It starts innocently enough. You’re just checking your phone real quick. Maybe to see the weather. Maybe to answer a message. And then… you scroll.
One headline leads to another. One tweet leads to a thread. Suddenly you’re deep into a rabbit hole of disasters, injustice, climate collapse, celebrity drama, and more reasons to lose faith in humanity—all before you’ve even had your coffee.
That, my friend, is doomscrolling.
And while it might feel like a harmless habit, doomscrolling can have a real impact on your mental health—especially when the world already feels overwhelming.
If you’re finding yourself caught in the endless scroll of dread, here’s the good news: you’re not alone, you’re not broken, and yes, there are gentle ways to shift this habit without pretending the world is made of rainbows and glitter (although we wouldn’t mind that either).
Let’s unpack it together.
What is an example of doomscrolling?
Picture this:
You’re lying in bed, trying to wind down. You think, “I’ll just check the news really quick.” Five minutes turns into 45. You’ve gone from a headline about inflation to a Reddit post about social collapse to someone’s Twitter rant about political doom. You feel your chest tighten.
Your brain is buzzing. And somehow, you’re still scrolling.
That’s doomscrolling.
It’s the act of consuming endless amounts of negative or distressing news, often without realizing just how long you’ve been doing it or how much it’s affecting you.
Doomscrolling doesn’t always look dramatic. Sometimes it’s subtle—just a low-grade drip of bad news that lingers in your body long after you’ve put your phone down.
And in today’s world, where there’s always something breaking or trending or unraveling, the scroll can feel endless.
What is doomscrolling slang for?
Great question.
Doomscrolling is slang for mindlessly or obsessively scrolling through bad news online. It’s a mashup of “doom” (as in dread, disaster, or dark times) and “scrolling” (as in endlessly moving through your feed).
The term became popular around 2020—because, well, there was a lot of doom to scroll through. But even now, years later, the habit hasn’t gone away. If anything, it’s become part of our digital routine.
We doomscroll because we want to stay informed. Because we want to prepare ourselves. Because part of us believes that if we read enough, we’ll feel better.
Spoiler alert: that’s not how brains work.
Instead, doomscrolling often activates our nervous system, ramps up anxiety, and gives us a false sense of control. It keeps us informed, sure—but also overwhelmed.
That’s why learning how to interrupt the pattern matters.
What is ADHD doomscrolling?
If you have ADHD—or even just ADHD tendencies—you might find that doomscrolling hits a little different.
ADHD brains are wired for novelty. They crave stimulation. So a constant stream of unpredictable headlines, videos, and hot takes? It’s like catnip.
But the catch is this: while your brain is chasing dopamine, your nervous system is quietly freaking out.
This is what we call ADHD doomscrolling—when your attention zeroes in on distressing content because it’s emotionally intense, even though it’s not actually helping you regulate or relax.
Here’s how it can show up:
- You intend to scroll for “just a minute” and lose track of time
- You struggle to pull away, even when you feel worse with every post
- You go from news to memes to conspiracy theories and back again
- You feel anxious, scattered, or overstimulated afterward
And no, this doesn’t mean you’re weak or doing something wrong. It means your brain is hungry for stimulation—and the internet serves it up on a stress-laced silver platter.
Managing ADHD doomscrolling is about learning to meet your brain’s need for novelty without throwing your emotional regulation out the window.
Why is doomscrolling so addictive?
Because it taps into our most basic survival instincts.
Our brains are wired to pay attention to danger. It’s how we stayed alive when tigers were hiding in the bushes. These days, the tigers are digital—and they’re everywhere.
Every time you see a shocking headline or an emotionally intense video, your brain lights up. It gets a hit of adrenaline or cortisol. And because our brains hate uncertainty, we keep scrolling in hopes of finding something—anything—that will make us feel safer, more informed, more in control.
But instead, we end up with:
- Decision fatigue
- Sensory overload
- Emotional burnout
- A lingering sense of helplessness
Doomscrolling tricks us into thinking we’re doing something productive, when really, we’re spinning our emotional wheels.
And here’s the twist: the more stressed we feel, the more we doomscroll to cope. It’s a loop. But the good news? Loops can be interrupted.
How to break the doomscrolling cycle (without sticking your head in the sand)
We’re not saying you should check out completely. You deserve to stay informed about what matters to you. But you also deserve peace of mind. You deserve to have a nervous system that’s not constantly running on fumes.
Here are some gentle ways to shift the habit:
- Create boundaries. Set a timer. Limit news checks to once or twice a day. Don’t take your phone to bed if that’s your scroll zone.
- Curate your feed. Mute or unfollow accounts that spike your anxiety. Follow voices that offer clarity, not chaos.
- Add “hope” to the scroll. Sprinkle in accounts that share good news, joy, humor, or useful mental health tips. Doomscrolling thrives in one-sided content.
- Replace the itch. When the urge to scroll hits, try something else: stretch, step outside, text a friend, drink water, breathe.
- Talk about it. Doomscrolling is often a coping strategy for deeper anxiety. Therapy can help you unpack what you’re really trying to soothe when you reach for the scroll.
At Value Core, we work with people every day who are carrying the emotional weight of the world. We offer compassionate mental health care—including medication management when needed—to help calm the noise and support your mental clarity.
You’re not weak for being affected by the world. You’re attuned. And you deserve rest just as much as you deserve information.
Final thoughts: You’re allowed to take a break from the internet (and still be a good person)
You don’t have to read every update to prove you care. You don’t have to carry every crisis to be informed.
You don’t have to doomscroll your way through bedtime and wonder why your dreams are weird.
You’re allowed to protect your peace. You’re allowed to breathe. You’re allowed to step away and come back when your nervous system has had a moment to recover.
Doomscrolling might be common, but that doesn’t mean it has to be your normal.
You’re not missing out by taking a break. You’re tuning back in—to your own mind, your own body, your own balance.
At Value Core, we’re here when the noise feels too loud. Whether you need support with anxiety, attention, overwhelm, or just want help building better digital habits, we’ve got you.
Let’s quiet the scroll. Let’s come back to center. Let’s take care of you.