The following podcast is a dear media production.
Hello, welcome to Welcome Back to transicare.
If you're new here, my name is Ashley.
I'm so happy to have you.
Before we get into today's episode, I just want to remind you that you can still shop merch if you want to get a crew neck.
They're linked in the show notes.
I really want to make like a post on Instagram of a bunch of us wearing our crew necks and hoodies.
So when you receive yours, if you're okay with me sharing your content online, send them my way, send them on Instagram DM because I think that'd be so cute to like show everyone all of us twinning.
But yeah, link is in the show notes.
You can still shop now.
But I am really excited for today's episode.
I just wanted to sit down and like do a feel good episode today.
I'm recording this the day before Thanksgiving.
And if you are like in your 20s, I would say in college, you know that Thanksgiving Eve is like a huge thing.
Everyone's home for the holidays, which means everyone is at their hometown bar tonight, getting absolutely blackout plastered.
And I'm usually one of those people that's like so down for that.
I think like every year since I've been able to drink, I've gone.
And I think this year I'm I'm sitting this one out.
Last year I went and I had the worst anxiety the second I left the bar.
I literally left the bar hyperventilating.
I went home just like sobbing.
I was so drunk just like crying my eyes out in bed afterwards and like nothing happened.
I just think it's a lot for me.
It's very overstimulating, very overwhelming, and it seems like a good idea until you get there and you're like, oh my god, wait a minute.
Why am I here? And like I always wanted to go because I wanted to like get dressed up and look hot and like flex on these bitches, but then I just like get too drunk and I overdo it and I'm like, I'm in a room full of people that like I don't necessarily love and they definitely do not love me.
I feel like there's like this discussion online right now of people who really, really love going out in their hometown bars and then people that are like, I would never go like almost acting as if they're too good for it, which I get it, but I also understand why people are offended by people thinking
they're too good for it.
But regardless of like where you stand, I think a lot of people have anxiety when it comes to going home for the holidays and this pressure to go out and drink and like see people from your hometown, see people you went to high school with, and it's funny to me because we have all this anxiety about it,
but it's like you don't have to go.
Like if you really do not want to go out, you don't need to go.
Like you do not need to go to your hometown bar just because everyone's going.
If you don't want to go, you don't have to go.
Which got me thinking about how much of our time we spend on things that don't make us happy and a lot of the time we spend our time on these things and we give so much energy to these things because we feel like we have to, whether it's because we want to make other people happy or we want to fit in or we
just feel like we have no control over our lives and the things that happen in our lives are just like the way they are and it's shitty, but like we have no control over them and there's nothing that we can do.
And as someone who has definitely had a lack mindset and grew up with this like victim mentality of nothing ever works out for me, I hate my life, things are always falling apart, nothing ever goes my way, I don't have control over anything.
I want this episode to be a reminder to you that we might not have control over everything, but we do have control over our actions and how we live our life.
And if we're unhappy, we do still have power to change it.
So I want to talk about that, but I also want to talk about building a dopamine menu to enhance our lives, to make our lives more enjoyable, to make us happier, and also to use as a tool to redirect our thinking and choose healthy coping mechanisms when we are struggling with our mental health or when we're
going through a hard patch or we just like feel like we've lost control.
Like I just said, and I've spoken about this in previous episodes, but I grew up with this victim mentality of like my life is so terrible and bad things always happen to me because it just felt like one bad thing would happen after another even if I was having like a good spree right after it'd be
followed up with something bad.
And because of this, I became very angry and bitter and resentful about my life and also towards others.
Like I would see other people living these amazing lives and having really great families and great childhoods and having no trauma and it pissed me off because I'm like, why do you get that?
And I didn't get that.
And it wasn't until like my mid -20s where I was reflecting on my life and reflecting on like who I am as a person and how I've acted that I realized I have always spoken more passionately and almost obsessively about the things that have gone wrong versus the things that have gone right or that have gone
really good for me.
Like I've spoken so passionately about how much I don't like myself and I don't like my body and I've spoken so passionately about the people that I don't like and the things that have bothered me and just like the things that have not gone my way.
And the reason I was like this was because I was consumed with negativity.
I would eat, sleep, breathe negativity.
Everything I thought about was negative.
Everything I spoke about was negative and it was reflected in how I acted towards myself and I acted towards people and how I spoke to myself and how I spoke to people.
I was quite literally just like a walking, talking ball of negativity.
People underestimate how much we use negativity as a way to bond with other people.
Like we quite literally use negativity as a crutch to connect with people, whether it be over gossip or bonding over trauma or venting and relating to one another, which is fine.
But it comes a point where you have to ask yourself what is going on?
Like am I spewing negativity or am I just a negative person?
Like when people speak to me, are they going to walk away feeling negative?
When people think of me, do they immediately jump to she is a negative person who is angry and bitter and hates her life?
Personally, I don't want to be that person.
I don't want to be someone who people immediately think like she's just like this sad, angry person who's spiteful and blames other people and hates her life.
I don't want to be that.
You know, there's been a lot of pain in my life.
I've gone through many traumatizing experiences, but I don't want to be defined by that.
I don't want to be defined by my pain.
I have already lived through that part of my life.
I don't want to continue to obsess over it.
I've lived through it.
I want to be over it.
I don't want to continue with my life feeling angry and sad and bitter and resentful.
I've gone through that.
I want to overcome it and I want to heal and I want to be better.
When you have this victim mentality like I did and you're like, my life is so terrible and things are never going to get better and I hate my life.
It's really easy to look at other people and be like, why do they have a better life than I do?
And I wish I could live a life like that, but it's hard to look at yourself and look at yourself in the mirror and recognize that you are part of the problem.
Like no, you don't deserve what happened to you.
You didn't deserve to be treated that way or be treated like shit and feel like shit.
But there comes a time where you have to be like, okay, these things happened to me and it sucked and I didn't deserve it and I'm suffering because of it.
But it's either I continue to suffer and I add to the problem by doing nothing to fix it and I just continue talking poorly to myself and talking about the situation and how awful it was.
And I continue doing things to add to the problem that I know aren't good for me and is just going to make things harder for me.
Or I find things that make me feel better.
You know, I go to therapy.
I talk about it in a productive way.
I work on myself and I find healthy coping mechanisms and I get better.
This show is sponsored by BetterHelp.
In today's episode, I talk about creating a dopamine menu and adding activities to it that bring you joy, calm you down and overall make your life better long term, not just for a minute or two.
When we're feeling down and we're having a hard day, many of us turn to things like doom scrolling on your phone or falling back into old habits like texting an ex and we do it because we're looking for a temporary relief, but we forget that these things have long term effects on us and can actually
really hurt us, which is why I think finding activities that make us feel good but are also good for us is so important and one activity that I cannot recommend enough is therapy.
If you're thinking of giving therapy a try or getting back into it, definitely check out BetterHelp.
It's entirely online, designed to be convenient, flexible and suited to your schedule.
Just fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist and you can switch therapists at any time for no additional cost if it just isn't working out for you.
I think adding therapy to your dopamine menu is a really good idea because you know there's always something on there that's better than any self -destructive or harmful coping mechanisms that you've used in the past.
People underestimate how helpful talking to a therapist really is.
It's really helped me when I've gone through really tough times and I felt like I couldn't talk to the people in my life and like they wouldn't understand.
Also talking to a licensed therapist is so much different than just talking to your friend because not only do they have to listen to you, but they also give you professional advice and guidance you're seeking.
Find comfort this December with BetterHelp.
Visit BetterHelp .com slash TNTC Today to get 10 % off your first month.
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This show is sponsored by Gatorade, Besties, it's finally Fall.
Fall is without a doubt my favorite season, especially because I live in Connecticut and it's just so beautiful here.
Like hot girl walks are 10 times better here because the leaves are changing and the weather is just incredible.
Another thing that makes my hot girl walks even more amazing is the Gatorade hydration booster.
Any time I'm working out, I'm on my hot girl walks, or even just when I'm really busy and on the go, I always make sure to bring my Gatorade hydration booster with me.
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Gatorade hydration boosters might go to when I need extra hydration, which is why I love bringing it with me on my hot girl walks, but it's also perfect for anyone who's busy and on the go.
Maybe you're working, maybe you have school, you want to feel good when you have a lot going on.
It's much harder for me to stay focused and be productive or even just have a good time when I'm dehydrated, which is why I love Gatorade hydration booster because it gives me all day hydration and just makes my day so much more enjoyable.
Not to mention, the flavors are delicious, there's citrus berry, strawberry, watermelon and tropical mango, all are so good and honestly, it's a lot easier to drink water when there's a fruity taste to it.
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You can use code boost20 on Gatorade .com to try it yourself for 20 % off.
Now let's get back to today's episode.
It took me so long to realize this, again I think it wasn't until I was like 23, 24 that this hit me because I was hearing it but I wasn't understanding it.
You can't hate yourself into someone you love.
The more that you dislike yourself, the harder your life is going to be.
When you don't have a good relationship with yourself, it's really hard to want to change and do better because you don't like yourself.
Imagine someone you really don't like coming to you and being like, hey, can you drive me to the gym?
You're going to be like, no.
Go find a different ride, I'm not helping you.
Or imagine someone that you really don't like being like, hey, could you go grocery shopping for me?
No. I'm not going to waste my time and spend my money buying you groceries.
Why would I do that for you?
It's the same thing with yourself.
When you don't love yourself, when you don't respect yourself, you're not going to go out of your way and do the things that you know are good for you because you don't care.
You don't care enough to take care of yourself.
If you're having a hard time and you're like, my life sucks and nothing's ever going to get better but you just keep feeding these negative thoughts about yourself and about your life, you're not going to find motivation to get up and turn things around and apply for that job or go to the gym or go
to therapy or take a shower or just do your makeup.
Whatever it is that you want to do that you feel like that's going to make your life better or make you happier, you're going to have a much harder time doing that because you don't like yourself.
Not enough to stop feeding these negative thoughts about yourself or not enough to stop self -sabotaging.
The same thing goes for the things in your life that are adding to your problems.
When you don't have respect for yourself or you don't love yourself, you're going to feed into these things that are self -destructive like going out for Thanksgiving Eve and spending time around people who are harmful to you.
You know that you're not going to have a good time and you know that it's going to be triggering but you don't care enough about yourself to be like, no, you're not going.
That's not good for you.
You don't have those boundaries with yourself, so you allow yourself to go knowing it's going to hurt you.
Or if you know that you need to work on like homework or do a project but you don't have self -discipline, you're going to screw around on your phone for hours and get nothing done and it's easy for you to do that because you don't have self -discipline or self -respect for yourself.
So you don't care that you're hurting yourself or hurting your future and you're just adding to your problem and then in a month you're going to be like, why is my life so terrible?
Why can't anything ever go right?
Like why did I fail this exam?
Why didn't I do well on this project?
Because you weren't taking care of yourself.
You weren't doing what you had to do to make sure that things were going to go right for you.
You weren't doing anything to make things better.
Obviously, when you're struggling, it is hard to just find motivation and get up and be better like when you're going through something difficult.
It's not realistic to be like, you know what?
I'm going to wake up at 6am and I'm going to go for a mile run and I'm going to brush my teeth and I'm going to do all my work and I'm not going to doom scroll and I'm going to have a good day.
Because when you're feeling down, you don't want to do any of that.
You don't want to do anything that's going to make you have a good day.
Because when you're feeling down, you don't want to do any of that.
You don't want to do any of that because to you, that doesn't sound like a good day.
You know, like a mile run sounds terrible to me.
Why would I want to do that if I'm having a shitty day?
That's why you have to find things that you actually want to do and are beneficial for you and your life.
Like wellness is not a one size fits all.
That's why I think having a dopamine menu is really beneficial if you are struggling with your mental health or you're in a funk and you're trying to get out of it.
Like, you know, a dopamine menu isn't going to fix everything and there's still so much work that you need to do for yourself if you are struggling.
But I think creating one is great because you're going to make a list of things that you know work for you and are going to help you and make you feel happier or feel more productive or just like give you the boost that you need rather than feeling bad that you don't have the energy or you don't want
to do these things that people are recommending that you should do online.
For example, journaling has helped me, but you might be someone who doesn't want to journal.
And if you're in a really bad mood, you don't want to pick up a journal and write your feelings out like that's not going to help you.
Or if you've tried therapy and you just didn't love it or didn't help you, me preaching about how therapy is an incredible thing that you should do and it's going to help you isn't going to work for you.
It's going to piss you off.
You're going to be like, I don't want to go to therapy.
I don't want to do that today.
That's why it's important to make a list of things that you know work for you.
And that's actually going to help you because yes, it's great to have these things on paper and be like, you know, I woke up early and I went and I worked out and I got dressed today and I had a healthy breakfast and I didn't take a nap.
And you know, all of that looks great to other people.
You can brag to your mom and be like, look what I did, bitch.
But if it doesn't matter to you and you don't want to do it, it's not going to help you.
It's not going to make you feel any better.
So who cares? What's the purpose of it?
With that being said, I want to talk about creating a dopamine menu, what it is, how to use it, and also share my own personal dopamine menu to give you some ideas if you're interested in making one.
Before anything, I want to explain what dopamine is because I feel like a lot of people talk about dopamine and serotonin online, like on TikTok and they use it in their memes and people don't really know what it is.
So before anyone's like, how do you not know what dopamine is?
Some people don't know.
And I'm just going to explain it really easily to anyone who you know, doesn't know what it is.
Okay, so basically, dopamine is a chemical in our brains that plays a really big part in how we feel pleasure, how we feel motivated and when we get rewarded.
And that's why people often call it the feel good chemical because it regulates our moods and it literally makes us feel happy.
There's a lot of things that we do that release dopamine and it makes us feel good.
But just because it feels good in the moment doesn't mean it necessarily makes us feel good long term.
For example, scrolling on your phone.
The reason why TikTok in particular is so addictive is because with every video that pops up, it's like a mini reward, which releases dopamine and keeps you hooked to scrolling.
And then you add in getting likes and comments and follows, and you're getting more rewards.
And it doesn't stop when you're off the app.
When you close out the app, you're like, oh, I want to see if I if anyone's engaging in my content.
And then you end up back on the app and it becomes addicting.
It's very much like gambling.
You're being given little rewards and it releases dopamine.
And even when you lose, you're still releasing dopamine, which makes it difficult to stop.
That's why people turn to things like gambling and their phones because they want that feeling of happiness.
But there are so many other ways that you can get that pleasure and that excitement through things that are going to positively impact you long term and not just in the moment and also aren't going to harm you.
That's where creating a dopamine menu comes into play.
Basically, a dopamine menu is a curated list of activities or habits that boost your mood and increase dopamine levels naturally without giving it to things that aren't good for you, like scrolling on your phone or gambling or drugs.
Just things that give you that instant gratification that aren't going to harm you.
Like, instead of meeting up with your ex -boyfriend, you know, it might be so fun for a second, hee -ha -ha, but you're going to be traumatized for the next month, okay?
Instead of doing that, make a list of other things that you can do that are actually good for you and are going to benefit you longer than five minutes.
Now, we're going to go through how to set up your dopamine menu and I'm going to go through my personal dopamine menu and I hope that inspires you and encourages you to make your own and just gives you ideas of what you can do if you're having a hard day, if you're having a hard time, or you just need
some motivation or like a little boost to get things done in your life.
So with your dopamine menu, it's just like a menu you would have at a restaurant, right?
So you're gonna make a list of things but you don't have to do everything on the list.
You're just going to choose activities from the menu that are needed that day or in that moment to help you feel good or give you that motivation or give you whatever you're seeking in that moment.
The main purpose of a dopamine menu and how it's going to help you long term is when you choose healthy activities, over time you're rewiring your brain to seek joy from meaningful experiences rather than from experiences like scrolling on your phone or seeing your ex or eating a lot of junk food or going
to that party that you don't want to be at like things that you know, might be good for like a second but are going to hurt you long term.
There's different ways that you can make a dopamine menu and I'm going to share two different ways you could do it.
So the first way is literally making a menu and I got this example from autistic Kayla on TikTok.
You would organize it and starters means sides, desserts, specials, and then late night.
So your starters are going to be small quick activities that don't take too much time.
Your main are activities that are really important to you and you have the time and energy to do them.
Your sides are things that you can pair with things that you don't want to do or you don't have the energy to do that's going to make it more bearable.
Desserts are things that you can indulge in in moderation, your specials are things that require more time and resources, and then late night are things that you do strictly before bed.
This show is sponsored by Just Ingredients.
One thing that really helps me when I'm having a hard day is adding little things to just spice it up and boost my mood.
Like if I'm doing work and I'm really tired, I love having some type of drink or sweet treat to help me get through it.
If I'm dreading the day, I love having a morning routine where I take my supplements and do my skincare routine.
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Now let's get back to today's episode.
For my starters, I wrote down changing into a cute workout set because a cute workout set is always going to do it for me.
It's going to get me to the gym.
It's going to make me feel cute.
It's going to make me feel motivated or even just getting dressed for the day and putting on a sweater and jeans.
When I look good, I feel so much better doing your skincare routine, playing with your animals, putting on music to start your morning and creating a playlist.
If you know me, you know I love making playlists.
I think making playlists is like my love language.
I think it's a really great way to express yourself.
I think it's a really great way to romanticize your life and just having new music to listen to is exciting to me.
It makes me want to leave my house and drive in my car and go on walks and like do the do because I get to listen to my new music.
For my mains, I wrote down an everything shower or relaxing bath.
I know that sounds silly to schedule in taking a shower and everything shower is different and everything shower takes time.
It is a workout. You're bending your body.
You're hyperventilating.
You're sweating. You're freaking out, but you feel so good afterwards.
And then cooking a good meal, going on a walk and listening to a podcast or a playlist.
Going and getting yourself a coffee or sweet treat.
Going to the gym or to a workout class.
I just signed up for a new gym.
I'm still at Planet, but I signed up for a different gym because they offer Zumba and kickboxing and yoga.
And I just like need something more stimulating for me to do for workouts because right now my routines lacking a little bit and I just need something to get me going.
So workout class, meeting up with your friends, making Christmas cards, rearranging your room or doing holiday activities like Christmas shopping, driving around and looking at Christmas lights.
There's just so many things that you can do.
For my sides, I wrote lighting a candle, which sounds stupid, but hear me out.
I never used to light candles when I was home alone or for me and my boyfriend.
I only would light them when we had guests over and I never have anyone over.
So I was just hoarding candles and wouldn't allow myself to enjoy it by myself.
I felt like I had to have a reason and like you don't, you don't, it's just a set of vibe.
It smells good and I just love having a candle lit and it really enhances the room, enhances the vibes.
If you know, you know putting on comfy clothes and wearing a big blanket, making yourself a coffee and going to work at like a coffee shop, a library or outside instead of at your desk or like in your room.
For desserts, my list is very short and sweet.
I have to add to it.
I just wrote down online shopping and video games.
For specials, go and get your hair and nails done.
And I know for some people this is like an average experience.
They go and do that every few weeks and I love that for you.
I am just not a nail girl.
I've tried so hard.
I have no patience for it.
When I've gotten acrylic, it's fucked up my nails.
When I've gotten gel, it's fucked up my nails.
And I'm at the point where I'm like, I just don't, I don't, I don't need it.
I don't need it. I don't need it unless there's like a special occasion.
The same thing with my hair.
My hair is dark, growing it out.
I don't need to get it done.
Whereas when I had blonde hair, I was getting it done like every month.
Now I just get it done when I feel like I need to, I need a little on for, like there's something special coming up.
I literally just dyed it yesterday because it was so light, but it's like a special little treat for me.
And I really love it when I do get it done.
Buying yourself something that you've been saving for.
You know, there's some things that you're like, I really, really, really, really want this, but I can't justify spending the money on it.
But once you do have the money for it, it feels even better than just like buying it the day of, because you feel like you earned it.
Getting a massage, a girl's night out, a weekend getaway, especially like a weekend getaway to the city for the holidays and like going ice skating and seeing the tree.
Plan a holiday party or like plan a white elephant, secret Santa with your friends or coworkers.
I love doing that every year.
We did that last year with my boyfriend's family and it was so much fun and I'm so competitive and I hate, I hate when I don't get the gift that I want, but like the idea of it is so fun.
And I love shopping for other people.
So I definitely recommend doing that this year.
If you have people in your life you'd like to do that with.
And then for late night, I wrote down reading, journaling, meditating, nighttime skincare routine and scrolling on Pinterest.
Scrolling on Pinterest is like my favorite thing to do before bed.
At least for me, Pinterest is so non -toxic.
Like my Pinterest is literally just outfit inspiration, home decor, holiday stuff, inspirational quotes.
And when you go to bed in a bad mood, you wake up in a bad mood.
So I like the last thing that I see before I go to bed, if I'm going to be on my phone to be positive.
I've also been loving reading before bed.
I've never been a book girl.
I mean like I've liked reading self -improvement books, but I've never been a book girl.
I've never been in the book community.
And I really wanted to get into like psychological thrillers and spicy books and things like that.
And I finished my first book everyone.
Round of applause. Thank you.
I just read Sharp Objects.
It was so good. And the one thing that motivated me to finish is there's an HBO series and I just finished watching that last night.
So I love that. And I'm just really excited to be a book girl.
Like I put so many books on my Christmas list this year.
And yeah, so if you have any recommendations, please let me know.
I want thrillers. I want spicy mystery.
I don't know. I'm really up for anything, but like that's like what I'm going for.
So based off that, if you have any recommendations, please let me know.
So that's one way to make your dopamine menu.
Literally make it a menu.
But I also asked chat GPT on how to make a dopamine menu and it told me to make actual categories which might be easier for you if you're looking for a specific activity.
So the categories I wrote down are solo dates, physical activities, creative outlets, social connection, self care, routine building, and learning and growth.
So for solo dates, I just wrote down like a coffee date, Christmas shopping, decorating the house, going to a bookstore and going to a crystal shop for physical activities.
I wrote down going to the gym, going for a walk.
YouTube dance workout.
This is one of my favorite ways to work out and I feel like I actually break a sweat and I'm having a good time doing it.
Just search dance party workout on YouTube and I know MadFit does them.
And there's like two other creators that I watch that I love.
But I love any of the pop ones, the hip hop ones, they're so good.
And then Zumba or kickboxing class, which like I said, I'm getting more into.
I love like a dance workout class.
I love anything that I get to channel my energy, like kickboxing.
If I'm in a bad mood, hell yeah, I want to swing.
Hell yeah, I want to kick.
So love that. Pilates.
And then just like a at home dance party, not necessarily a workout, but just like move your body, dance a little bit, put your favorite music on, and I promise you, you will feel better after you do it.
For creative outlets.
I wrote down art projects, so like painting, drawing clay, making Christmas cards, make a playlist, make a mood board, playing an instrument.
I'm still learning the piano.
It's been a long year of learning the piano, but I'm in the process of learning some Christmas tunes.
So watch out because you might see me playing Here Comes Santa Claus or Last Christmas on the piano.
Build outfits, like go into your closet and go through your wardrobe and just like create outfits or like go on Pinterest and put outfits together and then like create them in real life.
And then I also wrote down make content like record a video or record a podcast.
Obviously I'd love to do that.
It's my job, but it's also my jam.
I love to create content and it's just a really good way to express yourself.
So if you're into that or if you're an inspiring content creator, pick up your camera, pick up your phone and do it babe.
For social connection, I wrote down FaceTime a friend, visit family, go on a friend date or just text a friend.
For self care, EFT tapping, meditation, an everything shower, reading a book, face masks, paint your nails, self tan, watch a new series or movie.
I recommend Sharp Objects.
Really really good.
I really liked normal people.
My favorite movies are participating in a wallflower and Gone Girl.
For routine building, I wrote down clean house, organized makeup drawers, grocery shopping and cooking.
And then for learning growth, watch a TED talk, self improvement books or podcasts, learn a new language, journaling.
And then lastly, set three achievable goals for the day.
I think this is one of the easiest ways to feel less guilty at the end of the day and not feel so bad and be like, oh, I didn't do enough today.
Just have three goals.
They could be the easiest thing like make your bed.
As long as you check those three goals off at the end of the day, you did enough.
You're good, especially when you're able to write those goals down and physically check them off.
Like I feel so much more accomplished and more proud of myself when I see those things crossed off.
And I'm like, okay, like I can relax now.
Like I did what I have to do.
I need to stop being so hard on myself and just like chill out and like go watch my favorite show or like go and hang out with my friends.
I did what needed to be done all as well.
I don't know which way I like better if I like making an actual menu or if I like to have categories.
I think it probably depends on the day, but let me know if you make a dopamine menu and how you do it.
I definitely want to see yours because I clearly need more recommendations.
Like for my dessert, I literally have online shopping and video games.
So I definitely need to add more to that.
So if you make a dopamine menu, make sure to share with me on Spotify or you could share with me on Instagram DMs.
Also just let me know if making a dopamine menu helps you and if you like this idea and if you like today's episode.
Thank you so much for listening to today's episode.
I hope that I helped you.
I hope that it encourages you to seek more positive things than focusing so much on the negative in your life.
I hope that this episode reminds you that even if things aren't going your way and you feel out of control, there's always something that you can do to make yourself feel just a little bit better.
You know, you might not feel incredible.
You might still be struggling, but there's always something that could just make it a little better, even if it's a coffee or texting your friend.
But I hope that you liked today's episode.
If you did make sure to rate Try Not To Care.
Make sure to send me your dopamine menu and just let me know what you think.
As always, thank you so much for listening besties.
Make sure to grab your merch if you haven't already and I will talk to you next Monday.
I love you besties and I'll talk to you next time.
Goodbye besties!