For some, doom scrolling is a foreign term that when first heard of will remind certain individuals of the more popular term of “doomsday”. This term, however, is actually quite the opposite of the concept of “doomsday”. You are less likely to be warned by a stranger on the street with a sign reading “the end is near!” Rather, it’d make more sense for you to be warned that there is no end to near. So, what does this all mean and what exactly is doom scrolling?
Doom scrolling vs. Staying in the know.
Doom scrolling is the act of mindlessly scrolling through social media in a routine fashion. This behavior is defined as such when scrolling through media becomes damaging to our mental health. During the pandemic that we are currently in, it is important to stay informed on the latest developments. We must also remember to be mindful of ourselves and understand how checking up on these updates often could affect us. Constant news updates may lead us to feeling drained and unmotivated to focus on our daily tasks that begin to seem more insignificant the more we hear about our current crisis.
How do we avoid the habit of scrolling through endless doom?
The technological advancements that provide easy access to endless scrolling got you in this mess, it could also get you out of it. People with iPhones have access to a tool in their settings that allows them to set app limits for how long they could access an app per day. Once you open your settings, you will go to a section that is titled “Screen Time” which is where you will be able to set these time limits. For those who don’t have an iPhone, you could always just set limits for yourself through alarms.
Setting schedules for ourselves helps us not only avoid endless scrolling but also helps us manage our time more wisely overall. When we scroll through media, we lose out on time that could be spent doing other tasks that need to be done. Set time aside for you to do different tasks like working on homework, cleaning the house, organizing your room, or any other types of tasks you may have. On days when you don’t have work that needs to be done, plan to do something else besides going on social media!
Picking up new hobbies or just participating in different activities will limit our desire to look at media as often. Catch up with a friend and see how they are doing. If you are not up for human social interaction, go outside and play with your dog or take them for a walk. You could pick up a new book to read, discover new music, try out different creative art activities, or learn a new cooking recipe.
Just as there is no end near when it comes to doom scrolling, there is also no end near to the number of things you could do besides scrolling through media.