Stop Doomscrolling

• Decide what you need information for. A local safety update, a daily overview, professional detail, and civic information call for different sources and frequency.
• Use finite sources. A daily newsletter, direct news site, radio bulletin, or saved article has an end. Algorithmic feeds do not.
• Set check windows. Pick one or two times, not right after waking or right before sleep, and treat them as appointments.
• Remove feed cues. Turn off breaking-news alerts you do not truly need, move apps, log out, or use the browser instead of the app.
• Name the trigger. Doomscrolling often follows uncertainty, loneliness, work avoidance, or bedtime. Plan a response to the trigger, not just the content.
• End with action or closure. If the information calls for action, write it down. If not, state what you know and when you will check again.
• Settle the body afterward. Stand up, look away from the screen, breathe comfortably, walk, or talk with someone. Do not carry the feed straight into sleep or focused work.

For one week, note when doomscrolling starts, what you were looking for, and how long it lasts. Find the dominant window and app.

For the next two weeks, replace that pattern with a bounded news routine:

1. Pick one or two reliable sources.
2. Check them in one scheduled window. Fifteen to 20 minutes is a starting example, not a required limit.
3. Write down any action or question that follows.
4. Close the source and do a physical transition.

Take the feed app off the first screen and turn off nonessential alerts. Put a replacement at the old trigger: a downloaded article, a book, a puzzle, music, a short walk, or a direct message to someone. If a major event genuinely needs closer monitoring, define what signal would change your actions and which official source provides it.

Review after two weeks. Compare unplanned episodes, time lost, sleep timing, and how activated you feel after news. Keep the routine that leaves you adequately informed with less spillover.

You still know what matters, but you check less reflexively, stop closer to the intended time, and get back to other things more easily. The news may still be upsetting. Success is that the feed no longer decides how long you stay activated.

Measure unplanned episodes and minutes in the target window, not every encounter with news. Ask, too, whether you took useful civic or personal action.

If scheduled checks stretch into long sessions, use a source with a natural endpoint or read offline. If fear of missing an emergency is the driver, find the official alert system that would notify you. If doomscrolling is mostly a way to avoid another task, make a specific start plan for that task.

During crises, repeated exposure can be especially distressing. Cut graphic content, take breaks, and talk with people instead of relying entirely on feeds. Persistent anxiety, panic, or sleep disruption may need a broader support plan.