Stop Doomscrolling with This Expert Guide

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Learn what causes doomscrolling & how it impacts your mental health
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Doomscrolling is when you spend a lot of time reading news headlines or articles online and on social media, particularly negative news or posts. It can make you feel unsettled and hopeless, and we’re here to give you strategies to break the cycle. With the help of licensed clinical psychologist Chloe Carmichael, we’ll explain ways to stop doomscrolling , why it’s so addictive , the the effects on mental health , what to do when you feel like you can’t stop scrolling , and more.

Top Tips to Stop Doomscrolling

  1. Move your phone into another room.
  2. Turn off your notifications.
  3. Set time limits on apps.
  4. Curate your feeds to content that brings you joy.
  5. Seek out positive news.
  6. Dedicate time in your day to screen-free self-care activities.
  7. Reach out to a therapist for help.
Section 1 of 7:

How to Stop Doomscrolling

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  1. Putting your phone somewhere where you can’t immediately access it is a great way to stop doomscrolling. When you want to stop doomscrolling before bed or while you’re on the clock, put your phone in another room, inside one of your drawers, or a timed phone safe to keep yourself from accessing it. [1]
  2. 2
    Set time limits on apps. Time limits force you to stop doomscrolling by locking you out of apps, which gives you more time to do things that fulfill you, like pursuing hobbies or spending time with friends. Having time limits for your apps will also help improve your mental health. Setting a screen time limit to 30 minutes a day has been found to reduce loneliness and depressive symptoms, which can be extremely helpful for reducing doomscrolling. [2]
    • Give yourself grace and compassion when setting screen time limits. It isn’t realistic to go from 2 hours of scrolling per day to 15 minutes of scrolling overnight, so don’t beat yourself up for it. [3]
    • Instead of jumping from 2 hours to 15 minutes, gradually reduce your screen time limits. If you tend to scroll for an hour, limit yourself to 45 minutes for the first week, 40 the second week, 30 the third week, and so on.
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  3. 3
    Follow accounts that make you feel good instead of anxious. You have complete control over who you follow and what you view on social media. So, if you doomscroll a lot and constantly look into posts that make you anxious, take a second to unfollow and block accounts that don’t bring you joy or entertainment, or educate you on topics you’re interested in. When you encounter stressful posts from accounts you don’t follow, click the Not Interested button on the app you’re using. [4]
  4. 4
    Look for positive news. Actively seek out positive news to bring joy into your life. Check out sites like Positive News and Good News Network , look into good news hashtags on social media, like #positivenews and #globalpositivenews, and be proactive about consuming good news. Constantly scrolling through positive news may not erase all of the effects of doomscrolling, but it can help you be more mindful about how what you consume online affects your mental health. [5]
  5. 5
    Disable your notifications. Turning off your notifications means that you won’t have a little chime or vibrate constantly enticing you to look at your phone. By turning off your notifications, you will prevent constant news updates, messages from apps like Instagram and TikTok that make you want to scroll, and give yourself more time to do something else.
    • To turn off your notifications, go to your Settings app, find the Notification section, and select the apps that you want to disable notifications for.
  6. 6
    Use voice assistants instead of scrolling. To reduce your screen time, Carmichael suggests using voice technology. Whether it be Siri, Google Home, or Alexa, voice technology can tell you about things that you’d otherwise check your phone for. So instead of picking up your phone, opening the Weather app, and then suddenly finding yourself on TikTok, ask your voice assistant for weather updates.
  7. 7
    Keep a list of things you want to look at online. Carmichael says instead of ignoring the advantages of the internet completely, find a happy medium like a notepad around your house or post-it notes and keep a list of things you want to look into online. Then, dedicate an hour to checking it all out. This way, you can avoid constantly scrolling.
    • Have a cup of coffee or wine during your hour of scrolling to make the session more relaxing!
  8. 8
    Automate your online tasks. Carmichael says automating your online tasks is another helpful way to curb your screen time. Even if it seems daunting, getting your computer to do simple tasks like autofill tabs you always want to keep open can give you more time and energy to do other things, rather than constantly scrolling.
    • Because automating tasks gives you less time online, you have less of a chance of being exposed to content that makes you want to keep scrolling.
    • If you have Alexa or a similar voice assistant, Carmichael says to program them to have specific routines that force you to get off the screen or dedicate a limited amount of time to scrolling.
  9. 9
    Dedicate time to screen-free self-care activities. Another great way to stop doomscrolling is by doing other things in your life that don’t revolve around the screen. According to Carmichael, this can be anything from reading paperback books to cooking, cleaning, or finding non-screen-related things that you enjoy. By doing tasks that don’t involve a screen, you’ll be less inclined to doomscroll, as your attention is already occupied. Try one of these suggestions:
    • Meditating
    • Hanging out with friends
    • Going to the mall
    • Going to the park
    • Playing sports
    • Going to a concert or professional sporting event
    • Visiting a bookstore
    • Doing yoga
    • Going for a walk or run
    • Journaling
    • Calling a friend or loved one
    • Taking a bath
    • Drawing or painting
    • Exercising
  10. 10
    Be mindful of how posts make you feel. When you come across a post that makes you upset or gets you fired up, you may be inclined to interact with it without even thinking. However, constantly exposing yourself to upsetting content isn’t the best for your mental health. So, when a post makes you feel bad, unfollow the account that made the post and select “Not Interested” to filter it from your feed. After that, search for content that makes you happy or joyful. [6]
    • When you’re scrolling, ask yourself if the content makes you feel better or worse, how you feel after scrolling, and if you need to keep looking into that content to get a better idea of how it affects you.
  11. 11
    Practice being present. Being in the moment is a great way to stop doomscrolling, as it forces you to be aware of the content you’re consuming and how long you’ve been scrolling. It’s easy to scroll without thinking, but by taking a second to take in your surroundings, analyze what you’re looking at, and ask yourself if there’s any other way you could be better spending your time, you can shake yourself out of a scrolling session, get more energy and motivation, and push yourself to do something more fulfilling. [7]
    • Try focusing on things you can see, hear, smell, touch, and taste if you’re having a hard time being present.
    • Only give your energy to one thing at a time, as it’ll be easier to focus.
  12. 12
    Avoid jumping to the worst-case scenario. Assuming the worst-case scenario is a form of overthinking that tends to be rooted in stress and anxiety. It can also cause you to reach for your phone in search of news or posts that validate your feelings. When you find yourself catastrophizing, focus on specific things in your life that make you feel happy, comfortable, and safe, and try to remain hopeful about the state of the world, as it will keep you from going into a doomscrolling deep dive. [8]
    • Catastrophizing can lead to fearful, sad, and angry moods and a mind that spirals into hopelessness.
  13. 13
    Get outside and stay off your phone. When you’re outside, you have to be aware of your surroundings to make sure you don’t bump into others or get hurt, which is best done with your head out of your phone. Spending time in nature also improves your working memory, cognitive flexibility, and attentional control, giving you more control over what you think about and focus on. [9]
    • By having more control over what you think about and focus on, you can have an easier time putting your phone down and not doomscrolling.
  14. 14
    Reach out for help if you need it. When nothing is working and doomscrolling is getting in the way of your life, reach out for help. Whether you’re constantly isolating yourself from others to scroll on your phone, not sleeping well, or becoming increasingly anxious and depressed from scrolling, a therapist can be able to help. A therapist will support you and work with you to map out a plan to stop doomscrolling and reduce your screen time. [10]
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Section 2 of 7:

How Doomscrolling Affects Your Mental Health

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  1. 1
    Doomscrolling can reinforce negative thoughts and worsen anxiety and depression. When you’re constantly exposed to alarming news and posts about the state of the world, it can cause you to lose hope and feel anxious about the future, reinforcing negative thoughts and feelings you may already have. It can also worsen feelings of anxiety and depression through increased panic and worry. [11]
  2. 2
    Doomscrolling can lower productivity and concentration and increase mental fatigue. As you dedicate more time to doomscrolling, you will have less time to be productive and get things done. When you do try to get things done, you may find yourself having a hard time concentrating and accomplishing your goals due to how much energy doomscrolling has taken up. [12]
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Section 3 of 7:

Causes of Doomscrolling

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  1. Negativity bias is the tendency to look for media that confirms your negative feelings. For example, if you read a news story that talks about how climate change is worsening your quality of life, you may be inclined to continue looking into the topic to confirm your negative feelings about it, which can result in you heading down a rabbit hole of content and doomscrolling. [13]
  2. 2
    Anxiety, depression, and other mental illnesses If you struggle with mental illnesses like anxiety, depression, or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), you may intentionally seek out bad news to feel less isolated in the moment. If you struggle with anxiety, you’ll tend to want as much information as possible to feel in control. If you struggle with OCD, you’ll tend to fixate on a topic until it’s the only thing you can think about. Both of these habits can quickly induce doomscrolling habits. [14]
  3. 3
    Poor self-control If you have a hard time exercising self-control, you may be more inclined to scroll throughout the day. As you become accustomed to scrolling and make it a habit, you may constantly think about when you can scroll again whenever you try to put your phone down, which can result in you doomscrolling the next time you pick up your phone. [15]
  4. 4
    Uncertainty With supercomputers right at your fingertips, it’s easy to turn to the internet whenever you need an answer to something. Whether you’re uncertain about something in your relationship or something in the news, hopping on your phone and going down a rabbit hole related to the topic you’re uncertain about can quickly lead to doomscrolling. [16]
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Section 4 of 7:

Signs of Doomscrolling

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  1. Signs of doomscrolling include constantly or obsessively checking the news. There are key behaviors that signify doomscrolling, like finding it hard to stop scrolling, even during important tasks like work, cooking, or cleaning, and fixating on negative posts for hours. Additional signs of doomscrolling include: [17]
    • Checking the news multiple times a day.
    • Spending long periods reading the news.
    • Constantly feeling like you need to check the news or your social media because you might miss something important.
    • Reading multiple articles about the same news topic.
    • Obsessively viewing multiple posts about the same topic.
    • Feeling sad or on edge for the majority of the day after reading the news or scrolling.
    • Neglecting other responsibilities because of how news and posts online have affected you emotionally.
    • Trouble sleeping after reading the news.
Section 5 of 7:

Why is doomscrolling so addictive?

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  1. While doomscrolling can start as a way to de-stress after work or school, the quick activation of dopamine receptors from each video, post, or article can make it addictive. Addiction starts as a possible, dopamine-inducing activity, but as you continue to consume more content, less dopamine will be produced, causing you to chase that same feeling. [18]
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Section 6 of 7:

What to Do When You Can’t Stop Doomscrolling

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  1. Reach out to others and develop a plan for healthier digital habits. Even if you feel locked into your phone and wired to doomscroll, there are ways you can break out of it and replace your worried scrolling with positivity and action. Start by telling others about your scrolling habits to better hold yourself accountable, then develop a specialized plan to improve your digital habits and stick to it. Make sure the plan works for your lifestyle, too. For example, if you work in an online space, you’ll need more screen time during the workday. [19]
    • In your plan, include time limits and a curated feed of balanced content, dedicate time to reading instead of skimming through posts, and look for ways to contribute to real-life issues when something upsets you online.
    • If you’re really struggling, reach out to a therapist, as they can help you develop better digital habits.
Section 7 of 7:

How to Clear Brain Fog After Doomscrolling

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  1. To clear the brain fog that comes from doomscrolling, put yourself back into the world by calling and texting your friends, family, and loved ones, take a walk out into nature, and do something that challenges you, like learning something new or incorporating different things into your daily routine. [20]
    • Connecting with others, being in nature, and using your brain in new ways have been linked to improved memory and cognition.
  2. 2
    Practice thought-stopping. Thought-stopping is a technique used in cognitive behavioral therapy to combat negative, anxiety-inducing thoughts. It has been found to increase well-being and lead to a rebound effect, helping you come back from the stressful thoughts that arise during scrolling sessions. So, when you find yourself having anxious thoughts about the state of the world, stop those thoughts in their tracks and think about something that brings you joy or gets your mind off the news. [21]
    • When a negative thought pops into your mind (while scrolling or after), verbally tell yourself to stop or clap your hands to stop the thought.
  3. When you’re doomscrolling, it’s easy to compare yourself to other people and focus on what you’re lacking. When you find yourself with this mindset, practice being grateful for the things that you do have. Write in a gratitude journal, be honest about the good and bad things in your life, and dedicate time to making gratitude a routine so you don’t feel bad every time you get off your phone. [22]
    • Practicing gratitude doesn’t mean practicing toxic positivity. Let yourself feel bad sometimes and don’t force yourself to always look at the bright side, as it can result in you invalidating your own emotions.
    • Practicing gratitude can help reduce depression symptoms and increase your overall happiness and life satisfaction. [23]
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      References

      1. ↑ https://apnews.com/article/phones-bedtime-screens-night-blue-light-a7db582df6a888c1062c1490c5d3a485
      2. ↑ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11846175/#Sec27
      3. ↑ https://www.jeffersonhealth.org/your-health/living-well/how-to-stop-doomscrolling-once-and-for-all
      4. ↑ https://www.multicare.org/vitals/dangers-of-doomscrolling-how-to-avoid-addictive-habit/
      5. ↑ https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20210226-the-darkly-soothing-compulsion-of-doomscrolling
      6. ↑ https://www.jeffersonhealth.org/your-health/living-well/how-to-stop-doomscrolling-once-and-for-all
      7. ↑ https://psychcentral.com/blog/what-it-really-means-to-be-in-the-present-moment#tips-for-being-more-present
      8. ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/friendship-20/201611/5-ways-stop-catastrophizing
      9. ↑ https://www.apa.org/monitor/2020/04/nurtured-nature
      1. ↑ https://www.jeffersonhealth.org/your-health/living-well/how-to-stop-doomscrolling-once-and-for-all
      2. ↑ https://www.caldwellmemorial.org/wellness/wellbeing-with-caldwell/doom-scrolling-and-its-effect-on-your-mental-health/
      3. ↑ https://www.caldwellmemorial.org/wellness/wellbeing-with-caldwell/doom-scrolling-and-its-effect-on-your-mental-health/
      4. ↑ https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/doomscrolling
      5. ↑ https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/doomscrolling
      6. ↑ https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/doomscrolling
      7. ↑ https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/doomscrolling
      8. ↑ https://psychcentral.com/anxiety/what-is-doomscrolling
      9. ↑ https://www.multicare.org/vitals/dangers-of-doomscrolling-how-to-avoid-addictive-habit/
      10. ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/screen-time/202502/doomscrolling-why-cant-we-stop
      11. ↑ https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/mental-health-cognition-improvement.html
      12. ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/confessions-of-a-psychological-first-responder/202309/the-art-of-thought-suppression?amp
      13. ↑ https://grateful.org/resource/how-to-practice-gratitude/
      14. ↑ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30949102/

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