It is very difficult to keep our hands off our mobile phones and stay away from social media. If you are someone who keeps refreshing your social media feed and other sites to keep track of it in real-time, then you are not alone. This is very common and it is usually called doom scrolling. 

What is doom scrolling?

Doom Scrolling is when you constantly scroll or surf through social media in order to stay updated on the latest events and news, even if it is a bad one. Experts describe it as falling into deep, morbid rabbit holes filled with Coronavirus content, agitating yourself to the point of physical discomfort, erasing any hope of a good night’s sleep.”

While doom scrolling existed before the covid pandemic but it has really taken hold lately. It is not only about the virus, people can doom scroll through the news about other things as well. 

Is it bad? 

Doom scrolling can be really harmful to your physical and mental health. The covid-19 pandemic has created an overarching sense of anxiety and depression and doom scrolling adds to it. Even for people who don’t have a previous underlying mental health condition as constantly consuming bad news can lead to issues or focusing on the negative aspects of the world around you in a way that makes it more and more difficult to notice anything positive. Doom scrolling can cause stress as well. 

How can you stop it?

As news about the pandemic doesn’t stop, doom scrolling becomes a habit and it can be addictive as well. Here are some ways to stop it: 

• Set time limits: doom scrolling can last for hours, so set an alarm to get you out of your doom scrolling session. 
•  If Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or Twitter trigger doom scrolling sessions, consider deleting the apps entirely from your phone. You can log in from the browser when you feel like checking the apps. 
• Be mindful of what news you consume. 
•  The practice of doom scrolling can cause you to forget about anything except what is wrong in the world. To deal with it, make a list of things you are thankful for. This list can help foster a sense of optimism and calm in unstable times.

We hope these tips help you in dealing with your doom scrolling habit.