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Your Doomscrolling breeds anxiety. Here are few tips to prevent Doomscrolling

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If you’ve watched the Netflix docudrama “Social Dilemma,” you would have certainly heard the term “doomscrolling.”

Every day, we spend hours scrolling through endless doom-and-gloom headlines, and each day we slide deeper into a pit of despair.

Our yearning for breaking news has been fostered by a recent barrage of doomsday articles about the coronavirus pandemic, as well as stay-at-home directives. This habit, on the other hand, is wreaking havoc on our mental health.

It’s not a recent phenomenon to lose track of time when scrolling through social media, keeping you awake at night or preventing you from doing productive work throughout the day. But here’s what makes it different in today’s society: You get an onslaught of dismal information, whether it’s COVID-19 updates or photographs of dead bodies, flooding all of your feeds.

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At this point, doomscrolling is a monster that’s difficult to avoid when restaurants and pubs are closed and going out with friends involves social distancing. Wherever we look, we are reminded of all that is wrong with the world. Even though it’s difficult and you feel it’s your social responsibility to be informed, your health should come first, and you should attempt to reduce your exposure to stressful situations.

If you think you’re still unaffected by social media and doomscrolling, put your phone away for seven days. You will discover the drastic effects of social media on your life.

If you find yourself constantly surfing the web and feeling pretty crappy after, try these strategies to ditch the doomscroll:

1. Understand your triggers

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Shot of a woman scrolling through her phone

If news about politics makes you nervous and anxious, probably avoid them for a bit, at least until you’re in a better state of mind to absorb them. Block push notifications, mute and unfollow individuals who get agitated on social media, and stay away from issues that rile you up. Subscribing to a newsletter and using it as your primary source of information is one efficient way to filter out the news.

2. Try joyscrolling

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High angle view woman’s hand on mobile app for online viewing food pictures

Understand your phone’s algorithms by bookmarking positive news headlines and following social media accounts for literature, movies, gardening, or art.

 It will be much simpler if you concentrate and surround yourself with websites that improve the digital world. Subscribing to sites that promote positivity, gratitude, healing, compassion, or even if it makes you laugh would be so wonderful. When your feed is filled with feel-good things, it will help you combat doomscrolling

In a short, follow as many cutesy cats and dogs accounts as possible. Oh, the food videos would definitely make you happy.

3. Live in the moment

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shot of woman meditating and living in the moment

I know “live in the moment” sounds so Bollywoodish, but it is also the best thing to do. Tumbling down a constant worry loop about the uncertain future only adds to existing anxiety in times of crisis. Understanding that the current moment is all we have and all we can control is a good place to start when trying to bring your racing mind back to the present.

Why not spend some quality time with your family instead of doomscrooling the headlines that can wreck your mental state? Isn’t that crucial? Change your vicious cycle to a virtuous cycle.

4. Zoom call your friends to discuss news updates

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Shot of young woman talking to her friends in video call from home.

With the added stress of a global pandemic, you can’t live under a rock. We understand! At this time, we all yearn to have a basic understanding of world news. Maybe you’re worried about the vaccine, but you don’t want to be entirely shut off from the news right now. So, what are your options?

One option is to have a nice Friday night virtual hangout with your best buddies to discuss the latest news on vaccines. But first, make sure you’re comfortable enough in this community to express yourself. Inform your friends about your efforts to reduce doomscrolling. Let them know you’re depending on them to keep up with news and events.

5. Set a schedule to do something different other than scrolling for content

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shot of to-do list

Make an effort to change your plan every couple of weeks. These schedules should allow you to work, exercise, eat well, and spend time alone, preferably away from your phone and laptop. Schedule some outdoor walks and phone calls if you find yourself continuously checking the news and set deadlines to complete the task. Be honest with yourself about your goals and aspirations.

6. Change your news consumption

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shot of woman reading the newspaper


Switch to long-form journalism offered by print newspapers that provide the most critical data one needs to know and are more likely to have a constructive perspective, incisive analysis, and a better option.

We understand that no one has the time to read a 1000-word news story when you can get the gist of it on social media. However, you should be aware that the majority of social media outlets spread false information that might affect your peace of mind; instead, spend time learning the truth. Furthermore, what exactly are Facebook, Google, Instagram, Youtube, Snapchat, and other social media platforms? Are there any free tools? There is an old adage that says, “There is no such thing as a free lunch.”

 There are digital media outlets including ProPublica, Guardian, Caravan who do exemplary investigative and long-form journalism and try reading that investigative precise news instead of consuming it from Twitter or Instagram.

7. Limit your social media usage

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image of phone on airplane mode

Pick your favorite song as the tone of your alarm every time you are scrolling for content on social media, and let that inspire you to get off Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. (Alternatively, use the built-in screen time controls on Apple and Google devices.)

It’s also a good idea to avoid social media entirely on at least one weekday and spend your weekends away from social media. Constantly checking every update on social media won’t make you feel better or improve your productivity. To be productive, you might want to put your phone away.

Bonus tip read Eli Pariser’s book, “Filter Bubble: What the Internet Is Hiding from You,” to learn how these algorithms deceive us. This book also raises some intriguing ethical issues, such as whether organizations have a duty to communicate the inferences they draw about us.

Concluding this article with the quote from the docudrama ‘Social Dilemma’: “social media is a market place that trades humans and everything you are doing online is traced, watched, and monitored thoroughly.”

Image source:

Pexels

Getty images

11 Comments

11 Comments

  1. Shivam Joshi

    June 10, 2021 at 10:45 pm

    Great tips to avoid doomscrolling. Loved the link between filter bubble and the habit of doonscrolling. The author has rightly said that we need to sometimes prioritise our mental peace and mental health over the social responsibility of being aware and up to date with news.

  2. Riya Gupta

    June 11, 2021 at 2:30 am

    Such a great article, I’ve read filter bubble and so glad to see you mentioning it. I absolutely agree that nothing is free and I always wondered how these algorithms turn our data and target us with various ads. We are so trapped in an online filter bubble and we can’t stop to scroll down for information. Like you mentioned it’s a vicious cycle. We have become purveyors of this vicious cycle. I am going to try out the 7th point and limit my social media usage instead of aimlessly scrolling. This article refreshed few things. It’s so insightful.

  3. Anshal

    June 11, 2021 at 2:09 pm

    A needed topic to be talked about during these times. The mind is unconsciously getting wired to consuming negative information everyday ,which is greatly affecting our mental health..
    Thankyou for the tips and suggestions . This will certainly help in channeling the mind in a positive dircetion and help keep a stable mental health.

  4. Kousthuba

    June 11, 2021 at 6:40 pm

    During this hard times where septuagenarian patients of our families are dying and media adroitness is missing . This article is so apt during this hard time and I’m going to try the 6th point and stay away from negativity. Thank you for this wonderful article it’s an eye opener

  5. Sindhu

    June 11, 2021 at 7:49 pm

    This is an excellent article..
    Going through this article reminds me how I have wasted most of the time scrolling the social media. And for me reading this reminds me how I’ve been zoom calling my friends for news updates

  6. Udbhav Singh

    June 11, 2021 at 9:02 pm

    Wowww, such a great article it is. A much needed guide and information especially in these times when there’s so much of negativity spreading through news articles. I would like to thank the writer of this article for giving us the insights of doomscrolling.

  7. Charvi

    June 11, 2021 at 9:30 pm

    This an amazing piece of article, the writer has written it in so much detail not just the effect of doomsrolling but also the tips are so in detail and helpful. Amazing work.. Keep writing such articles.. Great work prathiksha
    👍👌👏👏

    • Reddy

      June 12, 2021 at 6:13 pm

      Amazing article. Hope to see few more articles like this …… To get awareness in people.. Great work@Prathiksha Bu

  8. Abhi

    June 11, 2021 at 9:43 pm

    Such an amazing article

  9. Priyansha

    June 12, 2021 at 3:44 am

    This feels peace. Thanks for writing this:) @newshamster

  10. Megha

    June 12, 2021 at 10:28 am

    As for present situation it is excellent article 😎 and also tell tips to aviod scrolling

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