Happy Hormones
Reference Guide

ADHD Executive Function Tools

A quick-reference card for four natural mood regulators
and the activities that trigger each one.

Where This Tool Helps

Screens are efficient. They deliver dopamine in seconds - the completion hit from a reply, the novelty of a scroll, the brief connection of a like. For people with ADHD, whose dopamine regulation is already less predictable, that efficiency is part of the problem. The pull toward screens is not laziness or poor discipline. It is a brain seeking a reliable source of a chemical it needs.

The reference card on the following page maps four neurochemicals - dopamine, oxytocin, endorphins, and serotonin - and the non-screen activities that reliably activate each one. Most of these take five to twenty minutes. None of them require a device. What this card does is make alternatives legible when you need them: not a vague instruction to "do something else," but a specific list you can scan when you are already in the pull.

Post this card where you reach for your phone. The steps below are designed for quick use - this is a reference, not a worksheet.

How to Use This Reference Guide

  1. Post it where you reach for your phone. The card is most useful when it is in the same environment as the urge - on your desk, on the bathroom mirror, next to your charger.
  2. Match to the moment. If you are home and have five minutes, serotonin options (sunlight, a short walk) are different from what works at your desk (completing a small task for a dopamine hit).
  3. Start with one activity, not a category. Pick a single item, not a whole quadrant. "Have some dark chocolate" is a decision. "Do something endorphin-related" is not.
  4. Use it during the pause, not after. The goal is to have something specific to reach for in the moment you notice the pull toward a screen. The longer you wait, the harder it is to redirect.
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Four Hormones, Twelve Activities

Dopamine Reward & Motivation
Complete one small task
Listen to a favorite song
Get a full night's sleep
Oxytocin Connection & Trust
Spend time with a pet
Offer physical affection (handshake, hug)
Do something for someone else
Endorphins Energy & Release
Exercise - any kind, any duration
Have a small piece of dark chocolate
Use a scent you enjoy (diffuser, candle, lotion)
Serotonin Calm & Stability
Get outside in direct sunlight
Go for a walk or do light cardio
Write in a journal for five minutes

Quick Decision Rule

If you notice the urge to pick up your phone and you are not acting on something specific, scan this card first. Pick one item from whichever quadrant fits your situation right now. Do that first.

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