'How a "dopamine menu" helped me battle the Sunday scaries.'

When Garfield said 'I hate Mondays', he was… I guess onto something.

Sure, they suck. But I present to you something far, far worse… Sunday afternoons. Gag.

Sunday is a day filled with anticipatory anxiety. You know your weekend of freedom is coming to an end, to be replaced with a week of responsibilities.

I mean, there's a reason they call them the ~Sunday Scaries~.

For me, it feels as though my brain has been replaced with a Roladex of admin tasks, all fighting for dominance.

This, my friends, is when I reach for my dopamine menu.

Watch: A 60-second breathing exercise for anxiety. Post continues below.

Invented by Jessica McCabe, the creator of the YouTube channel How To ADHD, a dopamine menu is basically a list of small, joyful things you can do to gently, lovingly, coax your brain back off the ledge.

It's a personalised list of activities that trigger your brain's dopamine response — essentially activities that make you feel good. Think of it as your go-to resource for happiness-inducing activities when you need a pick-me-up.

One of the best bits about a dopamine menu, is that it removes the mental effort of deciding what to do to get out of a funk when you're feeling too 'blah' to figure out what you'd rather be doing.

The concept was first popularised as a tool for people with ADHD who may experience lower dopamine levels, but it has recently gone viral on TikTok as a general wellness tool beneficial for everyone.

What to put on a dopamine menu.

When I created my own personal dopamine menu, I took it literally.

I started with 'Entrées' (those smaller, low-effort joys for earlier in the day). I followed this with the 'Mains' (the bigger delights that take a bit longer). And lastly, the 'Desserts' (the sweet treats to top off a Sunday night).

If you're making your own dopamine menu, you can structure it however you want — and if you can't be bothered creating your own, please feel free to order off my dopamine menu!

🍴 Entrées.

A walk with a banging playlist.

Sometimes, all my brain needs is to be shoved into joggers, dragged outside, and blasted with music that makes me feel like the main character. That, or an episode of the Hamish & Andy podcast (instant mood booster).

Reading or colouring in a park.

When the weather plays nice, I take my Kindle or a colouring book and markers on my walk and set up camp in the park. Very peaceful and restorative; would recommend.

A crisp can of diet cola.

Once home from my walk, I will drink the nectar of the gods an ice-cold can of Pepsi Max.

There is nothing quite like the sound of a Pepsi Max can being opened. It's not a polite, restrained bubble, but an aggressive fizz that rivals a mermaid's siren call.

As I raise it to my lips, my burdens are lifted on a cloud of aspartame and caffeine, and all that's left is dopamine. I could wax poetic about Pepsi Max for aeons, and I would simply never do it justice.

🍝 Mains.

Singing in the car.

Hopping behind the wheel, rolling down the windows and pretending I'm the fourth Haim sister? Instant dopamine hit. But it must be on a route I know by heart, otherwise my cortisol levels will skyrocket.

An 'everything shower' and changing my sheets.

This is my full system reboot. Hair mask, body scrub, foot exfoliation… the works. Followed by climbing into fresh, crisp sheets smelling faintly of washing detergent (extra points if they are warm from the sun or dryer; extra EXTRA points if I remember to light a candle).

🍰 Desserts.

Petting my cat.

Science says the rhythmic vibrations of a cat's purr can have a calming effect. And, yeah, it checks out. Having my cat curl up on my lap and purr like a tiny massage chair is peak therapy. 10/10, no notes.

Breaking bread with my housemate.

After a long day, my housemate (and best friend of 11 years) and I sit in our living room and 'break bread'. Not literally (well, sometimes), but this just means we yap. No social battery needed, just vibes and chatting absolute nonsense.

A cup of tea and a sweet treat.

It's such a clichéd thing, but brewing a cup of tea (lemon and ginger is my go-to) and pairing it with a sweet treat really does the trick every time.

(Do I sometimes scroll TikTok for three hours as a "treat"? Yes. But we all know that's a slippery slope from dopamine hit to dopamine black hole. So, for this menu, I'm sticking to the wholesome stuff.)

Falling asleep to a comfort show.

When the overthinking won't shut up, I turn on one of my comfort shows (currently New Girl) and I leave it on as a doze off. The background noise is comforting and distracts my Roladex brain.

Life can feel so big and overwhelming, but gentle joys can be powerful. They won't fix everything, but they can anchor you in the moment.

What's on your dopamine menu?

Feature image: Supplied.