The Domino Effect

I know this has happened to you.⁣
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It’s happened to all of us. ⁣
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Whether it’s a “oh damn, didn’t mean to finish the whole bag...”⁣
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Or a full out binge.⁣
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This might be something you struggle with more chronically or maybe just an accidental lapse in control.⁣
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Regardless, understanding that it’s not just “something that happens” but is actually a series of events can help you better evaluate the situation⁣
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...and put you in a better position to avoid feeling like 💩⁣
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1️⃣ There’s typically a trigger that gets this process started, some common ones are: ⁣
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Stress, negative life events, anxious feelings, social pressure, and loneliness.⁣
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2️⃣ This trigger leads you to start ponderimg those Oreos...⁣
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💭 “this would be tasty and make me feel better”⁣
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and a quick hit of dopamine in your brain 🧠 promising you reward (relief from negative feelings being the *promised* reward here)⁣
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3️⃣ With the dopamine and convincing thoughts flowing, your desire for instant gratification gets stronger...⁣
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4️⃣ ...and your self control mechanisms get turned off⁣
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**self control and instant gratification quite literally “live” in different parts of your brain⁣
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5️⃣ “wait, did I really just eat 3 rows of Oreos?”⁣
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6️⃣ 😣😔😖🥺⁣
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A lack of awareness will turn this process into a vicious cycle real quick.⁣
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𝗢𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘂𝗽𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲.⁣
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Instead, bring awareness to this.⁣
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This is not a comfortable thing to recognize and pick apart.⁣
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But remember:⁣
discomfort breeds growth 🌱⁣
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Where can you interrupt the domino effect?⁣
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How will you do it?⁣