Young Adult Resources: Doomscrolling

"Doomscrolling" is the act of continually scrolling through and reading depressing or worrying content on social media or news sites. Many of us struggle with this, especially during times of political turmoil, both within our country and globally. It can be challenging to separate yourself from the constant onslaught of information being pushed on you: on your phone, on TV, at the gym, and even at gas stations. Being in a loop of absorbing new upsetting information causes real harm. It literally rewires your brain. But the good news is that we can fix this! Through new, healthy habits, we can feel better, less reactive, and overall less anxious.

Stop Doomscrolling Before This Happens to You

How to Stop Doomscrolling (And What to Do Instead!)

how to *quickly* escape a dopamine hole

Mental Health Mini Activity

Dopamine Menu

Sticking with this month’s theme of supporting our mental health while online, here is an activity designed to help stimulate dopamine without getting on a screen! Dopamine is a neurotransmitter and hormone that acts as a chemical messenger in the brain, playing a key role in the body’s reward system, motivation, etc. A “dopamine menu” is a list of enjoyable activities to easily pick from when you have the urge to doomscroll. This works by helping reduce “decision fatigue,” or the feeling of being overwhelmed by the number of choices that you face every day, by allowing you to select quick, stimulating, or calming actions instead of reaching for your phone. This can also help retrain your brain to build healthier habits. 

To do this activity, write out your own “dopamine menu” with different activities. The menu will be separated into appetizers, entrées, sides, desserts, and specials. 

Appetizers are small, easy-to-accomplish activities that can help ease your brain back into the real world and off your phone. These are quick boosts (5-10 minutes) such as lighting a candle, doing a few dishes, petting a pet, doing a stretch, taking a quick walk outside, etc. These help give your brain a little bit of natural dopamine. These are also great substitutes for immediately picking up your phone in the morning.

Entrées are more time-consuming (45+ minutes) but rewarding tasks. These are hobbies or longer activities that help you unwind and relax. This might look like cooking a meal, deep cleaning your room, taking a self-care shower, reading a book, or doing something creative like drawing, painting, crocheting, etc. Add activities here that help you relax and recharge while keeping your phone use to a minimum.

Sides are tasks that you can do simultaneously to make boring tasks more stimulating. This might look like listening to a podcast while cleaning, having a yummy sweet or drink while working, lighting a candle while doing homework, putting on the television for background noise, etc. Add your favorite “sides” that help keep you productive while doing something else. 

Desserts are indulgences that give you lots of dopamine, but may drain you if you do them too often. These look like playing a game on your phone, online shopping, binge-watching a show, scrolling on social media, etc. To moderate these, it can be helpful to set a timer to make sure you don’t spend too much time enjoying your “desserts”.

Lastly, specials are fun activities that may take more planning or are more infrequent. These might look like going to a concert, planning a beach trip, seeing a play or show, etc. These give you something to look forward to and to keep you going. 

When thinking about creating your own dopamine menu, it may be helpful to go through and list your favorite, feel-good activities. Then categorize them by time and effort (think starters, entrées, etc.). Once you have created your menu, display it somewhere visible and easily accessible.