You decide to take one more glance at your social media feeds before you settle in for a good night’s sleep. Two hours later, you’re still staring at your screen, your hopes of sweet dreams replaced by an unshakeable sense of despair. If this sounds familiar to you, it may be time to learn how to avoid the negative effects of doomscrolling.
What Is Doomscrolling?
If you’ve spent much time online, you’ve probably encountered the term doomscrolling. You may also have seen it spelled as two words: doom scrolling. But exposure isn’t the same as understanding. Exactly what is doomscrolling (or doom scrolling)?
The meaning of doomscrolling is spending too much time reading online news reports and/or social media updates.
Many modern websites and apps are set up so there’s no bottom (literally and figuratively). This means you can continue to scroll, with no chance of ever running out of content to consume.
Unfortunately, given the state of our world today and the nature of social media, that content is unlikely to be particularly uplifting.
Whether you’re reading about divisive domestic politics and global strife, or viewing carefully curated influencer accounts that promote unrealistic body images and unattainable lifestyles, taking in this information in large doses can undermine your self-worth and erode your hope for a brighter future.
Why Do People Start Doomscrolling?
Given the less-than-beneficial aspects of doomscrolling, it’s understandable to wonder why anyone would intentionally engage in this activity.
Here are a few possible motivating factors:
- Need for connection: Though various sources report that the term doomscrolling was first used around 2018. It became much more widespread in 2020, during the early, enforced-distancing days of the COVID-19 pandemic. With many businesses closed, spending additional time online became a way of remaining in contact with others. Though we’re no longer mandated to keep our distance from one another, the doom scrolling habit has persevered.
- Desire for information: Unlike with previous generations, there’s no end to the news cycle today. If you want to stay as informed as possible, you may feel pressured to check your preferred sites and apps on an ongoing basis throughout the day. Once you start reading about the latest developments, it can sometimes be hard to stop.
- Avoiding boredom: Nothing interesting on TV? Check your newsfeed! Standing in line at the grocery store? Pull up your favorite social media site! Website taking too long to load? Find something distracting on your phone! For many people, mobile devices are an ever-present shield against the threat of even brief periods of boredom.
- Escapism: Some people begin doom scrolling for the same reason that other people start drinking or using other drugs, as a means of temporarily escaping the stresses and frustrations of their daily lives. Instead of lying awake at night thinking about what went wrong during the day, or dreading what challenges may present themselves in the next 24 hours, they turn to their devices in an attempt to momentarily distract themselves.
What Are the Negative Effects?
As we alluded to earlier, doomscrolling doesn’t usually result in improved mood. Now, let’s take a closer look at the many potential negative effects of this behavior:
- Diminished self-esteem: When scrolling through social media apps, it can be easy to forget that you’re getting a curated, closely controlled glimpse into a small part of peoples’ lives. When you’re exposed to image after image of conventionally beautiful people wearing glamorous clothes while on dream vacations or enjoying luxurious nights on the town, it can be similarly easy to believe that the people you’re following are living these types of lives 24/7 – while you, by comparison, are stuck what you’ve suddenly come to think of as a far less successful and satisfying existence.
- Exhaustion: Many people doomscroll at night, when they should be sleeping. In addition to sleeping less, people who doom scroll before going to bed may also be undermining the quality of their sleep. Researchers have found that using any type of electronic device immediately before bed can degrade sleep quality, with the impact becoming more severe the more time a person spends with their device. Poor sleep has been linked with myriad physical and psychological concerns, including disrupted immune functioning, memory problems, delayed reaction time, and mood swings.
- Discouragement and despair: There’s a reason why the behavior we’re discussing in today’s post is called doom scrolling instead of joy scrolling. The harsh reality is that posts that prompt strong visceral reactions often get promoted by the algorithms. This means that the more you scroll, the greater the odds become that you’ll see something that disturbs or enrages you. And if you engage with these types of posts – which can include liking them, sharing them, or even voicing your opposition to them in the comments – you’ll probably start to see more of them.
How To Stop Doomscrolling
The remedy for doom scrolling is simple: Just stop looking at your device. Unfortunately, as is often the case, just because something is simple, that doesn’t mean it’s easy.
If you habitually doomscroll, it can be quite difficult to stop. But with a combination of effort and strategy, you can free yourself from this self-defeating compulsion. Here are a few suggestions for how to stop doomscrolling once and for all:
- Give yourself a deadline: Pick a time to stop using your phone or other device, ideally at least an hour before you typically go to bed. Set an alarm or reminder. When your deadline arrives, put down your device and don’t pick it up until the next morning.
- Make your bedroom a screen-free environment: You can’t doomscroll if you don’t have a device nearby. Charge your phone, tablet, or other devices in another room. When your deadline alarm goes off, plug in your devices for the night, away from where you’ll be sleeping.
- Develop an offline bedtime routine: There are many ways to wind down without staring at a screen. Meditate. Write in your journal. Read a physical book, magazine, or newspaper. Have a conversation with your partner. Mentally review plans for tomorrow. Find an activity you enjoy and make it a nightly habit.
- Install an app blocker: Yes, you can use technology to limit your use of technology. With a bit of research, you can find a host of apps that will restrict your use of other apps. Then it’s just a matter of configuring the blocker to prevent you from accessing certain sites during the time period that you’d previously dedicated to doomscrolling.
If Your Mental Health Has Been Negatively Affected, Contact Renewal Health Group for Help
If your doomscrolling is related to anxiety, depression, or another mental health concern – or if you emotional well-being has been significantly diminished as a result of your online activities – you may need professional help.
Renewal Health Group is a trusted source of personalized care for adults whose lives have been disrupted by addictions and certain co-occurring mental health disorders. When you choose one of the facilities in our network, you can expect to receive customized services and comprehensive support from a team of highly skilled professionals. Working together, we can help you find your path to a much healthier and more hopeful future.
To learn more or to schedule a free assessment, please visit our Contact page or call us today.
Published: 10/15/2024
