You come out of a trance of mindlessly reading through social media posts and realize that hours have passed. Even worse, now you feel extremely anxious because you were unintentionally reading bad news story after bad news story. If this sounds familiar, you might be doomscrolling (or doomsurfing)—spending an excessive amount of time reading negative news online and on social media.
Journalist Karen K. Ho didn’t invent the term but helped popularize the concept of doomscrolling amid the coronavirus pandemic, when it seemed like the whole world was eager for the next news story (and the next) on the latest COVID tragedy. Ho, recognizing how common doomscrolling had become at the time, began tweeting regular reminders to step away from the smartphones and resist the urge to fall down the doomscrolling rabbit hole. Simple things like pausing to get a drink of water, take a walk outside, or go to bed on time were all part of her toolkit.
Read on to get a better understanding of what doomscrolling is, grasp its impact on our mental health, and learn ways to end the habit.
How can I tell if I’m doomscrolling?
Doomscrolling can look different for everyone. Some people may only do it for short periods while others read about unfortunate news events all day long.
Doomscrolling is often driven by anxiety, explains Dr. Patrick McGrath, PhD, the Chief Clinical Officer at NOCD. While staying informed on the news is important, many people doomscroll as a form of distraction “so that they don’t have to face their fears and deal with their discomforts,” he says.
In some cases, the habit messes with your daily functioning. “People will miss appointments or they might not get work done because they’re doomscrolling on their phone,” Dr. McGrath says.
Other negative impacts of doomscrolling include:
- Insomnia: If you’re not able to detach from your phone at a reasonable hour, you may be missing out on adequate sleep.
- Loneliness: If you’re spending a lot of time reading negative news stories and short-changing yourself on real-life connections, you may feel disconnected from the people in your life.
- Stress: Doomscrolling may increase levels of cortisol and adrenaline, stress hormones that are produced and released in response to stress.
- Physical pain: Hunching over your phone or laptop for hours on end may give you a stiff neck or headache. Spending hours looking at screens can hurt our eyes too.
What if the content I’m consuming isn’t negative?
Typically, the concept of doomscrolling refers to wading through social posts about negative events, but that doesn’t mean that other types of mindless scrolling are any better. If your social media habits take up big chunks of your time that you would rather spend doing other activities, or you’re experiencing some of the negative effects mentioned above, scrolling has likely become a problem—whether it’s pictures of people’s European vacations or active war zones. Researchers have linked spending excessive time on social media with anxiety and depression.
Is doomscrolling linked to mental health issues?
Doomscrolling can certainly exacerbate mental health issues. For instance, it can ramp up feelings of anxiety and depression. Seeing certain traumatic events play out online may trigger post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD). And those dealing with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)—for whom impulse control is a struggle—may see a scary headline while trying to get work done, and then lose track of time when hours of doomscrolling have gone by.
Likewise, those with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), a mental health condition characterized by obsessions (intrusive thoughts) and compulsions (repetitive behaviors to relieve distress) might also fall into the habit of doomscrolling. But for people with OCD, doomscrolling is less about staying informed on the news and more about trying to get relief from anxiety or distress.
People with OCD may do it as a way to distract themselves from obsessions.”
Dr. Patrick McGrath
After all, avoidance is a common OCD compulsion.
For those with “Just Right” OCD—a subtype of the condition where one feels that they need to keep doing a specific task until it’s done “correctly” in their mind—doomscrolling may have some very specific qualities: “For instance, you may feel like you have to find the perfect video to watch. That one didn’t quite hit,” Dr. McGrath explains. “Or you have to re-watch a news video over and over and over again until you get the exact meaning out of it.”
On the other hand, you might feel driven to keep scrolling until you feel better. That was too depressing, you think. I need to see something funny or wholesome. What if I keep feeling bad all day? But if mindlessly scrolling is what got you here in the first place, it might be wiser to seek positivity somewhere else.
Unsure if your doomscrolling habits are a sign of OCD? We can help
Tips to stop doomscrolling
When doomscrolling begins to feel uncontrollable, there are measures you can take to lessen the urge and back away from your screens.
- Disconnect: Deleting certain apps that encourage constant scrolling is a good way to “reset” your attachment to your phone. While not everyone is ready for this step, some people find it helpful to completely disconnect from screens for a period of time. That may look like purposely moving your device away from you, like putting it in another room while you sleep or work.
- Limit screen time: Most smartphones have this programmed into their settings, but there are also various apps that can help with this, like Opal. Turning off app notifications or setting your phone to grayscale (literally cutting out the colors and going with a range of shades of gray) can make screens a little less stimulating).
- Mix it up with some positive news: If you’re only seeing stories of destruction and devastation, try to incorporate some feel-good content into your news diet. Choose a few creators to follow that will ensure you’re “balancing” your news diet with some positive stuff.
- Conscious scrolling: Many of us don’t want to completely shut our eyes to the horrors of the world. In this case, it can be helpful to simply practice more awareness around when and how often you pick up your phone, as well as your state of mind before and after you do it.
- Practice mindfulness: Mindfulness techniques like meditation and breathwork can help with stress and anxiety brought on by bad news. A gratitude practice can be equally powerful: If doomscrolling has caused you to feel rather despondent, try writing out a list of things that make you feel grateful or optimistic.
- Read in print: It’s hard to believe, but it’s possible to stay informed while being offline. Reading a physical newspaper, magazine, or even a news story you print out may help you set limits. After all, you can’t endlessly scroll with a piece of paper.
- Focus on offline hobbies: If you’ve become especially attached to doomscrolling, take stock of what you used to do with your free time. Make a conscious effort to get back to habits that you’ve pulled away from, or even shift your energy to take action in real life for the causes you’re reading about—through volunteering, organizing and/or protesting.
Do I need professional help for doomscrolling?
Not necessarily. It’s important to note that social media algorithms have been designed to keep people endlessly scrolling. Many people, whether doomscrolling or not, struggle with mindless consumption when it comes to phone use. That said, when doomscrolling starts to impede on your day-to-day activities and feels unmanageable to deal with by yourself, it can be helpful to see a mental health professional who can support you in setting boundaries or understanding the underlying emotions that are leading to doomscrolling for you.
Of course, the exact type of therapy you need may depend on what’s really at the root of your doomscrolling. For instance, those with OCD would best benefit from exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy, an evidence-based treatment developed specifically for OCD. During ERP, therapy members work with a trained ERP specialist to gradually and carefully confront their obsessions, sit with the discomfort they feel, and resist the urge to perform compulsions (such as repeatedly reading news stories or searching for the “exact right” video to quell their discomfort).
And for anyone, regardless of the cause, those suggestions that Ho shared during the pandemic can also come in handy: Pause to get a drink of water, take a walk in nature, or set an alarm clock to go to sleep.
Bottom line
Phones have become so central to our lives, so the idea of scaling back on scrolling may sound impossible—but it’s not. Whether you need additional support to stop doomscrolling or you’re able to handle it on your own, the first step is acknowledging when your scrolling habits have gotten out of hand.
