Have you ever looked something up on the internet and found yourself falling down a rabbit hole of information on the topic? Sometimes it is something fairly benign, like following link after link with information about your favorite celebrity or television program or what have you. Sometimes, though, you might be clicking on link after link to learn more and more details about something much less pleasant than the latest update about your favorite show.
Take the news, for example. You might want to be a well-informed person, and so you spend a little time scanning the news each day. Or at least that is your intent. But it is pretty easy to go from a quick scan to a deep dive, spending your time pursuing more and more details about the various negative—or even alarming—stories you encounter online. Next thing you know, you have spent more time than you meant to online—maybe a lot more time. And it is possible that you are feeling more stressed out than you were when you started.
That tendency to chase down bad news online for lengthy periods of time is known as “doomscrolling.” And doomscrolling is not a great activity for your mental health.
We want to note here that “doomscrolling” is often meant to describe clicking through news story after news story, but the term also applies to ongoing scrolling on a social media app like Facebook or Twitter. But no matter what sort of content you are looking at, there is a case to be made that there are much better options for how you might spend your time.
Ask Yourself These Questions When You Find Yourself Doomscrolling
In an article titled “Doomscrolling: Stop the scroll, protect your mental health,” Alisa Bowman suggests paying closer attention to how you are feeling when you end up scrolling and scrolling on your phone. Bowman proposes a series of questions to ask yourself, writing:
- Can you do anything about the day’s news? In other words, does this information truly help you plan for the future? Or is it merely triggering negativity about a cause or event that you have no power to influence?
- How much information do you genuinely need to plan and make decisions? In most situations, some information is likely helpful, allowing you to weigh pros and cons and plan for the future. When most people doomscroll, however, they acquire much more information than they truly need to plan or make decisions…Instead, their information gathering leads to indecision, a sense of helplessness or increased negativity for no beneficial reason.
- How is time online affecting you? After you’re done scrolling, do you tend to feel better than before you started? Or worse?
- What are you missing out on because of your time spent scrolling? How does doomscrolling impact your sleep, relationships, work, mood and physical health?
That last question strikes us as particularly important. As we noted above, time spent doomscrolling is time you’re not spending doing something positive for yourself.
There are So Many Alternatives to Doomscrolling
The time you are currently spending doomscrolling—and potentially undermining your mental health—could be spent in so many different ways that offer actual benefits for your mental well-being.
For example, a lot of folks do their doomscrolling at night, which means they are staying up later and probably getting less quality sleep due to the ways in which nighttime screen time can disrupt our rest. All of which is to say that one of the things you could be doing instead of doomscrolling is sleeping—and that is good for your mental health.
But there are plenty of additional alternatives for those moments you find yourself doomscrolling during the day. A ten-minute walk, for example, offers benefits for your mental and physical health. A chat with a coworker (make sure you don’t stress them out by interrupting them mid-project) can help you build a friendship that boosts your mental health. Taking a few minutes to practice mindfulness meditation or to write in a journal may make you more comfortable with yourself and with any situation in which you find yourself.
It is important to remember you don’t have to give up your phone or the time you spend scrolling entirely and suddenly. Setting a doomscrolling time limit for yourself can help you get started on the project of shifting that time to more productive uses. You may discover that you can find the right amount of news scrolling that keeps you informed while protecting your mental health.
Peak View is a Beacon of Hope Instead of Doom
At Peak View Behavioral Health, we are in the business of helping individuals strengthen and maintain their mental health. Located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, we are committed to developing effective and personalized treatment plans grounded in evidence, experiencing, expertise, and empathy.
We offer inpatient, outpatient, and virtual treatment services, each of which is designed to help you make progress toward your mental health goals.
