There's a Reason You Can't Stop Looking at Bad News—Here's How to Stop
Curated from: health.com
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Defining Doomscrolling
Doomscrolling or doomsurfing, are new words used to describe the tendency to continue to surf or scroll through bad news, even though that news is saddening, disheartening, or depressing, Merriam-Webster says.
While doomscrolling existed—in practice, if not in name—before the pandemic hit, Merriam-Webster points out that it’s really taken hold lately. It’s not just about the virus, though: People can doomscroll through the news about racial injustice, or the unemployment rate. Basically, if the news is bad or depressing, you can doomscroll it.
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A Gloomy Outlook
Doomscrolling can really challenge the way you see the world. People are drawn to doomscrolling because they feel like they have a sense of being able to control any of that bad news. But doomscrolling does not create control and only makes you miserable. The overall impact doomscrolling has on people can vary, but typically, it can make you feel extra anxious, depressed, and isolated.
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How To Stop Doomscrolling
First, identify if you are doomscrolling: That habit you’ve formed of cruising through COVID-19 news online as soon as you get up? Doomscrolling. Your desire to stay up to date on every piece of info about how schools across the country are struggling to reopen? Also doomscrolling.
Experts recommend limiting the amount of time you spend on your devices. So, maybe you put aside 15 minutes for you to cruise social media but, when the time is up, you put your phone down and don’t do it again for the rest of the day. And, if even that makes you feel stressed, don’t do it.
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Forming A New Habit To Offset Doomscrolling
Train yourself to see the positive in things. Start looking for at least three positive things a day, even if it’s as minor as thinking that your coffee was particularly tasty this morning.
You can step things up by trying to do more nice things for people.
You can't avoid how intense things are right now, but doomscrolling on the regular isn’t doing your physical or mental health any favours—and it's definitely not helping your loved ones or society at large.
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