Dopamine Reset as a Digital Artist with a Social Media Addiction

How I'm Changing My Life as a Chronically Online Digital Creator

Social media is awesome. It's a 24-hour networking tool where you can poke your way to success with a couple of thumb taps. There's lots of cats, too. But it's also an endless pit of other people's thoughts and their "opportunities" and the worst shit you couldn't possibly even think of. 

As someone with ADHD/autism, anxiety, depression, etc. etc., smartphones are like the best and the worst thing to have within arm's reach at all times. 

I have multiple accounts on every social platform. Each account holds a niche interest of mine. From food videos to conspiracy theories, to UGC creatives and some other special themed places I like to keep to myself. Running multiple accounts on every platform allows me to be apart of all kinds of different communities with alternate avatars of myself to present to each niche. 

It's all aligned under the Stardust umbrella where I teach people how to create multiple niche-based online stores and the creative marketing tactics behind managing these various accounts simultaneously. 

So that's why I'm addicted to my phone and social media. App switching all day, account flipping, domain hoarding, password resets are happening and overlapping the moment I wake up til I literally can't scroll anymore.

This kind of smartphone use isn't unusual actually. I know a lot of people who do this and it is causing some extreme burnout in life that has the ability to destroy one's own actual existence. 

But I'm learning more about how dopamine works and how these apps function to literally hack our brains and keep our attention.

So if you're also a digital creator, smartphone addict, or you're just curious about how to reset your dopamine levels to feel better about living in general, I hope this article helps you. I know my prolonged phone abuse is a trauma response. It's extremely isolating.

And working for vanity metrics on social media can be draining, chasing after likes, subscribers, followers. It has so much that feels really fulfilling. And I personally love what I do. That's why I'm limiting my phone use so I can do more of those things that I love. And so that I don't look back on my life and see myself always, only on my phone, with blurred memories. 

Here's a few little things for how I'm changing my life without totally losing out on my online opportunities as a digital creator and content management agency owner. 

I'm about one week into these new habits, that I intend to be a permanent solution for the frequent bouts of dopamine deprivation induced depression.

• The phone is banished to being plugged in and it's grounded to a tripod. This may help me as a content creator to keep my phone out of my hands and ready to shoot at all times instead. Being plugged in while not in use makes it so it can't leave my office when I'm not out and about in the world.
• Scrolling is off limits. If I catch myself scrolling, then I will finish what I was consuming in a more present state of mind and close the app. 
• No tech in the bedroom. I have been keeping all of my screens in my office when I decide to go to bed at night. They don't have a bedtime yet because I tend to get a lot of creative drive between 9p and midnight. But it's not allowed to join me for doomscrolling before bed anymore. I used to watch tiktok videos til I couldn't think. Now it's a book, some tea, and maybe some journaling or drawing. 
• Getting sunlight as soon as I wake up, before looking at any screens. Maybe even having a quick walk around the neighborhood. This is essential to having that "miracle morning." Sunshine is a privilege and living in Florida has it's benefits. I like to have my breakfast outside as well just to get more of that radiant natural energy. It's also a great time to have some pure, peaceful moments alone, with some kitties by my side. 
• Using a social media automation app, instead of actually posting manually. I'm scheduling out and publishing content through Publer. It's probably really weird for people who see me say I'm taking a break from social media but I'm still posting every single day. Well, I'm not. It's all automated every once in a while and I just have to go in and drop content when my calendar starts looking empty. It's super easy to repost old content, and then have it recurring at any interval that makes sense for each post. 

This is just a start to my Dopamine Reset journey. So far this week, I feel really good. Hell, I'm writing an article right now. Without AI, mind you. This is proof that these new habits are changing my mind, my self awareness, and mental sharpness. I genuinely feel less overwhelmed.

Especially with an eclipse coming up and other things happening in the world that feel a bit like we're living through an apocalypse. If SHTF, I'll be glad to have finished my last few days making art, writing, playing with my kitties, and having real conversations with those I love. 

Are you feeling this same energy to disconnect and go feral? As artists, we need to find inspiration from external sources occasionally, that's totally fine. But never producing anything from those bursts of creativity is not how your soul yearns to live.

You know that inner pull to produce gets louder the longer you go without making. I'm trying to create something new every single day. Sometimes it's multiple new things. And I encourage you to do the same. No matter how small it is. Keep making!

And put your phone down for 15mins while you do it. Or put it on a tripod, livestream, or hyperlapse your creative process. You'll feel better at the end of the day knowing you put at least 1% of effort into your dreams.

Be a supernova.