How to combat doomscrolling: Tips from a seasoned vet

It usually starts with one notification, then a few more, and before you know it, the time is 3:00 am.

You’ve gone down a rabbit hole of celebrity drama, conspiracy theories, or random news you won’t even remember tomorrow. 

Sound familiar? That’s doomscrolling — the habit of endlessly consuming content online, especially stuff that’s negative or emotionally draining.

With TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts constantly feeding us content, it’s way too easy to lose track of time. It might feel like no big deal at the moment, but over time it can mess with your mental and emotional well-being.

I’ve been stuck in that loop more times than I can count. As someone with over half a decade of scrolling experience under my belt (I’d call myself a seasoned vet!), I’ve tried a lot of strategies. Some worked. Most didn’t. But here’s what I’ve learned and what’s helped me break the cycle.

Understanding the habit loop

One thing that really helped me was understanding why I doomscroll in the first place. In The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg talks about the habit loop, which has three parts: cue, which is something that triggers the behaviour like boredom or stress, routine, known as the habit itself (scrolling through your phone), and reward, which is the outcome you’re chasing, such as a distraction, stimulation, or mental break. 

For me, it usually started when I was drained or avoiding something. Scrolling gave me a quick hit of dopamine. The trick to get out of it was figuring out how to keep the cue and the reward, but swap out the routine.

The things that worked for me, or at least helped me scroll way less, were tactics that made it harder to access social media apps — seriously, out of sight really is out of mind. I took social apps off my home screen, turned off most notifications, and set time limits. I also added little speed bumps like app passwords to make my access to these apps less automatic. 

Find something to do instead 

Instead of reaching for my phone, I try to read short stories on Substack for a few minutes, call or text someone, or go for a walk while listening to a podcast. Not everything has to be productive, but it helps to be intentional.

Start the day without your phone

Keeping my phone away from my bed made a huge difference. Now, I start my mornings with a stretch, some prayer, or just a few quiet minutes. It sets a better tone than waking up and immediately scrolling.

Give yourself scrolling time (but limit it)

I didn’t quit social media completely, but I deleted the apps and only checked from a browser once or twice a day. Having a specific time to scroll helps me avoid going overboard.

Track your usage

I use an app called One Sec that tracks how often I open certain apps and sometimes makes me pause before opening them. While seeing the numbers shocked me, this made me way more aware of how often I was checking my phone out of pure habit.

Kicking the doomscrolling habit isn’t easy and slipping up is normal. The goal isn’t to be perfect, just to be more aware and take back some of your time. For me, that extra time goes toward things like skateboarding or biking, working on school stuff, or just journaling. 

Whatever your thing is, give yourself space for it. Your brain and your peace of mind will thank you.