Are you aware of how scrolling impacts your mood or does it sneak up on you later?
What would it feel like to delete or hide one app that pulls you into endlessly scrolling, even just for a week?
Try reviewing the news only once a day, instead of constantly refreshing.
How do you stop doomscrolling? If you feel trapped and powerless from endless scrolling, is there a way out?
Start by noticing when it’s happening. Just catching yourself can break the cycle and open space for a better choice.
Plan simple strategies in advance. Take a strategic approach right now. Let’s dive into practical tips to make these changes.
Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our five positive psychology tools for free. These practical, science-based exercises equip you with tools to help yourself or your clients establish and maintain healthy boundaries.
How to Stop Doomscrolling: Notice When It’s Happening
The first step to breaking the cycle of doomscrolling is simply becoming aware of it. For example, you might notice, “I’m feeling anxious right now, and I’m searching for answers online.” That small moment of recognition can interrupt the automatic habit and give you a chance to make a different choice.
People who engage in doomscrolling often lose track of time and may not even realize how deeply it’s affecting their mental health. This lack of awareness can make emotional distress worse and keep the cycle going (Dominguez-Rodriguez, 2025; Rodrigues, 2022).
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4 Proactive Tips to Kick the Doomscrolling Habit
By being intentional about how much time you spend online, especially on news and social media, you can cut down on doomscrolling. Here are some easy tips and tools to stop doomscrolling.
1. Set limits
Set some limits for yourself. Try to check the news just once a day or wait until the end of the day to read a summary instead of constantly refreshing your feed. Controlling when and how much news you take in can make it feel way less overwhelming. Just 10 to 15 minutes can keep you informed without spiraling.
If willpower alone doesn’t cut it, there are plenty of time-keeping and phone-blocking apps that can help you stick to boundaries.
Tools like Forest, which gamifies staying off your phone by “growing trees” during focus sessions, or Freedom, which blocks distracting websites and apps across devices, make it easier to resist scrolling. StayFocused (for browsers), Opal, or even your phone’s built-in screen time settings can also give you that extra nudge of accountability.
These apps are designed to create intentional pauses and help you put your phone down when endless scrolling starts to take over.
2. Turn off notifications
Another super helpful tip for setting limits is to turn off notifications for news and social media apps.
Disabling those constant pings can seriously cut down on the urge to check your phone impulsively and help you avoid being hit with upsetting content when you’re not expecting it (Güme, 2024; Sharma et al., 2020).
You can choose when to check the news instead of being pulled in by alerts. That kind of intentionality can make a big difference in your anxiety levels (Mannell & Meese, 2022). Think of it as protecting your peace.
3. Avoid specific sources
Another effective method to stop doomscrolling is to avoid specific sources. Avoid news formats or sources that exacerbate your anxiety, such as live blogs or content perceived as sensationalized.
Researchers have found that to preserve their mental health, many participants unfollow news organizations or journalists on social media (Mannell & Meese, 2022; Sharma et al., 2020).
During these same studies, it was found that people don’t actually enjoy the constant stream of bad news; they often want to cut back on how much distressing content they take in. As more folks become aware of and want to stop doomscrolling, they may start to steer away from news sites or social media accounts that seem to only share negative stories (Sharma et al., 2020).
Researchers found that shifting your focus to more uplifting or neutral content, like something funny or calming, can help balance out all the negativity that comes with doomscrolling (Güme, 2024; Sekhon, 2024).
4. Create digital barriers
Creating digital barriers, such as deleting or hiding social media and news apps, is a deliberate strategy to reduce mindless scrolling and avoid emotionally draining content, helping individuals regain control over their device use and protect their mental health (Mannell & Meese, 2022; Güme, 2024; Sekhon, 2024).
In fact, intentional news avoidance is on the rise, with 36% of people worldwide reporting they now steer clear of the news altogether (Newman et al., 2023). People achieve this by turning off the TV, skipping news-heavy social media accounts (53%), silencing notifications or checking updates less often (52%), and avoiding topics that negatively affect their mood (32%; Newman et al., 2023).
Balance What You Take In
Many people are now turning to official sources, like government websites or press briefings, for facts without the added emotion or bias (Mannell & Meese, 2022).
There’s also growing interest in solution-focused and positive news (Newman et al., 2023). If heavy headlines feel overwhelming, try balancing them with uplifting or calming content.
Follow accounts that share good news, coping tips, or humor to help shift your mood (Güme, 2024; Sharma et al., 2022). Platforms like The Happy Newspaper and The Good News Network offer a welcome break from negativity.
With a few intentional choices, you can create a healthier, more supportive media environment.
Ground Yourself in the Present
Mindfulness practices like deep breathing, meditation, or simply noticing your surroundings can help reduce stress and interrupt cycles of doomscrolling by grounding you in the present moment (Aguvaveedi, 2025).
Low levels of mindfulness are linked to greater emotional reactivity and fixation on distressing news, sometimes even leading to symptoms of secondary trauma (Taskin et al., 2024).
Practicing mindfulness can increase emotional regulation and reduce overwhelm, making it easier to stay in control of how you engage with digital content (Aguvaveedi, 2025). When the news feels like too much, a simple grounding practice can help bring you back to your body and the here and now.
Techniques like the 5-4-3-2-1 exercise engage all five senses to redirect your focus away from stress and into the present, while box breathing — a method of evenly timed breaths — can calm your nervous system and reduce anxiety (Bentley et al., 2023; Jones, 2024; Luo et al., 2025).
Even stepping outside for a few moments of fresh air and sunshine can make a big difference. These simple tools don’t take much time but can be powerful resets when you’re feeling overwhelmed or emotionally drained.
A Take-Home Message
Feeling affected by tragic news, especially involving children, communities, or injustice, is natural and human. However, if consuming that news leaves you stuck in fear or despair, it’s important to step back, take care of yourself, and learn how to stop doomscrolling.
You’re not alone in getting caught in negative news cycles, but awareness is the first step to breaking free. Simple strategies like setting time limits, turning off notifications, avoiding certain sources, or using blocking apps can help.
Balance heavy news with lighter, positive content like funny videos or calming how-to clips. When overwhelmed, ask yourself what you can control right now and focus on small, doable actions to feel grounded.
Grounding techniques like the 5-4-3-2-1 method, box breathing, or simply stepping outside can help bring you back to the present. These small, mindful actions can gradually transform how you relate to the news, protect your wellbeing, and finally allow you to stop doomscrolling.
If you often feel anxious, numb, or overwhelmed after scrolling through bad news and find it hard to stop even when it’s affecting your sleep, mood, or daily life, it may be a sign that doomscrolling is doing more harm than good. If this sounds familiar, it might be time to check in with yourself and consider some gentle changes to support your mental health.
What are the most effective ways to stop doomscrolling?
You don’t need to completely give up scrolling. Small shifts like setting screen time limits, curating your feed, or using mindfulness tools can make a big difference. If you find doomscrolling overwhelming, reach out to a therapist to help you regain control and find support for your mental wellbeing.
References
Aguvaveedi, M. (2025, April 1). Breaking the doomscrolling cycle: Meditation as a remedy for anxiety in the digital age. SSRN.
Bentley, T. G. K., D’Andrea-Penna, G., Rakic, M., Arce, N., LaFaille, M., Berman, R., Cooley, K., & Sprimont, P. (2023). Breathing practices for stress and anxiety reduction: Conceptual framework of implementation guidelines based on a systematic review of the published literature. Brain Sciences, 13(12), 1612. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci13121612
Dominguez-Rodriguez, A., Apprich, F., Friehs, M. A., van der Graaf, S., & Steinrücke, J. (2025). Climate change news and doomscrolling: An examination of influencing factors and psychological effects. Acta Psychologica, 255, 104925. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.104925
Güme, S. (2024). Doomscrolling: A review. Current Approaches in Psychiatry / Psikiyatride Guncel Yaklasimlar, 16(4), 595–603. https://doi.org/10.18863/pgy.1416316
Jones, G. (2024). Deep breathing can empower individuals to reduce their anxiety. Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (2967063699). Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/docview/2967063699
Luo, Q., Li, X., Zhao, J., & others. (2025). The effect of slow breathing in regulating anxiety. Scientific Reports, 15, Article 8417. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-92017-5
Mannell, K., & Meese, J. (2022). From doom-scrolling to news avoidance: Limiting news as a wellbeing strategy during COVID lockdown. Journalism Studies, 23(3), 302–319. https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2021.2021105
Rodrigues, E. V. (2022). Doomscrolling–threat to mental health and well-being: A
review. International Journal of Nursing Research, 8(4), 127–130.
Sekhon, A. (2024). Doomscrolling and its impact on mental health. Indian Journal of Health & Wellbeing, 15(4), 611–613.
Sharma, B., Lee, S. S., & Johnson, B. K. (2022). The dark at the end of the tunnel: Doomscrolling on social media newsfeeds. Technology, Mind, and Behavior, 3(1: Spring 2022). https://doi.org/10.1037/tmb0000059
Taskin, S., Yildirim Kurtulus, H., Satici, S. A., & Deniz, M. E. (2024). Doomscrolling and mental well-being in social media users: A serial mediation through mindfulness and secondary traumatic stress. Journal of Community Psychology, 52(3), 512–524. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.23111
How do you stop doomscrolling? If you feel trapped and powerless from endless scrolling, is there a way out?
Many people are now turning to official sources, like government websites or press briefings, for facts without the added emotion or bias (Mannell & Meese, 2022).
