And I feel better about my work now.

That's because my level of pleasure is stable.

I don't use distractions to create those peaks that make it difficult to return to work.

No food until dinner

I've been eating one meal a day (OMAD) for the last four months.

I don't have breakfast or lunch—just dinner.

Here's why it works so well for me.

When I used to eat breakfast or lunch, I'd feel great after them.

That was a spike of dopamine.

But then, I'd return to what I was doing and it would feel boring.

So, now I skip those two meals.

And my mood is a flatline.

There are no peaks caused by meals.

And no troughs caused by returning to less pleasurable activities such as work.

What I also like is that having one big dinner after 22 hours of fasting feels fantastic.

Weekend fasting

On Saturday I don’t eat at all.

And I also deny myself of all possible pleasurable activities, such as engaging with content.

So Saturdays are quite difficult.

But when I go to my normal life on Sunday, it’s fantastic.

Benefit 1: Better concentration

I concentrate better and think more clearly with dopamine fasting.

Distractions such as thoughts of pleasurable activities lose their grip on me.

When I used to allow myself to get distracted, I couldn't accomplish anything.

But now that I concentrate better, I gain momentum and go into flow.

Benefit 2: More motivation

With dopamine fasting, I find it easier to do what I need to do.

It's like it positively rechannels my motivation.

Say, previously, 50% of my motivation went into wanting pleasurable activities.

And the other 50% went into wanting to accomplish high-priority tasks.

But after dopamine fasting, it's like 30% vs 70%, respectively.

Benefit 3: Enjoying pleasurable activities more

We artificially create scarcity with fasting.

And when it’s over we enjoy that thing more.

Take for example my one meal a day – it feels so great!

Benefit 4: Hedonic adaptation

Dopamine fasting makes hedonic adaptation possible.

It's all about finding pleasure in something less pleasurable than what we used to have.

For example, I used to have a sweet tooth and wanted to stop the addiction.

First, I replaced sweets with cheese sandwiches.

And then I replaced cheese sandwiches with broccoli.

Now that I rewired my taste receptors, broccoli tastes as good as sweets to me.

We adjust to those circumstances, good or bad, and feel just as happy or sad as we did before.

Benefit 5: Exercising willpower

I deny myself of many things on a dopamine fasting day.

It's difficult and requires willpower.

It's like building muscle with exercise: the more I fast, the stronger my willpower is.

And exercising willpower is a pleasure in itself.