The term doomscrolling has become popular on the internet lately because a lot of people are affected in some way by it. In this article, I will be uncovering doomscrolling, what it really is, and how to stop it.
What is Doomscrolling
Doomscrolling is, simply put, an obsession with scrolling the internet in search of doom. It is a habit that makes a person spend time on social media sites and news websites, looking for bad news that can trigger them and make them anxious.
Tess Brigham, a psychotherapist, believes that people who have anxiety are more prone to doomscrolling—he believes one of the reasons people doomscrolling is so they can have the feeling of being in control of the world.
Whatever the reason for doomscrolling, the habit is just bad for your mental health and can make you become anxious and afraid, and likely stressed, since our bodies release stress hormones when we doomscroll.
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How to Stop Doomstrolling
1. Boundaries
One of the most effective ways to stop doomscrolling is mapping out strong boundaries for yourself. I advise that you start by paying much attention to your screen time. How much time do you spend on social media?
Try to limit this. It is good that you stay informed and not overwhelmed. So, follow only media pages that do not put too much fear out there. Be fine with just knowing what is happening. Do not take a step further to be consumed by all the fearful details about it.
2. Deal With Your Anxiety
Since doomscrolling is usually a response to anxiety, try as much as you can to keep your anxiety in check.
If you have clinical anxiety and are on medication, be meticulous with taking your medication. Also, seek therapy. Talk to your therapist about your concerns.
Anxiety grows even more when you give it the room to thrive, so don’t give in to that urge to doomscroll when next the urge comes. Turn to do something else.
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3. Read Good Stuff
One of the ways to shut out the bad stuff is to fill your mind with good stuff. So, instead of bad news, how about you turn to read good stuff online?
Even though it may not seem like it, a least not yet, there are a lot of good things also happening in the world. And these things can make you feel as good as you would want to feel. So, turn to them.
Download apps on your phone where you can read what makes you happy. Follow sites that post humorous stuff.
4. Get a Hobby
There is a chance that you may be doomscrolling because you are bored. So, a hobby is so going to help you, as it will take away some of the time you spend looking at your phone and have you focus on the real world.
It is important that we focus on the present and not be affected much by fear of the future.
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5. Limit Your Exposure to News
Limiting your exposure to news does not mean that you should be oblivious to what is happening around you and in the world. But little good is accomplished when you spend an excessive amount of screen time watching disturbing news over and over.
Photo by Vladyslav Tobolenko on Unsplash
