Doomscrolling Is More Than Reading Bad News
COVID-19. Social distancing. Coronavirus. 2020 has brought us murder hornets, fire tornadoes, a pandemic, and three new words into our lexicon that will never leave.
There is another phrase/action you might not have heard yet, but you might be doing it right now––doomscrolling.
According to Healthline, doomscrolling is “the act of endlessly scrolling down one’s news apps, Twitter, and social media and reading bad news.”
With endless information at our fingertips 24/7, it’s almost impossible not to doomscroll. Our brains are hard wired to seek information that will help keep us safe.
Times have changed, but the concept remains the same — we are still guarding our castles.
Since the pandemic begin in March and life shut down, our phones and social media have become our only connection to the outside world during lockdowns. Those used to constant stimulation from others at work and in-person social gatherings, quarantine has been difficult.
Enter the doomscroll.
Doomscrolling often begins and ends somewhere between news alerts and comparing yourself to the girl you went to high school who has the “insta-perfect” life. Before you know it, hours have passed and you’re on the weird part of Reddit when all you wanted were the new COVID guidelines.
Instagram stalking your ex and the constant exposure to carefully curated content and edited photos is a far cry from reading about increasing COVID cases, wildfires, civil unrest, and whatever the season finale of 2020 has in store.
However, our brains don’t really know the difference. Stress is stress and depression is depression no matter the source.
Many studies have shown that social media can cause depression and anxiety regardless of content. That’s not to say dog videos on TikTok will cause the same reaction as seeing your uncle share a racist Facebook post, because they won’t.
One study found that watching cute animal videos improved mood and productivity. On the flip side, The American Psychological Association conducted a study of social media users and unsurprisingly found engaging in and reading political posts and discussions online was a significant source of stress.
While the social comparison and negative feelings are not a part of the official definition of doomscrolling, your negative feelings of anxiety and depression caused by social media are valid.
Not everyone experiences intense feelings of FOMO, insecurity, and the comparison spiral from looking at Instagram; if you do, that’s your doom.
Regardless of the virtual source of your genuine anxiety, doomscrolling is doing more harm than good.
Do you mindlessly scroll through CNN when you first wake up?
Do you purposefully seek distressing information online?
Have you ever had a bad day at work, hop on Instagram and find out your former co-worker landed your dream job that you also applied for? Does this information led to you crying into a carton of Ben & Jerry’s while re-watching Love Island? Note: it’s okay if it does.
Did you find this article while doomscrolling, or while searching how to stop doomscrolling?
In this insane world where the next fire tornado or Cthulhu himself could attack at any minute, it’s hard to stop doomscrolling. Staying informed is one thing, but harming your health to know every little thing as soon as it happens is when your phone becomes a tool of destruction.
Want to keep your doomscrolling in check? Here are a few tips.
Avoid social media before bed
Not only is that last-minute scroll through Twitter cause some negative emotions, it is also going to wreck your sleep which can further exasperate depression, stress, and anxiety. This creates a vicious cycle of sleep deprivation and worsening mental health.
Those who use social media up to 30 minutes before bed are 1.5 times more likely to experience disrupted sleep and lowered sleep quality.
Make social media harder to access
This tip, courtesy of Mashable is to reorganize the apps on your phone to make social media more difficult to access. Move social media apps from your phone’s homepage into a folder on another page.
Making yourself work a little harder to get to your apps will limit the time you spend on them.
Do a digital detox
A digital detox is exactly what you think it is. Today, it can be difficult if almost impossible to avoid your devices. If doing a digital detox is impossible, limit non work-related screen time to a specific time during the day.
If you find a specific social media platform is a major distraction and time waster (for many, it’s Instagram), delete it for a certain amount of time. This may seem like an extreme step, but it’s the best way to ensure your digital detox stays on track.
If a digital detox scares you, start small with a digital fast by not looking at your phone on certain days of the week.
To get the most of your digital fast, keep a journal to record your thoughts on the experience, which science says will be positive.
Next time you feel overwhelmed by technology, go back and read your thoughts. This will inspire you to cut back or even do another digital detox.
Use app blockers
Social media is the biggest reason we are distracted at work and while completing other tasks. If you really want to buckle down and stop the doomscrolling, unrealistic comparisons, and distractions, get an app blocker.
It sounds like app Inception, (appcetion, if you will) -an app that blocks other apps. This high-tech but simple concept might be exactly what you need.
Apps like Freedom, block social media, and certain websites to keep you focused. Next time you find yourself in doomscrolling spiral, download one of these apps and see how much you can check off your list.
Turn off notifications
Notifications are the ultimate distraction and dopamine fix. Our brains have become conditioned to every little “ping” or flag alert on our little pocket computers and the dopamine release it delivers.
Do you really need to know every time a Russian Twitter troll bot follows you on Twitter?
No.
Turning off notifications is the quickest and simplest way to limit your time on social media.
Physically/socially distance yourself from your phone
Go digital with physical distancing by leaving your phone behind. Many families have implemented a no phone at the dinner table rule to limit screen time.
A study published in the Journal for the Association of Consumer Research found that even keeping our phones nearby like your in pocket or purse reduces cognitive capacity and function, meaning we aren’t as socially engaged as we think we are.
Keeping your phone away during dinner or other gatherings is a great way to help maintain meaningful connections to those you care about the most.
Next time you sit down at the dinner table, leave your phone in your room. You can get through your mom’s chicken pot pie without checking Twitter.
You just read another post from In Fitness And In Health: a health and fitness community dedicated to sharing knowledge, lessons, and suggestions to living happier, healthier lives.
If you’d like to join our newsletter and receive more stories like this one, tap here.
