6 Brain-Friendly Hacks to Limit Doomscrolling.

A decade ago, our brains were sharper, more focused, and mentally agile. A lot has happened; we became adults, survived a pandemic, and have been shut inside homes for years. This has impacted our overall well-being, and our brains were not spared from this crisis. Doom scrolling has become a part of our routine; it has turned out as something we effortlessly manage, a means to our escape. If you are aware of the crisis of scrolling for hours and strive to balance scrolling without affecting your productivity, this blog is going to help you with some quick fixes, but with consistency. We are not lost, it’s just some distractions, there’s always a way back!

Start small is the easy rule.

How many hours do you sleep? Yes, this can vary according to people, but how many hours do you spend online? One application for sure is taking all your time and energy. Fixing an app limit sounds like a jock unless you find an alternate activity to engage yourself with. This can be anything that makes you feel productive. For example, if you would like to practice reading or writing more, when the app limit is reached, engage in reading a page or writing a line; small acts add up. Identify your peak distraction hours and start using these hours intentionally.

The WHY needed to be addressed

Most of the time, our hands reach for the phone without a purpose. Asking ourselves, Why am I picking it up now, can create a moment of mindfulness. Setting an intention can make things a lot easier, and perhaps even a little more meaningful. Sometimes we take the phone to make an important call, but after an hour of making the call, we are mostly switching between multiple apps. If we ask ourselves why we are scrolling, the answer probably would not be a clear reason. The phone in our hands has become our only reason to scroll mindlessly. We are scrolling not because we have to scroll, the FOMO is not built up by our mind, but it’s the application that can survive only with the presence of people like us. On the other hand, we can always survive without these; at least we shouldn’t have to give them our entire attention.

Device Detox

The first step is to turn off notifications- not everything at once, but all those that do not need our attention. Switching our phones to grey scale mode makes the interface less likely to urge us to open applications. If you are someone who finds great difficulty managing your things because of mindless scrolling, setting up a grey scale will help. Hide all addictive apps from the home screen. Choosing a wallpaper that aligns with your goals or vision boards can help you to recheck your intention unconsciously.

Self-care without screen time

Create a screen-free zone – it can be a chair or a corner in your room, and a screen-free time. Use this time and space to realign to your goals, do things that will help lift your mood. Make yourself understand that what you are doing during this time is not something you are forced to do, but something you enjoy. Always remember peace is luxury, then and now.

Give and Take

If self-discipline feels hard, ask your friends or close ones to join you for this challenge. This might sound awkward, but far better than not taking the help at the right time. So it is always wise to take action when we know we are already late. It may feel late, but the right time to take action is always now. Start with one small change today, because your focus is worth reclaiming!