How to Stop Doomscrolling and Protect Your Mental Health

Doomscrolling is the habit of compulsively scrolling through negative news (via a news site or social media), even when it makes you feel worse.

In other words: it’s not just checking the news. It’s the loop you get stuck in when your brain keeps saying: just one more post.

Doomscrolling is common and it can greatly affect our mental health. Research has shown that doomscrolling is associated with lower well-being (like life satisfaction and mental well-being) largely because it increases psychological distress.

In short, doomscrolling may keep your body in a heightened stress response and is often associated with increases in anxious or depressive thinking, which may leave you feeling on edge, overwhelmed, or emotionally drained.

And the more negative news you consume, the more your brain may start to believe the world is unsafe, even if your day-to-day life is stable.

You don’t have to spend hours online to fall into doomscrolling. Sometimes it’s 10 minutes here and there, but it still may affect your mood and energy.

Here are some common signs:

• You check the news/social media first thing in the morning (or late at night).
• You feel anxious, tense, or down while scrolling, but keep going anyway.
• You tell yourself “I’ll stop after this” and can’t.
• You struggle to focus afterward.
• You feel mentally drained or irritable even if nothing in your own life is wrong.
• You notice sleep disruption (scrolling in bed, waking up stressed).

The worst part about doomscrolling: It’s hard to stop. Even when your mind and body want to put your phone down, your nervous system stays locked in and the cycle continues.

The good news is that the goal isn’t to be perfect and never consume news. It’s more about building intentional digital habits that protect your mental health.

Here are five helpful tips on how to stop doomscrolling.

1. Check In With Your Body While You Scroll

   A lot of doomscrolling happens on autopilot. The first step is getting more conscious.

   Try asking:

   • How do I feel right now?
   • Is this calming me or making me feel stressed?
   • What’s happening in my body? (tight chest? clenched jaw? shallow breathing?)

   Your body will usually give you signals when it’s time to stop.

2. Turn Off Notifications

   News alerts and social app pings can act as triggers for doomscrolling. Turning off notifications can help you stop reactively checking your phone and allow you to choose when you consume content.

3. Curate Your Feed

   You have more control than you think over what shows up on your screen. The key is curating what shows up on your feed and being super strict with it. That may include unfollowing or muting accounts that consistently make you feel anxious and filtering certain words/phrases/content on apps that allow it.

   From there, you can follow accounts that deliver news in a calmer or more uplifting way, like the Good News Network or similar outlets. This may make it easier to stay informed and balance the constant negativity of many news feeds.

4. Add Friction With Timers, App Limits, or Devices

   Another way to break the habit loop of doomscrolling is by making it more difficult for yourself to do it. You can do this by setting app timers, keeping your phone in another room, logging out of social media apps, or consider using tools like Brick (or similar) to help make scrolling less convenient. The goal: create distance between the urge and the action.

   And if needed, you can do a full digital detox (even temporarily). Try no social apps in the morning, news after 6pm, or taking a break from the news and social media on the weekends. Even short breaks may help reset your stress levels.

5. Find a Replacement Activity You Enjoy

   A big reason doomscrolling is so hard to stop is because you’re usually looking for a break when you reach for your phone. So instead of trying to ditch screens altogether, swap doomscrolling for feel-good content like a comfort show, funny clips, or tutorials that teach a skill you genuinely want to learn.

   Or, even better: There’s been a big resurgence of analogue hobbies (especially on TikTok), including cozy hobbies to entertain yourself without screens such as journaling, knitting, crocheting, coloring, watercolor painting, or doing puzzles. These activities may help calm your nervous system and give your hands something to do.

Doomscrolling can feel like staying informed, but when it starts costing you your peace, it’s no longer “just a habit.” It’s a mental health issue. The goal isn’t to never check the news again. It’s to protect your nervous system and choose what you consume instead of letting algorithms choose for you.

This article reflects personal experiences and general information. It is not intended as medical advice or a substitute for professional care. If you need additional support, consider reaching out to a licensed mental health professional.