Addictions: Balancing "Good" and "Bad" Pleasure.

Image of a man standing on a rock at sunset, symbolizing the balance between pleasure and discomfort in managing addictions.

I love jogging, and I love scrolling YouTube.

It’s hard to stop scrolling YouTube videos, but when I do, I feel a bit low and a bit guilty for wasting so much time.

It's not hard to stop jogging, especially when you get to your mid-40s, but when I do, I feel fantastic for the rest of the day.

So what’s going on?

Understanding the Pleasure-Discomfort Balance

Imagine your brain as a children's see-saw. Your brain likes balance and its objective is to keep the see-saw level. If we push down on one side of the see-saw, our brain pushes down on the other to balance things out.

Now imagine that pushing on one side of the see-saw leads to instant pleasure (a hit of dopamine), and pushing down on the other leads to short-term discomfort.

Based on what I’ve told you, you’d probably push down on the pleasure side, wouldn’t you?

What if I told you that if you push down on the pleasure side, your brain would push back on the discomfort side to balance things out? Remember, our brain seeks balance.

What if I also told you that if you push down on the discomfort side, your brain would soon try to balance things out by pushing down on the pleasure side (releasing dopamine)?

Real-World Examples

If you were to eat some junk food, scroll YouTube, impulsively buy some expensive clothing, or engage in any other instant-gratification activity, you’d get an instant hit of pleasure. However, this would be short-lived, as the brain would then push back on the see-saw, and you may soon feel bad or regret the decision.

Instead, imagine going out for a jog. Initially, you would feel discomfort as you push yourself to get moving. You might even need to push through a few pain barriers and force yourself to keep going. However, to balance things out, the brain would push down on the pleasure side of the see-saw, and you’d soon start to feel great. Most are familiar with the concept of a “runner's high.” Your see-saw would be back in balance, so there wouldn’t be a crash afterward. You would also have improved your health.

Addressing Anxiety and Addictive Behaviors

When we’re feeling anxious, it's natural to want to escape those uncomfortable feelings. We want to change our state ASAP. Often, we’ll go for the instant hit and push down on the pleasure side.

The problem is, our brain pushes back, and we’ll feel even more anxious afterward, so we’ll need to push down on it again, but this time harder. And again, and again.

The Vicious Cycle of Addiction

There’s another characteristic to this see-saw. The more we push down on the pleasure side, the more desensitized we become to pleasure, and the bigger the hit we need, so the harder we push on it.

As you can see, we’re now caught in a vicious cycle. We’re trying to escape our anxiety, but instead, we’re fueling it.

Breaking the Cycle

The first step to breaking the cycle is to notice when we’re feeling anxious and identify our go-to habits. It is possible to address anxiety yourself.

Anxiety can’t increase indefinitely. There’s a ceiling to how anxious we can feel, and after that point, it can only decrease.

If we sit with our anxiety and do not try to self-soothe by pushing down on the pleasure side of the see-saw, we’d soon realize that we can “surf” the wave of anxiety all the way safely back to the beach.

And once we realize we can “ride” our anxiety, we know we can do it time and time again.

We’ve fought back and won.

Embracing Discomfort for Long-Term Gain

We can also choose to push down on the “discomfort” side of the see-saw. We can address our problems head-on, go for a run, or start working on that difficult project we’ve been putting off.

Not only are we addressing the root cause of our anxiety, but our brains are rewarding us for our hard work. It's pushing down on the pleasure side of the see-saw and releasing all that wonderful dopamine in a sustainable manner.

Conclusion

This simple process is what's fueling your anxiety and addictive behavior.

I realize not everyone is in a position to flick a switch and change their behaviors overnight. Modern life is hectic, and we face all kinds of pressures and temptations.

Businesses make a lot of money by swamping us with opportunities for quick dopamine hits.

A lot of what we’re doing is also subconscious. We may not even be aware of it.

I work with clients to help reduce their stress levels, regain conscious control over their behaviors, and get back on their correct path in life. I do this in a quick, fun, and relaxed way using hypnotherapy, neuroscience, CBT, and solution-focused brief therapy.

Message me to find out more at stephen@navigatethecurve.com