The Domino Effect
Jul 29, 2020I know this has happened to you.
It’s happened to all of us.
Whether it’s a “oh damn, didn’t mean to finish the whole bag...”
Or a full out binge.
This might be something you struggle with more chronically or maybe just an accidental lapse in control.
Regardless, understanding that it’s not just “something that happens” but is actually a series of events can help you better evaluate the situation
...and put you in a better position to avoid feeling like 💩
1️⃣ There’s typically a trigger that gets this process started, some common ones are:
Stress, negative life events, anxious feelings, social pressure, and loneliness.
2️⃣ This trigger leads you to start ponderimg those Oreos...
💭 “this would be tasty and make me feel better”
and a quick hit of dopamine in your brain 🧠 promising you reward (relief from negative feelings being the *promised* reward here)
3️⃣ With the dopamine and convincing thoughts flowing, your desire for instant gratification gets stronger...
4️⃣ ...and your self control mechanisms get turned off
**self control and instant gratification quite literally “live” in different parts of your brain
5️⃣ “wait, did I really just eat 3 rows of Oreos?”
6️⃣ 😣😔😖🥺
A lack of awareness will turn this process into a vicious cycle real quick.
𝗢𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘂𝗽𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲.
Instead, bring awareness to this.
This is not a comfortable thing to recognize and pick apart.
But remember:
discomfort breeds growth 🌱
Where can you interrupt the domino effect?
How will you do it?
