Habit-stacking, fibre-maxing, biohacking: these are just a few examples of TikTok trends that claim to add ten years to your life and give you the discipline of the Dalai Lama himself. The ‘Era of Wellness’ is well and truly upon us. People are constantly obsessed with finding the next big thing that promises health and happiness for as little effort as possible. This prompts the question: are these hacks simply gimmicks parading around in the newest Lululemon leggings?
What is the newest ‘next big thing?’ A dopamine detox. Promising to increase our happiness in the little moments, the dopamine detox seeks to stop our constant craving for ‘more, more, more.’ In the height of consumerism, everything you could dream of is at our fingertips. Deliveroo serves food from around the world right to your doorstep, social media can transport us to any country in the world, and ChatGPT provides answers to questions we did not even know we had. But is this ease actually good for us? Addiction comes in many forms, and perhaps we are witnessing the dawn of a new obsession: convenience.
I, for one, am starting to feel the effects. I hate to admit it, but my Mum might have been right when she told me that screen was rotting my brain. So, how does this dopamine detox work? There are a myriad of options to choose from here. For me, rolling over and picking up my phone the moment I wake up has become a battle I lose everyday. People have told me again and again about the dangers of starting your morning with social media. The debilitating crash you get post-scroll confirmed this for me…gazing around my messy room and lying in bed almost paralysed with the amount of work I know I should do but can’t bring myself to begin. It happens to the best of us, I tell myself. But it’s not exactly how I want to start my day.
People suggest giving the phone a miss when you first wake up. Instead, opt for a gentler way to start your day: a meditation, a morning walk, maybe simply enjoying your coffee in the quiet. These simple acts might seem like the most boring thing in the world to begin with, and may even fill you with dread at the thought of pure silence, but upon repetition they can become the moments of calm we come to crave each day. Another celebrated practice is turning your phone grey. Millions are spent on marketing to catch the eye, draw us in, have us hooked down rabbit holes of useless products we are suddenly convinced we need. Colour and noise grab our attention and don’t easily let it go. Rather than fighting the urge to look at these adverts and videos, one defence line is to dull their appeal. Turning your phone to greyscale acts as an armour between our attention and the screaming world of advertising.
Perhaps this trend isn’t simply the latest gimmick; perhaps boredom is exactly the cure we need to find enjoyment again.
Image by Eirik Solheim on Unsplash