Let’s start with the obvious:
You’ve been feeling foggy.
Flat.
Discouraged.
Unusually unmotivated.
Like your get-up-and-go... got up and left.
And because you’re a pastor, your mind reaches for the usual explanations:
“I must be under attack.”
“This feels like a dry season.”
“God seems distant.”
“Something’s wrong spiritually.”
Maybe you even blamed
the devil,
your schedule,
the church,
the culture,
the weather,
your dog,
or the elder who still wants to sing the Gaither Vocal Band’s entire catalog every Sunday.
But stop for one second.
If all of this is happening alongside some
doom scrolling,
late-night streaming,
constant notifications,
endless news cycles,
YouTube rabbit holes,
sugary pick-me-ups,
and phone-checking between every task…
…then your problem may not be spiritual at all.
It may simply be dopamine quicksand—a state you slide into gently, quietly, and all by yourself.
Not because you’re sinful.
Not because you’re weak.
But because your brain chemistry doesn’t care that you're a pastor.
It reacts the same whether you’re a teenager on TikTok or a seminary grad on Facebook.
The Overspiritualizing Trap
As pastors, we’re trained (almost conditioned) to interpret internal states spiritually.
Feel tired? Must be warfare.
Feel unmotivated? Must be a dry season.
Feel mental fog? Obviously an attack.
Feel numb? Surely divine distance.
But not every slump comes from the pit of hell.
Sometimes it comes from the pocket of your pants...
... where your phone lives like a small, rectangular Dementor gently sucking the life out of you one swipe at a time.
You can’t fix a behavioral problem with a spiritual diagnosis. And dopamine quicksand is almost always behavioral.
What Dopamine Quicksand Actually Is (And What Happens in Your Brain)
Let’s keep this simple.
Your brain has what neuroscientists call a pleasure–pain balance, and it runs on dopamine.
Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that fuels motivation, focus, and drive.
When you take a cheap pleasure hit (scrolling, binge-watching, sugar, noise, constant stimulation), dopamine spikes quickly.
But here’s the catch:
Every spike creates a dip.
And the bigger the spike, the bigger the dip.
Your brain, trying to maintain equilibrium, pushes the pleasure–pain seesaw down on the “pain” side to counterbalance all the quick dopamine.
So after the quick pleasure, you feel:
- Flat
- Foggy
- Unmotivated
- Frustrated
- Emotionally muted
- Like someone unplugged you from the wall
- And like productivity died and left no forwarding address
This “low dopamine state” is what scientists call downregulation.
Downregulation is your brain reducing dopamine receptors so you don’t overstimulate yourself into outer space.
This is the moment where you feel bad, so what do you do?
You reach for the thing that made you feel good five minutes ago.
You scroll again.
You click again.
You snack again.
You stimulate again.
And down you go…
deeper into dopamine quicksand.
What's left is that empty feeling...
It feels like it's spiritual.
It feels like God is distant.
It feels like warfare.
But it’s just brain chemistry reacting to your habits.
You didn’t lose your calling, bro.
You drained your chemicals.
How You’re Slipping Into Quicksand Without Realizing It
Let’s get real for a moment.
Your dopamine quicksand isn’t coming from “mysterious sources.”
It’s coming from:
- Scrolling long after you’re tired enough to sleep
- Constant background noise so your brain never has silence
- Taking your phone into the bathroom (don’t deny it—God sees)
- Sugar and caffeine spikes to push through ministry fatigue
- Checking news apps every time you feel bored
- Falling into YouTube sermons you’re “studying” but really avoiding work
- Giving your nervous system zero time to breathe
None of these are spiritual issues.
They’re rhythm issues.
And rhythms either restore your energy…
...or drain it faster than your church’s budget in Christmas Cantata season.
The Good News: If You Dug It, You Can Fix It
This is not shame.
This is not guilt.
This is not spiritual condemnation.
This is stewardship.
The problem is self-inflicted.
Which means the solution is fully within reach.
You don’t need a breakthrough.
You probably need a reset.
A simple one.
A fast one.
One you can do today.
The 3-Step Pastor Dopamine Reset
This is where you get your clarity back.
This isn’t difficult.
It just requires honesty… and small actions in the right direction.
1. Stop the Leak
Interrupt the stimulation cycle:
- Delete the most time-wasting app for 24 hours
- Turn off notifications
- Phone in another room for the morning
- No screens 30 minutes before bed
- No doom scrolling around morning devotions (that's like throwing vinegar into Mabel Lou's banana pudding)
This stops the quicksand from getting deeper.
For many of us, a simple rule like "first poop, no phone" could be life-changing.
(Just keeping it real.)
2. Create Energy on Purpose
When dopamine is depleted, your body must lead your mind.
Do one of these:
- 30 seconds of fast breathing
- 10–15 pushups
- Splash cold water on your face
- A 5-minute brisk walk
- Shake out your limbs like you’re trying to get Pentecostal without speaking in tongues
This sends your brain a message:
“We’re changing direction now. I'm in charge again.”
It gives you the first spark... a catapult out of the emotional swamp.
3. One Small Win to Regain Momentum
The spark won’t last long...
You must turn it into momentum right away!
Do something embarrassingly small:
- Make your bed
- Clear the top layer of clutter from your desk
- Wash one dish
- Send one overdue message
- Fold one towel like a functioning adult
Momentum is medicine.
Small wins reboot your brain faster than big goals.
Bonus: One Stability Habit (10–15 Minutes)
To lock in the reset, choose one simple, low-resistance activity:
- Walk outside with no phone
- Read one Psalm slowly
- Sit with coffee in silence
- Stretch for five minutes
- Breathe deeply and thank God for oxygen, which He provides free of charge
This is where your dopamine stabilizes and your spiritual life becomes clear again.
Bottom Line
Ask yourself:
“What habit or emotion made me reach for cheap pleasure?”
Not to feel guilt...
But to learn the pattern.
Because wisdom isn’t avoiding trouble.
It’s recognizing the trailhead that leads to it.
The devil doesn’t need to attack you, brother, if your phone can do it for him.
So before you rebuke the enemy…
Check your dopamine.
More Resources To Help You Optimize
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