Is doomscrolling affecting your mental health?
For many people, it began during the pandemic. Everything was so scary and uncertain that as soon as people got out of bed, they picked up their phone to read the news. Some found themselves still scrolling through the news hours later.
The term for that is “doomscrolling” and it’s so pervasive that it was one of the Oxford English Dictionary’s words of the year in 2020.
Four years later, the political and social upheaval and divisiveness in the U.S. and the world means that many of us are still doomscrolling far too often. Mental health professionals say it’s a harmful habit that undermines our mental health.
“It’s dangerous because it can truly kick off anxiety and depression,” said Nikki Kirsch, LICSW, a therapist at the Centers for Behavioral Health of Cape Cod Healthcare. “One of the key things with depression is hopelessness and helplessness, and doomscrolling plays right into that. With anxiety, it kicks off a fight or flight response so all of those detrimental hormones, the cortisol and the adrenaline, are flooding through our bodies. The longer that we’re doomscrolling, the more those hormones, which are not good for us, are flooding through our body.”
Short bursts of those hormones are beneficial because they help us react quickly when we’re faced with danger. Kirsch used the classic example of being chased by a bear. At that moment, you need the fight or flight response. But with repeated exposure over time, our brains become so conditioned to the response that even hearing the word “bear” can trigger it.
Women and people with a history of trauma are much more susceptible to doomscrolling. A lot of the most violent media is about hurting women and children, and people who have experienced trauma already don’t feel safe in the world. That makes both groups more prone to doomscrolling and its dangers.
“If you are a minority, if you are a woman, if you are part of the LGBTQIA+ community, you’re going to be particularly prone to the fight-or-flight response with doomscrolling,” Kirsch said.
Kicking the Habit
The way to combat the negative effects of doomscrolling is to limit the time spent doing it. Kirsch recommends that if you need to be on your phone, set a timer. She recommends productivity apps like the Pomodoro timer.
Getting involved in your community is also very beneficial.
“As a social worker, we look at micro level, mezzo level and macro level,” she said. “So, what I’ve been telling my clients is to keep it micro. Work within your community, work within your family, work within your circle of influence to try to change the things that you can change. That will trickle up to the macro level, if each one of us does that small thing.”
Anything that gets us out of the virtual world and into the actual world is helpful. For example, volunteering to help others is a hands-on positive thing to do. Joining a book club is both social and it gives you a reason to put down your phone and pick up a book. Walking with friends in nature is also beneficial for mental health.
Any kind of creative endeavor is very good, whether it’s painting, writing, knitting, scrapbooking, quilting or spinning yarn, she said. You can do these activities solo or there are community groups that support all of those activities.
“Any creative endeavor is fantastic,” Kirsch said. “It gets those endorphins going and it helps create all kinds of new connections in the neurons in your brain.”
Libraries are also a fabulous resource for activities. Most have weekly or monthly group activities and all of them offer discount museum passes.
If you are on your phone, put it to good use with healthier choices. There are some great apps that help you practice gratitude. Kirsh especially likes one called the Five Minute Journal because we can all take five minutes to practice gratitude and gratitude is a proven mood booster. She also tells her clients that YouTube has tons of free resources including some great free meditations for depression and anxiety.
“We are often looking for meaning when we are doomscrolling, so how else can we find meaning and answers in our life?” she said. “That’s important especially during the holidays when we’re told to be merry and bright.”
If you or a loved one is really struggling, she recommends seeking counseling. Call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, if you or they are in extreme distress.
