Hey! As soon as you are done reading this, just promise me one thing – Put Your Phone Down!!
I’m so guilty of getting lost in the endless scroll of TikTok or Instagram and just wasting away precious time every single day. Doomscrolling, it really gets the best of all of us sometimes. You might be wondering doom scroll? What is doomscrolling? Doomscrolling is when you fall into an infinite loop of scrolling on your phone. The doom scroll really refers to social media like Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook because of the layouts and pages that have you scrolling to view more content.
Doom scrolls can be infinite time sucks. You start just watching one TikTok video your friend sent you and then BOOM and hour later you’re listening to some random person vent and story tell and their restaurant job in LA talking about all the celebrities they met. It always leaves you wondering about how in the world did you get here?!
Doomscrolling happens more than we’d all like to admit. I mean it’s exactly what these social media apps are trying to get you to do. They want your eyes and time spent on the application so they are designed for this reason. Great job to the engineering and product teams because the doom scroll is getting to the best of us!
Yes, I do understand that it is nice to just check out and do something mindless after a long days work, but there are so many other things you can do to stimulate your mind without getting sucked into the black mirror of our iPhones. I’m not the first and I won’t be the last to say this, but there are so many better things to do than endlessly scroll on your phone. I mean it’s called “doom scroll” – there is something ominous about that.
I won’t get into the health benefits of decreasing screen time because I am not a doctor or in the health field whatsoever, but what I can speak to is the hours a day that can mysteriously vanish into thin air simply by getting lost on Instagram or TikTok. As a self proclaimed recovering doom scroll addict, I’m here to share some of the ways to cut down on your screen time and get back to living life outside of your iPhone. Doomscrolling can be overcome!
If you need an extra kick in the butt to finally start cutting back on your doom scroll time – It’s also really nice to stop comparing your life to other people’s on social media and to finally start focusing on your own 🙂
Read a Book
If we’re being honest I was never a big reader, I never read any books cover to cover for a majority of my life. The only books that I truly have read from start to finish are the Twilight series – other than that, every book I was assigned to read in High School and every book I tried to start throughout my life never made it past a few chapters. I recently starting diving into reading when I noticed myself spending too much time on my phone. I started with audio books, shoutout Audible, and have slowly moved into reading physical books – so much so that I bought this amazing Cordaroy bean bag chair and made a reading nook in my apartment.
Reading is a great way to check out mentally, similar to what the doom scroll accomplishes. I’ve recently, thanks to my brothers girlfriend, got hooked on the Lucy Score series, Things We Never Got Over. Check out that link and read a bit about that series! For me it was a great read that kept me entertained at all chapters but was also easy to read and not complicated for a person learning to fall in love with reading. Another one of my favorites that my best friend Alexia shared with me is Mary Kubica’s Local Women Missing – this is a book that grips you from the beginning and you will want to keep reading to figure out the mystery.
Go for a Walk
Hot Girl Walks are the best things invented. Hot take but I am going to stand by it.
Walking is a great way to add movement into your days and it is perfect for remote workers or office workers who may be seated all day. Getting active can seem like a big task and heading to the gym can be kind of stressful, but going for a walk is such a low impact way to get your body moving and more importantly, get you off your phone! If you are thinking about trying out that Audible Free Trial, think about all the audiobooks you can listen to while on your walk! Whether it’s a 5 minute walk down your street or an hour walk through a park, adding movement into your day is a great way to replace doom scrolling on your iPhone.
Just as a note, I recently got new walking/running sneakers and I could not love them anymore. If you need extra motivation to start hot girl walking instead of staring at Instagram in the form of cute sneakers you need to check out the Hoka Mach 5.
Cook a Meal
I’m not much of a chef but my friends definitely are. Getting motivation from watching my friends create the most amazing and delicious meals has made me realize that 1. it is possible to cook and 2. cooking is a great way to spend time with your friends and family. Spoiler alert it also keeps your off your phone! Whether you decide to make a home-cooked meal for just yourself, for you and your partner, or for you and your friends – cooking is a way to be creative but it also brings people together.
Doom scrolling is one of those things that takes all of your energy, you could be in a room full of people and not be paying attention to one of them because you are so locked into the social media applications. Cooking is a great way to get your friends together and actually interact with each other in the real world, not the virtual world. As the beginner chef in my group of friends, it’s also fun to learn a new skill and have a lot of fun while doing it.
Here’s your sign to plan a home-cooked meal for yourself or to schedule a family dinner night with your friends. If you need any inspiration for meals check out Melissa Ben-Ishay’s, Come Hungry – this is what my friends have been suing to plan meals and they are all delicious!
Take a Yoga Class
If you are doom scrolling to relax and take your mind off of the stresses from work or home then this option is for you. Turning to social media for a distraction isn’t necessarily the most healthy choice because it opens the door for comparison to others and wanting a lifestyle that is simply unattainable. Instead of turning to Instagram or TikTok to distract yourself, sign up for a Yoga class at a local gym or yoga studio. You will enter into a environment that is set up for relaxation and it does not involve looking at a phone screen.
Yoga is another great way to get your body moving and also move you into a relaxed state where you will feel ready to tackle whatever is in front of you. Stepping into a yoga class for the first time can be intimidating, but it’s important to remember that everyone starts from square one. Also most yoga studios have incentives for first time class-takers like a free or discounted first class. If you are nervous about going to a group class, there are so many virtual options available to you to kickstart your yoga practice at home – my personal favorites are through the Peloton App and Yoga with Adrienne on YouTube.
Regardless of if you are going to try yoga in a studio or at home, there’s something fun about having a yoga mat and equipment that moves you to continue your practice. There are tons of options, but this mat with the moon phases is just speaking to me!
Call a Friend
I can almost guarantee that there is someone, or multiple someones, in your life that you constantly think about talking to or what to tell them something but just don’t actually end up following through with it. Ever have a moment when you finally look up from your doom scroll to see it’s suddenly 10pm and all of a sudden it’s too late to call your friend.. It’s happened to me once or twice before. Swipe out of Instagram and TikTok and go to your contacts and call you long distance bestie, or even your mom! Whoever it is I am sure that they want to hear from you too.
An hour doom scrolling on your phone could easily be an hour catching up with, laughing, and enjoying time with the people closest to you.
Meditate
Doom Scrolling on Instagram or TikTok can cause you to just think and endlessly think and get caught up in things that do not matter – sooner rather than later you are caught up learning about Brittany’s first date that went awfully and you’re already on part 5 of the 8 part series, you’re also 15 minutes in a black hole and you can never get that time back. Instead of filling your mind with thoughts and overthinking and comparison, why not silence your mind instead?
Meditation is not only a way to get off of your phone screen but it’s a fantastic self love practice that helps ease your mind, center your thoughts, and get in better touch with yourself. There’s a lot of ways to get into meditation, if you are new to the practice. I found the most help by using guided meditations. I personally use the app, Insight Timer, but there are a ton out there like Calm or even the Peloton app, that offer complete libraries of guided meditations that range from 5 minutes to 90+ minutes. Meditation is a great way to look inside and figure out what you are feeling – anxious, stressed, confused, sad, etc. and then find a guided meditations that aligns with how you are feeling. Instead of using your phone to aid in anxiety or stressful feelings, you can use your phone as a tool to help relieve those feelings.
I recently found that using a meditation pillow not only makes my meditation space feel more welcoming, but it has helped me advance my practice.
Write in Your Journal
Journaling is such a great way to release emotions and built of stagnant energy. It’s also a great way to process feelings and think deeply about your current emotional state. It’s also a great way to goal set and plan for the future. The benefits of journaling are so strong that it’s hard to fathom that would someone would choose to doom scroll over journaling.
Journaling can be short and sweet or it can be multiple pages of venting and writing – that’s the beautiful thing about it is that journalling can be whatever you need it to be. Taking 5 minutes, 10 minutes, towards your journaling practice can come back to you in the form of handling emotions with grace, manifestations, and even working towards goals you thought were unattainable. Instead of getting lost in a doom scroll, open up a journal and write about some of the things you’re thankful for. There are some great guided goal setting journals that are a perfect entry into journaling. like the Brain Shift Journal. Or if you’re looking for something a little more free-hand, finding a journal that speaks to you may be the best way to get started – this hamsa hand journal may be my next journal once I run out of pages in my current one!
Color
One benefit about Instagram of TikTok is that it can be a creative outlet for visual content creators – but let’s be real not all of us are set on missions to being to the next big TikTok star like Alix Earle. Although it sounds fun, fame might not be everyone’s calling. A great was to be creative and express yourself is through coloring! It’s also a great way to release stress – throw on some music, break out the crayons and coloring book, and color the picture that speaks to you. Doom Scrolling can happen when we are looking to distract ourselves from what we are feeling, finding activities, like coloring, that can release stress while reducing screen time can only be a added benefit!
There are so many adult coloring books out there. I personally like the Secret Worlds Coloring Books. These have intricate drawings on fantasy worlds for tiny creatures, they are so creative and fun to look through. Another great option is mindfulness coloring books that are varying images that are soothing. Or if you don’t feel like fully committing to coloring yet, you can be like me and steal a page or two from your niece and nephew’s coloring books or convince them to color with you!
Learn to Play Guitar
My brother is the inspiration for this one – he recently taught himself how to play guitar through YouTube. He dedicated time to learning an instrument he has always loved and now he is playing some of his favorite songs by heart on one of his three guitars. Guess what he wasn’t doing when he was learning new chords or songs? Yup, you guess it – He wasn’t doom scrolling on his phone.
Guitar is just the example here, but picking up any musical instrument is a great way to take some time to learn a new skill and not get stuck in a doom scroll. Even if it is 10-15 minutes a day set aside to learn a musical instrument, thats 10-15 minutes that you won’t get stuck comparing yourself or your life to something that is not real on social media.
Join a Local Run Club
You know whats lonely? Sitting by yourself getting lost for countless minutes even hours just doom scrolling away on your phone. Want to know what’s not lonely? Getting outside with a bunch of your peers and getting active together, even fostering relationships with new people! In Long Beach New York, where I live, one of the local breweries, Bright Eye Beer Co. hosts a run club on Wednesdays. A large group of people, of all running abilities gets together and runs the Long Beach Boardwalk and ends back at the brewery where you receive a free beer. Sounds like a great way to spend the afternoon!
I know there are many other establishments that host run clubs, some that aren’t bars, but there are options for everyone. Getting outside, being active, and being social and great ways to replace time that was previously spent juat staring at a phone screen getting lost in some short form video content. Try looking up run, or even walk, clubs in your local areas – you may be surprised with how many you are able to find.
Also joining a run club sounds like a great excuse to restock on some new workout clothes – like my favorite lululemon align dupes, the colorful koala legging.
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