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RISE Blog | Doom Scrolling and Downtime: Finding Time to Breathe

Written By: Faith Dolan, Peer Educator
Edited By: Silas James & Elizabeth Perry
March 1st,, 2024

Picture this: You just got home after a long day of classes and work and want nothing more than to relax and clear your head. What do you reach for? For many of us it's our phone. Scrolling on your phone can seem like the easiest, most effortless thing to do. But scrolling endlessly and (sometimes!) mindlessly can easily become doom scrolling. Doom scrolling is best defined as consuming harmful social media content or consuming it in an unhealthy manner (Starkman & Pathak, 2022).

When we aimlessly scroll through social media, we can overwhelm our brains with negative and depressing pictures, videos, and comments. Since many of us use social media every day, it can be hard to realize the extent to which constant amounts of information can affect us. By learning more about doom scrolling, we can take a step back, find time in our lives to practice mindfulness, and take a much-needed break from the internet when we feel ourselves overconsuming. 

The Desire to See Doom

Since doom scrolling is such a common experience, understanding why we do it can help us understand how to build healthier habits. It's important to consider when we doom scroll. Do we tend to scroll more when having lunch with friends or at the end of the night when we are tired of doing homework?

Doom scrolling is an avoidance technique. It's used to help us escape our emotions or feelings, so a lot of us find ourselves endlessly scrolling when experiencing uncomfortable emotions or sensations, such as tiredness or anxiety (Rosen, 2022). 

It is also essential to consider how doom scrolling can help us feel in more control (Deering & Goldman, 2023). There is a lot going on in the world, and it is no surprise that many of us seek out content based on current world events to eliminate the factor of unawareness and surprise. Our brain's reasoning for doom scrolling is perfectly valid; after all, the world can be a pretty scary place. However, doom scrolling can lead to information overload. 

Information Overload

Information overload is when we consume too much information for our brains to manage. Once we realize the extent to which we consume information every day, we can understand why it can lead to so many negative effects.

Let's consider how much content we consume on Instagram; the average GenZer spends 53 minutes on Instagram (Suciu, 2021). I set a one-minute timer and scrolled through my feed. After setting time was up, I scrolled through 15 pictures, watched one video, and opened two comment sections. If I round down to 14 posts and multiply this by the average time GenZers spend on Instagram daily (53 minutes), that is about 742 posts per day. Out of 742 posts, how many do we remember? When thinking about the apps you have used today, can you remember the last five posts you liked? The answer is probably none of them—or very few. This kind of superficial engagement is time-consuming, especially given that adults in the U.S. spend more than 13 hours a day using various forms of digital media (Cramer-Flood, 2022). 

Another point of consideration is media saturation overload, a term coined by psychologists that describes the phenomenon when someone sees too much content (Huff, 2022). Having access to all the information in the world at our fingertips is relatively new. Before the invention of smartphones and social media apps, acquiring knowledge occurred through limited access to radios, newspapers, and T.Vs. Even when computers were first invented, access was limited to a desktop at home. Before smartphones, hearing about the world occurred in controlled instances, with the intention of becoming updated on current events. Now that we can scroll on our phones anytime during the day, acquiring information is a passive, constant pastime that results in less intentional media consumption. Our brains are not wired to consume such an excessive amount of information in such a short period of time, which is why doom scrolling can be detrimental to our health. 

Downsides to Doom Scrolling

Although it seems to provide a momentary distraction, doom scrolling can have several negative effects on our health, especially those with pre-existing mental illnesses. Since doom scrolling involves chasing feelings of control, those with anxiety-related disorders are more susceptible to doom scrolling (Deering, 2023). It can increase the risk for anxiety, depression, difficulty sleeping, and stress, since constantly being exposed to negative information leads to stress responses from the nervous system (Olivine, 2023).

Additionally, research shows that spending too much time online can result in being more irritable, having a harder time relaxing, feeling more fatigued, and experiencing physical symptoms such as headaches (Asamoah, 2023). With these potential negative effects, it is essential to consider how we have the power to change our habits and prevent them.

Reducing the Doom

It's unrealistic for many of us to completely give up social media or stop using our phones. Instead, we can work to use social media purpose and less to fill up our free time. Here are a few ways to do that:

  • Set a time limit and set boundaries for yourself (Brodsky, 2023). For iPhone users, you can set limits in the settings under “screen time.” For Android users, you can screen time goals under “digital wellbeing."
  • Filter out the content you see on social media (SoCal Mental Health, 2023). To do this, you can unfollow anxiety-inducing accounts and look for accounts that focus on good news (like @goodgoodgoodco, @goodnews_movement or @tturise) or find accounts that post funny things. Seeking positivity can make a difference.
  • Slow down your scrolling and purposefully engage with the content you are seeing. This can help reduce information overload (SoCal Mental Health, 2023).
  • Keep track of your emotions and moods. Doom scrolling often intersects with mental health, so keeping track of our feelings can make a huge difference. One way to do this is to use apps that promote mental health or stress management, such as Shmoody (TTU students get free premium access; DM @tturise on Instagram to request one!).
  • Silence your phone. When engaging in another activity like homework or spending time with friends keeping your phone on silent can help you filter out notifications and resist the urge to click on something and scroll (SoCal Mental Health, 2023).
  • Find other hobbies or coping mechanisms. Having other ways that allow you to “escape” help you keep your mind off things while not feeling as overwhelmed. If there is something that you like to do but have not had time to do, try that!

Reducing the time, you spend doom scrolling is no easy task, but it is possible! If you adopt small practices over time, you can learn to be more comfortable with putting your phone down.

The Importance of Mindfulness

One of the best ways to avoid falling down rabbit holes while scrolling is to practice mindfulness where you think about what you are doing and why you are doing it. Mindfulness is like exercising a muscle; it takes time and practice. However, you will quickly notice the benefits once you incorporate it into your daily life. Studies even show that mindfulness can help decrease stress, anxiety, depression, and physical illness (Mental Health Foundation).

There are many ways to practice mindfulness while on social media, including pausing before you open a social media app. Sometimes, we open and start scrolling without thinking about what we are doing (Prairie Care, 2020). Taking a pause or taking a break while scrolling can help keep you in the present and reduce anxiety associated with doom scrolling.

Another way to practice mindfulness while scrolling is to check in with yourself and your emotions so you can understand how the content is affecting you (Ehmke, 2023). Even though scrolling helps distract us from our emotions, the emotions we experience while scrolling do not go away and unattended emotions can lead to mental health difficulties. Overall, it is crucial and healthy to consider what emotions are coming up while consuming content.

You are not Alone!

Doom scrolling is a widespread issue that can result in adverse mental health effects, including anxiety and a disconnect with your emotions. There are several ways to reduce these effects, such as taking a break, setting limits, using mental health apps, or practicing mindfulness.

You are not alone if you often find yourself endlessly scrolling through negative posts and comments. The good news is that there are many ways to combat the adverse effects doom scrolling and RISE is here to provide you with resources to support stress management and mindfulness. By being intentional about our social media use, we can improve our lives.

Resources

References

 

Asamoah, T. (2023, January 17). Digital Overload: Read This If Your Screen Time Is Out of 
Hand. GoodRx.

Brodsky, S. (2023, December 7).What to Do When You Can't Stop, Won't Stop Doomscrolling. 
Wondermind. 

Cramer-Flood, E. (2022, June 15). US Time Spent With Media 2022. Insider Intelligence.

Deering, S., & Goldman, R. (2023, May 19). How “Doomscrolling” Impacts Your Mental 
Health-and How to Stop. Verywell Mind.

Ehmke, R. (2023, October 30). Managing Social Media Stress With Mindfulness. Child Mind 
Institute.

Huff, C. (2022, November 1). Media Overload is Hurting Our Mental Health. Here are Ways to 
Manage Headline Stress. Monitor on Psychology, 53(8), 20.

Mental Health Foundation. (n.d.). How to Look After Your Mental Health Using Mindfulness. 
Mental Health Foundation.

Olivine, A. (2023, June 27). Doomscrolling: Definition, Effects, Mental Health Support.. Verywell 
Health. 

Prairie Care. (2020, February 5). Social Media: 6 Tips for Mindfulness. PrairieCare. 

Rosen, K. R. (2022, March 30). How to Stop Doomscrolling-With Psychology. Wired.

SoCal Mental Health. (2023, August 29). 13 Ways to Stop Doomscrolling & Protect Your Mental Health. SoCal Mental Health.

Starkman, E., & Pathak, N. (2022, September 6). What's Doomscrolling and Can It Harm You?  
WebMD.

Suciu, P. (2023, September 12). Americans Spent on Average More Than 1,300 Hours on Social Media Last Year. Forbes. 

 

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