As a psychotherapist who lives with ADHD and specializes in trauma work, I’ve come to deeply value the structure of a dopamine menu—both in my clinical practice and in my personal life. The truth is, regulating our nervous systems with ADHD isn’t just challenging—sometimes it feels impossible without concrete strategies.

Understanding the ADHD Dopamine Connection

ADHD brains have lower-than-average levels of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that regulates the body’s pleasure and reward systems. As a result, dopamine-increasing behaviors are even more gratifying to ADHD brains.

“Concerns about time or consequences are dwarfed by the pursuit of pleasurable reinforcement,” explains Ellen Littman, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist. “These dopamine-deficient brains experience a surge of motivation after a high-stimulation behavior triggers a release of dopamine, but in the aftermath of that surge and reward, they return to baseline levels with an immediate drop in motivation.”

This explains why we can get stuck in cycles—spending hours scrolling, gaming, or researching something intensely even when we don’t truly enjoy it. It’s not a lack of willpower; it’s our brains desperately trying to maintain dopamine levels. Creating a dopamine menu gives us more intentional pathways to regulation.

What is a Dopamine Menu and Why Do ADHDers Need One?

A dopamine menu is a personalized framework of activities that help regulate your nervous system, structured like an actual restaurant menu. But let’s be honest about what these categories really mean in daily life:

Starters (5-10 minutes): The things you can actually convince yourself to do when executive function has left the building.

Mains (15-30 minutes): Activities substantial enough to shift your state but don’t require planning a whole event.

Desserts (5-15 minutes): The high-dopamine hits that your brain craves—sometimes healthy, sometimes not, always compelling.

Sides (1-5 minutes): The sneaky ways you can layer in regulation while doing something else (because who has time for single-tasking?).

My Real-Life ADHD Dopamine Menu Examples

Let me share what’s actually on my menu—not the Instagram-worthy version, but the real one:

Starters:

• Washing dishes (turns out sensory input + immediate visible results = dopamine)
• Duolingo (the streak psychology works on therapists too)
• Dancing to exactly one song (any more feels overwhelming when regulated)
• Jumping on my mini-trampoline to one song (the neighbors must wonder)
• Making a cup of tea (the ritual matters more than the beverage)

Mains:

• Hiking (nature + movement = regulation gold)
• Hitting the gym (sometimes the only way to quiet the mental chaos)
• Ecstatic dance class (full permission to move however my body wants)
• Calling a friend (but only certain ones who get my brain)
• Getting dressed up for absolutely no reason (the transformation helps)
• TRE (Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises—weird but effective)

Sides:

• Podcast while walking (learning + moving = ADHD heaven)
• Planning my day in the shower (water + future-thinking)
• Sending voice notes while cleaning (connection without stopping movement)
• Audiobooks while driving (makes traffic almost bearable)

Desserts:

• Online shopping (the dopamine hit of possibility)
• Planning trips I may or may not take (the research rabbit hole)
• Scrolling Instagram (I’m a therapist, not a saint)
• Netflix (sometimes the only way to power down my brain)
• Smashing something (safely—controlled destruction is underrated)
• Screaming (my car is soundproof, thankfully)
• Eating something sweet (taste + immediate reward = classic dopamine hit)

Breaking the Dopamine Crash Cycle

Having activities across all these categories helps interrupt that crash Dr. Littman describes. Instead of getting stuck in one high-stimulation but ultimately depleting activity (looking at you, 3-hour social media scroll), we can intentionally choose from our menu based on:

• How much dopamine we need
• How much time we have
• What other resources (energy, focus, money) are available
• What withdrawal we might be experiencing

Making Your Menu VISIBLE and ACCESSIBLE

Here’s the thing about ADHD—out of sight means out of mind. The most brilliantly crafted dopamine menu is useless if you forget it exists when you need it most. Here’s how I make mine work:

Create a physical menu:

• I literally designed mine like a restaurant menu (with terrible clip art and all)
• Laminated it so it feels “official” and important
• Made multiple copies for different locations

Place it strategically:

• One copy stays on my refrigerator (food = attention)
• Another lives on my desktop- where I work!
• A digital version is saved as my phone wallpaper
• A mini-version lives in my wallet for on-the-go regulation

Color-code for accessibility:

• Green for activities I can do when already overwhelmed
• Yellow for activities that work when slightly dysregulated
• Red for “emergency” regulation needs

Remember: An ADHD brain in dysregulation finds it hard to process complex information. Your menu needs to be simple enough to use when your executive function is offline.

Dopamine Regulation for ADHD and Trauma: A Therapist’s Perspective

As a trauma therapist with ADHD, I’ve learned that regulation isn’t about perfect choices—it’s about honest ones. Some days my capacity is different than others:

• Sometimes only desserts sound appealing (especially during burnout)
• Some starters work when I’m anxious but not when I’m understimulated
• My sides save me during busy workdays when formal regulation isn’t possible

Why Creating Your Own ADHD Dopamine Menu Works

Creating a menu isn’t about self-improvement—it’s about self-knowledge. It’s recognizing that:

• Different brain states need different interventions
• Judgment only makes dysregulation worse
• Having options prevents the freeze of decision fatigue

What’s on your real, honest dopamine menu? The one you’d never post on social media but might actually use? Because that’s the one that will help you navigate ADHD and trauma responses when they arise. 

If you need further support with creating this and navigating your ADHD, please book in for a free 15 minute call to discuss further