Before you read another word, pause for just a moment and notice what your body wants to reach for.

Your phone.
Food
Background noise.
Entertainment.
Social media

Now ask yourself gently — without judgment — am I wanting this out of need or habit?

So much of modern life is designed to keep us stimulated, occupied, and externally soothed to the point where we reach for it like a fix.  No, there’s nothing wrong with us – LOL – it’s just that our nervous system has been programmed to rely on small, steady, frequent boosts throughout the day to make us feel okay, normal, even safe.

Here’s the thing: We are meant to shift naturally between the sympathetic nervous system — the fight-or-flight response that helps us act, protect, and respond — and the parasympathetic nervous system, where rest, digestion, repair, creativity, and presence live. This dance is regulated largely through the vagus nerve, the communication superhighway between the brain, heart, and gut.

In a healthy system, stress arises when it’s needed and resolves when it’s not.  But the pace of life is relentless, noise is constant and stimulation is everywhere.  That doesn’t leave much room for resolution.

Notifications, headlines, productivity pressure, social comparison — all of it nudges our system to stay alert, vigilant, and “on.” Over time, many of us become stuck in a low-grade fight-or-flight state, where cortisol runs high and calm feels unfamiliar.

So, what is the cost — physically, emotionally, and hormonally — of constantly giving in to that pressure?

Aha! ~ Time for a dopamine fast

In his book Understanding the Heart, Dr. Stephen Hussey explains that much of what we experience as stress today isn’t tied to real danger — it’s tied to perceived danger. Our bodies respond the same way to an angry email or traffic nightmare as they once did to predators. The nervous system doesn’t know the difference — unless we teach it.

Here’s where the dopamine fast comes in. Not as punishment or deprivation but as reconnection

A dopamine fast is a deliberate pause from external stimulation — no screens, no talking, no entertainment, no reading — and ideally, no food for a set period of time. Dr. Hussey suggests that even 12 hours can be enough to help the body reset, strengthen awareness, and restore our ability to self-regulate.

Those 12 hours may feel very long! They may even stir discomfort or anxiety. And that’s exactly the point.

Consider your reaction as information measuring how conditioned you’ve become to constant input and how unfamiliar stillness can feel. By removing stimulation, you give the nervous system a chance to recalibrate, to recognize false alarms for what they are, and to return you to a calm, present, grounded state. Ahhhhhh….

A dopamine fast isn’t about escaping life. It’s about remembering how to live from within — guided by inner wisdom instead of external cues; as well, to free yourself from the addiction tied to those cues gauging how you feel.

My naturopath friend, Andrew Hanoun, says, “it’s not always what you take but what you take away.”

So maybe the real question isn’t, “Can I go 12 hours without stimulation?”
But rather, “What might I rediscover about myself if I do?”