How to Stop Doom Scrolling to Escape Stress
Doom scrolling isn’t your only option to dealing with stress
Understanding the whys and whats to doom scrolling can help you to take meaningful actions to address stress.
When feeling overwhelmed with stress, worries, and fears, it can seem like the easier option to shutdown and avoid. With the increase of quick dopamine hits through short form media, doom scrolling becomes an easy and accessible option to escape the realities of hardship. Yet, doom scrolling becomes a negative when we find ourselves reliant on a false reality that takes away from meaningful time spent in our limited time of life.
What is Doom Scrolling?
Doom Scrolling is defined as the act of spending excessive amounts of time binging social media or online content as a form of escape or avoidance.
Some people may try to quit doom scrolling cold turkey by deleting certain apps or trying to stay away from certain social media. Though it may be effective for some, for many, it’s not sustainable. Instead, people end up returning to the cycle of avoidance by:
1) Doom scrolling when stressed and overwhelmed
2) Feeling guilty about the act of doom scrolling
3) Thinking negatively about one’s self
4) Trying to take drastic measures to stop doom scrolling
5) Eventually feeling stressed and overwhelmed again
Rather than focus on quitting doom scrolling, it’s important to understand WHYs from a non-judgmental perspective.
The 4 WHYs of Your Doom Scrolling Habit
Why do I feel stressed and overwhelmed?
Why do I feel relief from stress when I use social media and other apps?
Why do I feel bad about myself for doom scrolling?
Why do I want to stop doom scrolling?
The WHYs help you to understand the reasons for doom scrolling, which then helps you to create sustainable steps and actions to address the WHYs with WHATs.
The 4 WHATs of Your Doom Scrolling Habit
What are some small actions I can take to address what’s causing the stress?
What are things I can do to help me feel relaxed and reassured to release stress?
What can I do to remind myself of my needs and wants to help validate my feelings?
What are other activities that I can engage in to create more meaningful and intentional habits?
Taking Action to Make Sustainable Changes
Lastly, after identifying the WHATs, it’s important to try and ACT on the ideas that you’ve identified. Remember, it’s not perfection, but willingness that helps to break cycles and create change.
The difference between avoidance and approach to stress is the intention to engage and address stressful feelings. Knowing that you have the ability to support yourself when feeling overwhelmed can help you to create more sustainable habits that align with your values.
