Hey lovely 🤍

First things first - doomscrolling ruins your day. Period.

And I don’t judge you. I’ve been there, and sometimes it’s still challenging to not fall back into that bad habit.

But to be honest, it was not just that - a bad habit. Over time I understood that the overconsumption took its toll on my mental capacity and inner peace.

While we often reach for the phone to fill up time, distract ourselves from - yes - the reality, we don’t even realize that it messes with our heads. It can trigger anxiety and lead to insomnia, which in turn again feeds the anxiety.

It is indeed a vicious cycle.

I tried to get out of that many times - and I failed many times.

And while there are many things that helped me break the habit for a while, only one crucial shift got me out of the vicious cycle permanently (and that’s on top of the list!).

1. No phone first thing in the AM

   … and replace the time you would spend scrolling with something meaningful.
   
   So what are you going to do?

   
   The evening before, charge your phone and then place it somewhere else - in a different room, in the drawer of your nightstand. Somewhere you won’t reach for it in the night or first thing in the morning.
   If you need it as an alarm, consider getting a traditional alarm clock (or get an old one from your parents to try it out first) or use your digital watch.
   
   Think about what you would like to do instead, something that you already love to do or you would like to implement.
   
   For me, it’s reading a book. And no, it doesn’t have to be an educational, non-fiction self-help book. If you like it, sure. But most importantly it should be something you truly enjoy. I am a big fan of fiction books, be it romantic comedy western style or fantasy romantic style (yes, it has to be romantic and it must have a happy ending - don’t judge me).
   
   And this starts a momentum. Because during the day, I rather pick up my book to continue where I left in the morning than picking up that phone.
   
   Of course it doesn’t have to be reading if you’re not into that at all. You might want to try journaling, stretching, yoga, making coffee, listening to music, going for a walk - the list is almost endless.
   
   And guess what - since I replaced scrolling with reading in my favorite book, I truly look forward to getting up in the morning and having those quiet 10 minutes of myself to indulge in the chapter.
   
   By the way, if you’re looking to transform your mornings and build rituals that truly nourish you, I’ve written a blogpost here and even designed a free easy-to-follow step-by-step roadmap on how to do so here!

2. Make social media cumbersome to check

   Let’s be honest - you’re most likely doomscrolling on social media. For me, it was Instagram. I loved and hated it at the same time.
   
   I’ll tell you a secret that is actually not so secret at all: social media is designed to be addictive. But there are some tricks to make it less so.
   
   The most obvious but also most radical one is to delete or deactivate your accounts.
   
   However, I get that this might be too harsh of a step, so a good compromise - and I really recommend doing at least this - is to delete the apps from your phone. No worries, you can still access it over the computer - but believe me, it is a hell less attractive that way.
   
   And on a side note, turn off the notifications. You don’t have to be notified in an instant - you will see it when you check it. See it that way - if you check social media, you will see what really interests you and it will even come as a surprise!

3. Time blocking is not just for planning the work

   Phones per se are not that bad. They provide us with a lot of freedom. The bad thing is when we use it constantly and, in particular, mindlessly.
   
   If you catch yourself picking up your phone mindlessly all the time, now’s the time to change that.
   
   And hey, good news - there’s an easy solution!
   
   Schedule your screen time! I know, this sounds absolutely blah, but it does the trick.
   
   How? Sit down and decide on how you’ll use your phone and when you want to give your precious time for that.
   
   For example: check emails only once in the morning, once during lunch, and once before ending the workday. Or allow yourself to scroll social media for 20 minutes in the evening (but please not right before sleeping).
   
   Another tip: take advantage of your phone’s well-being tools. There you can set time limits for any app per day. You can even limit your overall screen time (however I find that a bit excessive - because you might need really helpful tools such as navigation etc.).
   
   Another option is to create phone-free zones, such as at the dining table or the bedroom.

4. Identify the root causes

   Why are we reaching for that damn phone?
   
   You can ask yourself this right away, or whenever you catch yourself picking the phone up.
   
   And to be honest, it will be mostly one of the two things: being bored or being overwhelmed. But again, there’s a simple trick that will do it!
   
   When you’re bored
   Keep a list of activities that you enjoy and, most of all, don’t need a lot of energy or mindwork.
   
   While you might convince yourself to use the time productive with doing chores, and going to the gym, it will be a lot harder to not grab that phone when you’re just tired and don’t have the capacity to do anything exhausting.
   
   So think about what you might enjoy doing to rest and recharge.
   
   It could be taking a bath, reading a book (maybe in the bath?), going for a walk or starting a scrap book. It might also help to do an activity that keeps your hands busy because actually we sometimes just pick the phone up because we don’t know what to do instead with them.
   
   When you’re overwhelmed
   Take a moment to breathe and ground yourself. Write down the tasks or things that trigger you - it helps clear your mind. And replace scrolling with a calming ritual, like lighting a candle or going for a walk outside (truly my medicine for anything).
   
   I covered how to tackle overwhelm and anxiety with planning in this blogpost - maybe it has some helpful insights for you!

5. Use that freed up time for something meaningful

   What is on your bucket list? What skill do you want to learn since years?
   
   A language? Dancing? Think about how much time you’ve got now! And all this time you’re free to do something you thought you don’t have enough time to.
   
   I am sure you have plenty of things that itch you to try out, but if you need even more inspiration, here you go:
   
   - learn something new by taking an online course
   - read a non-fiction book about a topic that interests you
   - try a new hobby such as hot yoga, riding horses, photography (on your walks outside…)
   - create instead of consume - write, draw, craft
   - enjoy the present moment with loved ones or go into the nature
   
   You’re welcome :)

6. How to get started - join “The Doomscrolling Detox” mini 7-day challenge

   If you don’t know where to get started, I’ve got you covered. You’ll be surprised how far you can get in just one week with this simple, easy-to-implement 7-day challenge! Grab your free copy below or here.

One more thing…

Breaking free of doomscrolling is hard work and at the same time it’s not at all. Once you’ve got it, you will never go back. It’s all about finding out what works for you. If you can identify things that truly bring you joy and you can start a momentum of “good habits”, then it’s easy.

Find your triggers - the good, the bad and the ugly - and use it to your advantage.

So, what will you try first? Let me know how it’s going for ya in the comments.

You’ve got this!

Yours,