The joys of… Doomscrolling!

A clip from Doctor Who. An internet trend. A baby in a cute hat. An advert. A dog wearing swimming goggles. A joke about Batman characters. The same internet trend. Nail art inspired by mice.

Sometimes, I come home from work, shattered, intending to go straight to bed, pull out my phone to check a message – and when I next look up it’s 2am.

I don’t know why I do this to myself. I don’t spend as much time on my phone as some other people I know, or as much time as I did when I was fifteen – I’m so glad I’ll never have to be fifteen again – but it’s still more time than I’d like. It’s funny too because there is so much I need to do. I’m not even talking about boring stuff that I’m actively procrastinating – there are books that I desperately want to read and puzzles I’ve been waiting all year to do. There are short stories I want to plan and chapters upon chapters begging to be written. Even silly things, like watching Doctor Who or playing video games, get put on hold because my free time scrolls itself away.

I don’t even think I like doomscrolling. At this point, it’s almost just a reflex. Something to do. The issue is when I spend an hour reading a book, I feel recharged, I feel excited. I spend an hour on my phone, and I just feel this overwhelming sense of guilt and self hate. I become more self critical too, especially when it comes to my appearance. For as many cute cats and silly trends there are on the internet, it can also be a pretty horrible place to exist within, especially when you’re a young woman a bit out of place in your own skin.

We may belong to a generation in which now more than ever social media plays a central role in our lives but it’s important not to let it eat you whole

Periodically I delete social media entirely. Normally, it doesn’t last very long – what can you do? I need it to message my friends, but even so a day or two without it will make me feel more in control. It helps your brain to reset, and I’d recommend it if you need a break or something more permanent. We may belong to a generation in which now more than ever social media plays a central role in our lives but it’s important not to let it eat you whole.

I can’t explain it but I feel less myself after spending too long on my phone. My thoughts become sluggish, the world around me seems less real, and less interesting too. I struggle to find the word I want when I’m speaking to friends, and in my head, thoughts just trail off, unfinished. I hate it. I put in effort not to be this person. I write lists of things to do, and try not to touch my phone until they’re done. I put it in a separate room when I sleep. I go on walks and leave it at home.

This kind of action is helpful; at least, it works for me, but I’d also recommend spending a second or two to just sit with yourself. I find the points in my life where I spend the most time on social media are also the points where I feel really low. Maybe reach out and speak to someone, or spend a second to work out what’s going on and potential next steps to take. Difficult times don’t last forever, but they always feel like they will when you’re going through them.

In the last few years, social media has transformed from a bit of fun to something almost vampiric

I think everyone, not just me, is getting fed up of social media and how it’s slowly sapping away at our lives. There are articles and videos about analog living, and how to replace doomscrolling with journalling/reading/watching films/studying. This makes sense: in the last few years, social media has transformed from a bit of fun to something almost vampiric. Young people are spending more time on social media at the expense of going out, meeting each other, having sex, and having fun. I think it’s silly to frame social media addiction as a personal failing when it so obviously seems to be a symptom of a society that is failing its youth, but still, there are still small changes an individual can make to leave them slightly happier. Spending an hour sitting outside in the sun will feel far better than staying stuck inside on your phone. In fact, now that this article is done, I plan to go out, and do exactly that!