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The Idea of the Week
Doomscrolling has a quiet way of sneaking up on you because it takes you away from your worries of the past and future and pulls you into the silly animal videos. It removes your sense of time, so 4 hours pass by and it only feels like 10 minutes.
Many people attempting to “conquer” doomscrolling try to remove their phone from their life and sight. This can backfire because you continue your day as normal, but now you are hyperaware of the absence of your phone.
Your mind will fixate on the fact that your phone is not in sight, and you could be catching up on the latest news. What if you were missing something “important”? Your mind can even create excuses for picking up your phone, and once you reintroduce the phone into your sight, your brain will convince you that you might as well check Instagram and Twitter/X and Facebook and so on…
When battling a doomscrolling habit, you’ll want to try to replace doomscrolling with another activity. After all, isn’t that the goal, anyway? To reclaim our time for the things we want to do.
Perhaps you have tried breaking the doomscrolling habit and found that it’s crept back into your life again. If you have broken the habit before and lapsed back into the habit, then use this as another starting platform to take the week off from doomscrolling.
As you join this challenge, you may find that doomscrolling manifests in another form. For instance, if your main doomscrolling platform is Instagram and you cut this from your day, then you may unexpectedly find yourself on YouTube! When this happens, notice it. Become aware of the moments you mindlessly open up the app. Building an awareness of these habits will aid you in this challenge.
The Practice of the Week
Ready to take up the challenge? Let’s begin!
Step 1: Clarify the Challenge
What does this challenge mean to you? What external and media stimulation are you replacing? You may want to write out these items on a piece of paper for your reference later. It’s okay to start with one app or platform. Make small, achievable goals.
What happens if you “break” this challenge one day? It might happen. These challenges can be difficult, and it takes time to build new habits. So what will you do if you don’t uphold all the items on your challenge one day?
You might choose to document the moment or journal about it: when it happened, what happened before you broke the challenge for the day, and how you felt about it.
If you break one day, that’s okay! That does not mean you “failed” the challenge. You can still continue the challenge for the week and use it as an opportunity for learning. It can be beneficial to increase your awareness of these moments, as it will be your key to combating the doomscroll. If you act automatically, you can’t exert willpower to resist and replace the doomscrolling habit.
Step 2: Brainstorm Activities
We want to replace the doomscrolling habit, not simply remove it. So before embarking on the challenge, let’s identify activities you can fall back on when the urge to surf the internet intensifies.
What activities can you do that will not involve passive consumption? Grab a piece of paper and begin brainstorming at least 20 activities you enjoy doing. Jot down activities that bring you joy, even if it’s something you haven’t done in a while.
Struthless on YouTube also suggests 10 things to do instead of doomscrolling in this 13-minute video. He approaches the challenge by considering 10 reasons we keep on doomscrolling and offering a replacement alternative. (Yes, we are breaking the challenge a little bit, and we can hijack the doomscrolling by being intentional with the video, which is the first item on struthless’s list!)
Step 3: Begin the Challenge!
Keep your challenge and activities lists from steps 1 and 2 in a place where you can reference, and begin the challenge now! (Because we can begin challenges whenever, and we don’t need a new day to build new habits. We can start now.)
Bonus tip: Visually track your progress of the challenge for the next week. Mark it on a calendar or add a pebble to the jar. This visual representation can be incredibly motivating!
News of the Week
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The Thought of the Week
Wishing you a peaceful week!
