Doomscrolling is something many of us are guilty of. It involves consuming excessive amounts of negative online content – often by scrolling through social media for long periods. This content could include negative news stories, negative comments or ‘rage-bait’ content (specifically designed to make people angry).
A lot of us become addicted to doomscrolling out of morbid curiosity. We want to know just how bad the world can get. However, constantly engaging with this content (or worse seeking it out) can cause social media algorithms to keep serving us this content. This can lead us to become increasingly anxious and depressed as we sink further down the rabbit hole of despair.
Taking steps to limit doomscrolling is important for our mental health. If you’ve noticed yourself becoming addicted to negative social media content, here are some things you can do to break this addiction.
Block/unfollow negative accounts
If your social media feeds have become a constant conveyor belt of doom and gloom, consider whether it’s time to reconsider which accounts you follow. Unfollowing news outlets that constantly share bad news or influencers that constantly share rage-bait should be the first step. You should then consider blocking any toxic account that you don’t follow but that regularly shows up in your feed. Different platforms have different ways to do this.
Mute toxic keywords
Many social media platforms also allow you to mute certain words and hashtags. While many people use this feature to hide TV and movie spoilers, it can also be used to hide certain content that is likely to sadden or enrage you. If you have PTSD, it could be important to do this with certain trigger words. This measure isn’t foolproof, but should help to filter out a lot of negative content.
Seek out positive media
There are plenty of social media accounts that mostly share good news, motivational content or humorous content. Consider following more of these accounts to help reconfigure your social media algorithms. It’s worth noting that there is also plenty of feelgood media you can consume off social media. This includes books, documentaries, podcasts and movies with inspirational or optimistic themes. If you’ve noticed yourself starting to lose faith in humanity, consider seeking out media centered around incredible acts of bravery and kindness.
Set social media time limits
There are apps that can help you limit your time on social media by only allowing you to access apps during certain hours or for a certain length of time. Alternatively, you can simply use alarms to tell you when to get off social media – or even to tell you when you’re allowed on social media in the evening. Good times to avoid social media include first thing in the morning, at work and 1 hour before you go to bed. Taking measures to limit time on social media could help to prevent doomscrolling.
Get away from your phone
If you find yourself subconsciously opening your social media apps or even disabling settings used to limit social media scrolling, consider whether you need to take the more drastic approach of distancing yourself from your phone. This could include keeping your phone in another room during certain hours in the evening so that you’re not tempted to pick it up and start scrolling. This strategy may not work during periods where you need your phone.
Challenge yourself to a month with no social media
To truly see the impact that doomscrolling is having on your mental health, it could be worth challenging yourself to take a break from social media in order to see the effects. A month away from social media could force you to focus on other things and make you realise the world is not so bad. Publicly broadcast to your social media channels that you’re taking a month’s break – this will make you more keen to prove to your followers that you can do it.
Treat boredom with other activities
Doomscrolling is often something we do out of boredom. Finding other activities to do when you are bored can help you to limit doomscrolling. You could treat your boredom by solving puzzles – a crossword or a sudoku can be a great way to pass the time, while exercising your brain. Alternatively, you could try reading a book or seeking out new music. Engaging in creative hobbies like baking, writing blog posts or making art can be another great way to treat boredom.
Connect with people in real life
Spending time with people offline can remind you of how real social interactions work. On social media, people have much less of a filter – everyone can seem rude and judgmental. In the real world, social interactions don’t work like this – most people want to create harmony. Make an effort to spend more time with family and friends, and less time interacting with social media users. If you don’t have anyone you can talk to, consider joining local clubs or participating in community events in order to meet people.
Doomscrolling is something many of us are guilty of. It involves consuming excessive amounts of negative online content – often by scrolling through social media for long periods. This content could include negative news stories, negative comments or ‘rage-bait’ content (specifically designed to make people angry).
A lot of us become addicted to doomscrolling out of morbid curiosity. We want to know just how bad the world can get. However, constantly engaging with this content (or worse seeking it out) can cause social media algorithms to keep serving us this content. This can lead us to become increasingly anxious and depressed as we sink further down the rabbit hole of despair.
Taking steps to limit doomscrolling is important for our mental health. If you’ve noticed yourself becoming addicted to negative social media content, here are some things you can do to break this addiction.
Block/unfollow negative accounts
If your social media feeds have become a constant conveyor belt of doom and gloom, consider whether it’s time to reconsider which accounts you follow. Unfollowing news outlets that constantly share bad news or influencers that constantly share rage-bait should be the first step. You should then consider blocking any toxic account that you don’t follow but that regularly shows up in your feed. Different platforms have different ways to do this.
Mute toxic keywords
Many social media platforms also allow you to mute certain words and hashtags. While many people use this feature to hide TV and movie spoilers, it can also be used to hide certain content that is likely to sadden or enrage you. If you have PTSD, it could be important to do this with certain trigger words. This measure isn’t foolproof, but should help to filter out a lot of negative content.
Seek out positive media
There are plenty of social media accounts that mostly share good news, motivational content or humorous content. Consider following more of these accounts to help reconfigure your social media algorithms. It’s worth noting that there is also plenty of feelgood media you can consume off social media. This includes books, documentaries, podcasts and movies with inspirational or optimistic themes. If you’ve noticed yourself starting to lose faith in humanity, consider seeking out media centered around incredible acts of bravery and kindness.
Set social media time limits
There are apps that can help you limit your time on social media by only allowing you to access apps during certain hours or for a certain length of time. Alternatively, you can simply use alarms to tell you when to get off social media – or even to tell you when you’re allowed on social media in the evening. Good times to avoid social media include first thing in the morning, at work and 1 hour before you go to bed. Taking measures to limit time on social media could help to prevent doomscrolling.
Get away from your phone
If you find yourself subconsciously opening your social media apps or even disabling settings used to limit social media scrolling, consider whether you need to take the more drastic approach of distancing yourself from your phone. This could include keeping your phone in another room during certain hours in the evening so that you’re not tempted to pick it up and start scrolling. This strategy may not work during periods where you need your phone.
Challenge yourself to a month with no social media
To truly see the impact that doomscrolling is having on your mental health, it could be worth challenging yourself to take a break from social media in order to see the effects. A month away from social media could force you to focus on other things and make you realise the world is not so bad. Publicly broadcast to your social media channels that you’re taking a month’s break – this will make you more keen to prove to your followers that you can do it.
Treat boredom with other activities
Doomscrolling is often something we do out of boredom. Finding other activities to do when you are bored can help you to limit doomscrolling. You could treat your boredom by solving puzzles – a crossword or a sudoku can be a great way to pass the time, while exercising your brain. Alternatively, you could try reading a book or seeking out new music. Engaging in creative hobbies like baking, writing blog posts or making art can be another great way to treat boredom.
Connect with people in real life
Spending time with people offline can remind you of how real social interactions work. On social media, people have much less of a filter – everyone can seem rude and judgmental. In the real world, social interactions don’t work like this – most people want to create harmony. Make an effort to spend more time with family and friends, and less time interacting with social media users. If you don’t have anyone you can talk to, consider joining local clubs or participating in community events in order to meet people.
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