Doomscrolling, or continuously consuming negative news despite its disheartening impact, coupled with social media envy, may have more significant health implications than previously realized. It could lead to feelings of helplessness and exacerbate anxiety, depression, and loneliness. Experts suggest several measures to mitigate its effects, including self-awareness, setting limits on news consumption, avoiding confirmation bias, recognizing and addressing feelings of anxiety and numbness, and seeking professional help if required.
Key Points:
- Continuous exposure to negative news or “doomscrolling” and excessive use of social media may increase the risk of mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, and feelings of helplessness. It could also lead to self-harm and suicidal tendencies.
- To prevent doomscrolling, individuals should first recognize this behavior and its root causes. They should then seek healthier ways to address their emotional needs rather than resorting to compulsive scrolling on social media.
- It’s important to stay informed but not overly consumed by news. This can be achieved by limiting news intake to a few trusted sources, engaging with a limited group of friends on social media, and understanding that it’s impossible to consume all the information available.
- Setting time limits and physical boundaries for news consumption and social media use can help balance digital intake and personal recuperation. Habit forming, such as reading the news only during certain times of the day, can also be beneficial.
- Individuals should avoid confirmation bias, which is the tendency to only believe information that aligns with their existing beliefs. Challenging one’s own beliefs can help counter this bias.
- Feelings of anxiety and numbness resulting from doomscrolling or social media overuse are normal, and it’s crucial to recognize and address them. If such feelings persist for a prolonged period, professional help should be sought.
Source: https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-stop-doomscrolling-psychology-social-media-fomo/
