As I’ve become healthier recently through things such as drinking less, avoiding social media, and being more active, one of the most pleasant benefits has been that I tend to “feel” more.
I’m more likely to enjoy little moments and appreciate them deeply. I tend to be more receptive and affected by music or nature or beauty of any kind.
And it’s nice!
But it’s gotten me thinking… How can I really maximize that? Is there anything else in the way?
I’m naturally an extremely mellow person. My highs aren’t really that high but, in exchange, I don’t really have lows.
Which is… Good. It’s predictable and easy to manage.
But I think I’d like to feel more.
Attempting to do a Google search yields an intriguing discovery. It turns out, this is not a common question and, in fact, the opposite is an extremely common question.
Apparently people feel too much or just generally want to be able to get their emotions under control.
That certainly sounds more difficult than what I’m facing. But in this case doesn’t really help me.
The only things I could find suggested that people cut out all the dopamine hits they are getting on a regular basis. Alcohol, drugs, and social media are listed as the biggest offenders.
I feel that I’ve already gone about as far as I can with just cutting those things out.
And yet, I still feel like I crave – and give into – other things that really provide the same dopamine hit. Albeit much smaller, generally.
While they take way less time and provide much less stimulation than what I had been doing, I still find myself checking deal-hunter websites constantly and even Snapchat.
Generally, I check and am done within a minute. So the impact feels minimal.
But at the end of the day, I am still craving a distraction, and I’m giving into it every time. And that may be the very problem.
I noticed on my Patagonia trip that after spending days without internet or even simple things like music, when I did hear music, it was almost always amazing. I connected with it immediately no matter what it was and truly appreciated it.
I felt more.
It’s difficult to say what all went into that. Being in an incredible place and totally wearing yourself out physically each day may have played a part.
But I think the total lack of cheap distractions was probably the main cause.
And that’s something I could replicate in my day-to-day life.
So going forward, I really want to minimize my use of those websites and Snapchat, and more importantly: put a stop to all the times when I crave a distraction and go out and find it.
I think I’ll feel a whole lot better once I do that.