From Dopamine Dumpster to Dopamine Delight: A 24-Hour Reality Check

By Vikki – the woman who finally realised half her “self-care” was actually self-sabotage.

Why I Started Thinking About Dopamine

I’ve been asking myself something lately: where the hell are people getting their dopamine from anymore?

Everyone’s glued to their phones, drinking too much, eating rubbish, smoking, scrolling, numbing, escaping. It’s like nobody knows how to feel good naturally anymore.

So I decided to study my own day… honestly. Brutally honestly.

My Dopamine Dumpster Day 🗑️

6am: Doomscrolling & Coffee

• Alarm goes off.
• Grab iPhone instantly.
• Doomscroll the news → TikTok → YouTube → random nonsense.
• Drink strong coffee like it’s CPR.

Work: Cig Breaks, Biscuits & More Caffeine

• More coffee (obviously).
• Need a “break”? Go outside for a cigarette.
• Scroll while smoking because… why not overload the brain?
• Snack on biscuits or whatever beige food is lying around.

Evening: Shitty Meal, Netflix & Wine

• Get home tired and drained.
• Eat a quick, crappy meal.
• Put Netflix on autoplay.
• Open a bottle of wine and call it “relaxing”.

That’s a full-blown Dopamine Dumpster Day: fake highs, constant stimulation, no actual joy.

My Dopamine Delight Day ✨

6am: No Doomscroll — Actual Movement

• Alarm goes off → I get UP immediately.
• No lying in bed scrolling.
• Either take a quick walk, or go straight into the shower.
• Make a lovely decaf tea, berry tea, or Earl Grey — enough comfort, no caffeine chaos.

Work: Fruit, Salad & 10-Squat Breaks

• Snack on fruit or salad instead of biscuits.
• Need a break? Instead of smoking, I go outside and do 10 squats.
• It wakes me up more than nicotine ever did.

Evening: Stir Fry & Ovaltine

• Make a proper stir fry with vegetables + meat.
• Use as many natural ingredients as possible.
• If there’s junk hiding in the cupboard… it goes.
• Finish the evening with a warm Ovaltine.

Dopamine Dumpster vs Dopamine Delight

Dopamine Dumpster Day	Dopamine Delight Day
Wake up tired	Wake up and move
Phone first thing	Shower or walk first thing
Strong coffee	Berry tea / Earl Grey
Biscuits	Fruit or salad
Cigarette breaks	10 squat breaks
Shitty beige dinner	Colourful stir fry
Wine + Netflix	Ovaltine + calm evening

The Real Point

This isn’t about being perfect. I’m not suddenly a saint. I still fall into the dumpster sometimes.

It’s about noticing where your dopamine is coming from. Is it:

• fake, cheap, draining dopamine?
• or natural, calm, steady dopamine?

A Dopamine Delight Day feels calmer. Cleaner. More… me.

Your Turn

Try it. One Dumpster Day. One Delight Day. See how you feel. Your brain will tell you everything.

Because the truth is simple: If you change your dopamine, you change your life.