How to stop doomscrolling: 10 ways to break the habit
SOURCE: Calm
Are you stuck in a doomscrolling loop? Learn why it's so addictive, how it can affect your mental health, and 10 tips to help you feel more in control of your screen time.
You know the scene: You open your phone to check the weather, or maybe it was just to glance at the news. What should take a few seconds turns into a 20-minute doomscrolling adventure you didn’t mean to engage in. You want to put your phone down, but as you scroll past disasters, crisis updates, infuriating hot takes, and grim predictions, you feel almost obligated to give it your attention. There’s a voice in your head telling you it’s “important” to stay informed, but you don’t feel informed. You feel overwhelmed.
Doomscrolling comes for us all.
It makes sense that we reach for our phones looking for answers, clarity, or even just a sense of control. But what we often find is a flood of worst-case scenarios, unfiltered grief, and algorithm-optimized outrage. And before we know it, we’re stuck in a cycle that drains our energy, spikes our stress, and leaves us feeling more disconnected than ever.
Doomscrolling isn’t just a tech issue — it’s a nervous system issue. And while the world doesn’t pause to give us breaks, we can learn to step out of the spiral when it starts to pull us under. Let’s explore how to find more ease in our relationship with the digital world.
What is doomscrolling?
Doomscrolling is the act of continuously consuming media, mostly with a negative spin, often through social media or news apps, even when it’s emotionally taxing, mentally draining, or you simply don’t want to. It’s the late-night spiral where one tragic headline leads to another, or the habitual quick check of your notifications turns into 45 minutes of media consumption.
Doomscrolling can feel like you’re chasing something (an answer, a solution, a sense of certainty?), but instead, you end up feeling worse than when you started.
The term “doomscrolling” might sound like internet slang, but the behavior it describes is deeply human. We’re wired to pay attention to threats, and it’s our due diligence to stay informed. However, in today’s digital landscape, where information travels at the speed of light and distressing stories are always trending, our brains struggle to keep up.
Doomscrolling isn’t always about the news. For some, it’s diving into heated comment sections, watching upsetting videos, or falling down Reddit rabbit holes about the collapse of society as we know it. The content varies, but the helplessness, fear, and fatigue it leaves in its wake are the same.
Why is doomscrolling so addictive?
Doomscrolling is more than a bad habit — it’s the result of humans clashing with the addictive nature of technology. That combination makes it incredibly hard to put your phone down, even when you know it’s taking a toll.
At the root of doomscrolling and its addictiveness is our brain’s negativity bias, a survival mechanism that makes us hyper-aware of threats. Thousands of years ago, this kept people alive, but today, it bombards you with breaking news alerts, viral outrage, and worst-case-scenario headlines. Your brain perceives these as urgent and keeps you scrolling in search of clarity, resolution, or just the next “dopamine hit”.
Modern apps are designed to capitalize on our instinct to stay informed. Features like infinite scrolling, videos automatically playing, and an algorithm that seems to know you better than you know yourself are engineered to hold your attention. And because doomscrolling often occurs when you’re tired, anxious, or craving distraction, it’s easy to fall into the loop.
What effects can doomscrolling have on your mental health?
Doomscrolling can take up a ton of your time, but it can also wear you down mentally and emotionally. The constant stream of negative content can have real, lasting effects on how you feel, think, and function.
Here’s how:
Heightened anxiety and chronic stress: Your brain stays stuck in threat mode, making you feel constantly on edge. This can lead to a near-permanent sense of unease or dread.
Sleep disruption: Late-night scrolling can overstimulate your mind, making it harder to fall asleep or stay asleep. Your body stays wired long after you’ve put the phone down.
Numbness and emotional fatigue: Too much distressing content can leave you feeling disconnected or desensitized to what’s going on in the world, which is your brain trying to protect itself from overload.
Increased hopelessness and helplessness: The more bad news you consume, the harder it feels to believe anything can get better. That sense of powerlessness can quickly turn heavy.
Reduced focus and productivity: When your mind is spinning from what you’ve read, it’s tough to be present in daily life. Even basic tasks can feel overwhelming.
Isolation and disconnection: What starts as a search for connection can leave you feeling more alone. Instead of shared moments, you’re left scrolling in silence.
How to stop doomscrolling: 10 tips to live a more balanced life
Breaking the doomscrolling habit isn’t just about willpower. It’s also about awareness of the habit, setting boundaries with yourself, and having healthier defaults to resort to when the spiral starts. These 10 tips can help.
1. Name it when it’s happening
The moment you catch yourself caught in the scroll, name it. You can literally say out loud, “This is doomscrolling,” and put the phone down. Take it one step further by making it a point to ask yourself what you’re searching for every time you pick up your phone. Are you looking for information? An escape? Comfort?
2. Set time-bound check-ins
Instead of endlessly checking the news, decide when and for how long you’ll engage. You might set a 15-minute news window in the morning while you have coffee and again in the evening after dinner. Set a timer if you have to, or use app-blocker tools.
3. Unfollow the worst offenders
Audit your social media feed and unfollow or mute accounts that make you feel upset. Who leaves you feeling helpless, enraged, or exhausted after every post? Put them on pause. Your nervous system will thank you. Replace those accounts with ones that center solutions, community, or even humor.
4. Create a digital decompression ritual
After reading the news or engaging online, do something that brings your attention back to the present moment. This might be stepping outside for a few minutes to take in the sounds, petting your dog or cat, or doing a 60-second grounding practice like the 5-4-3-2-1 sensory check-in. Rituals train your brain to transition out of hypervigilance and step back into the world around you.
5. Put physical distance between you and your phone
If your phone is the portal to negativity or overwhelm, reduce your proximity to it. Pay special attention to how plugged in you are during bedtime, first thing in the morning, or when you’re overwhelmed.
Charge your phone outside the bedroom and use an actual alarm clock. Put it in a drawer during meals. Yes, it’ll feel weird at first, but it’ll feel more natural over time.
6. Keep a doom-free folder on your home screen
Fill one screen of your phone with apps or bookmarks that can hold your attention in healthier ways. That way, when the urge to scroll hits, you’ve got a nearby detour to somewhere softer, like nature cams, calming playlists, breathwork tools, or silly videos that make you laugh.
7. Have a simple grounding phrase ready
Create a short, calming phrase or mantra you can repeat when you’re spiraling.
Some examples include:
“I’m safe right now.”
“This isn’t mine to solve tonight.”
“I can come back to this later.”
Saying it out loud or even to yourself can interrupt the loop and soften the grip of urgency.
8. Make it a social shift
Doomscrolling thrives in isolation. Share your intentions with a friend or partner. Check in with each other about how much time you’re spending online and how you’re feeling after.
Even just texting “I’m in a spiral” to a trusted person can help break the trance. Plus, who knows, maybe they could use a buddy to help them break the spiral, too.
9. Notice what you’re really seeking
Are you looking for control? Connection? Reassurance? Distraction? Once you understand the underlying need behind the behavior, you can address it more directly.
If you’re feeling anxious, try a few deep breaths instead of reaching for your phone. If you’re lonely, send a voice memo to a friend. If you’re bored, move your body. Scroll with intent, or step away with purpose.
10. Practice compassionate discipline
Remember that your instincts to protect yourself are deeply ingrained in your body. Even if you’re hoping to let doomscrolling go, you may not break the habit overnight. But every time you catch yourself, pause, and choose something else, you’re making positive shifts. The goal isn’t perfection, it’s presence.
How to stop doomscrolling FAQs
Why is it so hard to stop doomscrolling?
Doomscrolling activates a part of the brain that constantly scans for threats and tries to make sense of uncertainty, which is also deeply wired into our survival instincts. Combine that with social media platforms that are built to capture and hold your attention using infinite scroll, personalized algorithms, and emotionally charged content, and you’ve got a perfect storm.
Add in stress, boredom, or exhaustion—times when our self-control is lowest—and it’s no wonder the cycle pulls us in so easily.
Is doomscrolling bad for your mental health?
While staying informed is important, doomscrolling keeps your nervous system in a state of chronic stress. This can increase feelings of anxiety, irritability, sadness, and even physical symptoms like fatigue or tension headaches.
Over time, the flood of negativity can also lead to emotional numbness or a sense of helplessness, which may impact your ability to focus, connect, or find joy in daily life.
That said, the goal isn’t to avoid news entirely or live in denial. It’s to consume information in ways that are manageable and balanced.
Read more: What is the window of tolerance? Plus, how it helps manage stress
What’s the difference between doomscrolling and regular scrolling?
Regular scrolling is chill, like browsing recipes, catching up on friend updates, or watching dog videos. Doomscrolling often involves a sense of urgency or dread, and you find yourself seeking out bad news, or getting sucked into a loop of distressing content, even though you’re already feeling worse with each swipe.
How can I stop doomscrolling without deleting social media?
You don’t have to delete all of your apps to find some peace. Start with setting limits with app timers, scheduling specific windows to check news, or removing shortcuts from your home screen to make access to this type of content less automatic.
Curate your feed to include accounts that offer perspective, hope, or grounding, not just doom and drama. You can also create rituals to transition out of doomscrolling, like taking a few deep breaths, stepping outside, or texting a friend when you feel the urge to spiral.
Who is doomscrolling most likely to affect?
Anyone can get caught in the negative effects of doomscrolling, but it tends to hit hardest for people who are already anxious, sensitive to world events, or deeply empathetic.
People in caregiving roles, activists, journalists, and those who’ve experienced trauma may also be more vulnerable, because they’re wired to pay close attention to suffering or injustice.
SOURCE: Calm
