Out of Chaos an organizing newsletter

Dopamine and Panoramic Vision

The other day, I spent a few hours in an executive function seminar that set my brain on fire. While I thought I might gain useful tools for helping my kids as well as my clients, I spent half of the first session thinking, “Yes, that was me, that was me as a kid, I totally did that.” But what was even more interesting was the science behind some of the stuff that I know works, but I never really understood why it worked.

For example, most people have heard of Dopamine, known as the “happiness hormone,” it’s actually a neurotransmitter. When it fires up, it makes you feel good, even euphoric. You probably have heard that you can trigger dopamine with sex or chocolate cake, but did you know that you can also trigger dopamine by completing tasks? Yup. Completion can induce euphoria. Fact.

For years, I’ve recommended clients break overwhelming tasks into small manageable chunks. I’ve explained that while the whole task (file your taxes) might be overwhelming, each individual task (go through your checkbook and add up your charitable contributions) is manageable. My argument was that by chipping away at the big task by accomplishing small steps along the way, you’d feel less anxious, and you’d get it done. In reality, it’s better than that, because each time you finish one of those small tasks, you get a hit of calorie-free, completely legal dopamine, which makes you want to do it again! Yay, dopamine!

Speaking of anxiety, another speaker had a great brain-centered tip about that. She said that when you are so keyed up, overloaded, and anxious that you can’t even begin the task that is causing you to be so stressed, you should step outside. Now, I’m a big believer in walks, fresh air and a change of scenery as a remedy for all kinds of problems, but her point was about neuroscience, not exercise. She said that simply stepping outside triggers our brains to start using panoramic (or peripheral) vision, which is known to decrease “autonomic arousal.” Autonomic arousal is what’s going on in your nervous system that is making you anxious. So, don’t beat yourself up, don’t avoid the task, just go outside—maybe walk around the block if you want, and come back. You’ll be calmer and more able to handle whatever it is.

The last speaker said that just because someone struggles with executive function doesn’t mean that they aren’t smart. Nor are they lazy. In fact, they are fascinating, creative, curious people. And I thought, yes! These are my people, my kids, my clients—and probably me too. So, don’t beat yourself up: You are fabulous and the world needs you. Next time you feel overwhelmed by a task or a project, just take a walk get to that panoramic vision going, then break that puppy into bite-size chunks and ride that dopamine hit.