Avoiding the Emotional Spiral of Doom Scrolling
Doom scrolling can make you feel like you’re handcuffed to your phone. Setting healthy boundaries can be the key to unlocking the cuffs and breaking the spiral.
What is doom scrolling? Doom scrolling is when we sink deeper into our devices and follow a spiral of opinions, news, and headlines that lean in toward negative stories. Our notifications become beacons to the chaos in our world. Doom scrolling involves consuming information beyond the point that is healthy and productive. We all have different thresholds for the information we take in and how it impacts us. Doom scrolling is also a cyclical phenomenon where we engage in consuming media regardless of its intensity and harm. It’s associated with increased psychological distress, and it can lead to increased anxiety, poor sleep habits, difficulty concentrating or being present, and irritability. Doom scrolling may also interfere in relationships.
Doom scrolling is not synonymous with staying informed. Staying informed is a contained process where you can set limits for yourself with your media intake. The events around us demand our attention and impact our daily functioning. Information is easily accessible through the internet, and people everywhere are seeking solace. The accessibility of the information, combined with the way it is delivered through the internet and applications, creates conditions where the line between staying informed and doom scrolling is easily blurred.
There are several benefits of social media when utilized properly, and, at the same time, there are several ways to get sucked into the cycle of misuse. The following are steps that you can take to safeguard yourself and your mental health from falling into that cycle:
Limit your screen time. We have access to a plethora of devices allowing us to read news and chat with family, friends, and even strangers about how they feel and think about current events 24 hours a day. If screen time is becoming unmanageable you may be at more risk for doom scrolling and the negative effects of it.
Connect with organizations that are working to advocate for or resolve the issues you are passionate about. Being able to contribute can reduce feelings of isolation or helplessness that can accompany doom scrolling.
Talk to friends, family, or a professional about your thoughts and feelings. Doom scrolling behavior can continue or become more prevalent if you do not connect with at least one person offline.
Utilize self-care on a regular basis. Taking care of yourself helps to create a foundation for appropriate boundaries and balance.
Rather than scrolling, try strolling. Rather than seeking doom and gloom, try delighting in a spring bloom. Be mindful of the never-ending vortex of information.
References:
Rajeshwari S., & Meenakshi S. (2023). The age of doom scrolling - Social media's attractive addiction. The Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 12(21), 1-6. doi: 10.4103/jehp.jehp_838_22. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10079169/
Satici S.A., Gocet, T.E., Deniz, M.E., & Satici, B.(2023). Doomscrolling scale: Its Association with personality traits, psychological distress, social media use, and wellbeing. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 18(2), 833-847. doi: 10.1007/s11482-022-10110-7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9580444/
