Doomscrolling and Mental Health: Why We Can't Stop and How to Break Free

It's 11:47 PM. You told yourself you'd be asleep by 10:30. Instead, you're

still in bed, thumb moving on autopilot—scrolling through news headlines,

social media posts, comment sections. None of it makes you feel better.

Most of it makes you feel worse. And yet, you keep scrolling.

If this sounds familiar, you're not alone. And there's a name for it:

doomscrolling.

As a licensed clinical psychologist practicing in Menlo Park, I've seen a

significant increase in clients—particularly high-achieving professionals

in Silicon Valley—struggling with compulsive phone use and its effects on

their mental health. This post explores what doomscrolling is, why it's so

hard to stop, and what you can do about it.

Man scrolling at night

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What Is Doomscrolling?

Doomscrolling (sometimes called "doomsurfing") refers to the compulsive

consumption of negative news or social media content, often for extended

periods, despite knowing it's making you feel worse.

The term gained widespread use during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many of

us found ourselves glued to our phones, refreshing news feeds for the latest

updates on case counts, lockdowns, and uncertainties.

But doomscrolling didn't end with the pandemic. For many people, it's become

a deeply ingrained habit—one that fuels anxiety, disrupts sleep, and quietly

erodes well-being.

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Why Can't We Stop? The Psychology Behind Doomscrolling

Understanding why doomscrolling is so compelling requires looking at how our

brains are wired—and how technology exploits that wiring.

1. Negativity Bias

Humans evolved to pay more attention to threats than rewards. This

"negativity bias" kept our ancestors alive—noticing the rustle in the grass

that might be a predator was more important than admiring the sunset.

Today, this bias makes negative news feel more urgent and important than

positive news. Our brains treat a disturbing headline with the same

vigilance they'd give a physical threat.

2. Variable Reward Schedules

Social media platforms and news apps are designed using the same

psychological principles as slot machines. You never know when you'll

encounter something interesting, alarming, or validating—so you keep

pulling the lever.

This "variable ratio reinforcement" is one of the most powerful drivers

of compulsive behavior. Your brain releases small hits of dopamine not

when you find something good, but in anticipation of potentially finding

something good.

3. Illusion of Control

Scrolling can feel like *doing something* about problems that feel

overwhelming. If I just stay informed, we tell ourselves, I'll be

prepared. I'll know what to do. I won't be caught off guard.

But this sense of control is largely illusory. Most of the content we

consume while doomscrolling is neither actionable nor useful. It simply

feeds our anxiety while masquerading as vigilance.

4. Emotional Avoidance

Paradoxically, doomscrolling can serve as a form of emotional avoidance.

Focusing on distant, abstract problems (politics, global crises, online

controversies) can be easier than sitting with our own feelings—stress

about work, tension in a relationship, grief, loneliness, uncertainty

about the future.

The phone becomes a place to hide from ourselves.

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The Mental Health Impact of Doomscrolling

Research increasingly confirms what many of us sense intuitively:

excessive consumption of negative content is bad for mental health.

Anxiety and Hyper-vigilance

Constant exposure to threat-related information keeps the nervous system

in a state of low-grade activation. Over time, this can manifest as

chronic anxiety, difficulty relaxing, irritability, and a persistent

sense that something bad is about to happen.

Depression and Hopelessness

A steady diet of bad news can distort our perception of reality, making

the world seem more dangerous, unfair, and hopeless than it actually is.

This cognitive distortion—sometimes called "mean world syndrome"—is

associated with depressive symptoms.

Sleep Disruption

Doomscrolling often happens at night, when we're tired and our defenses

are down. The combination of blue light exposure, emotional activation,

and delayed bedtime creates a perfect storm for poor sleep—which in turn

worsens anxiety and depression.

Reduced Attention and Presence

The habit of constant scrolling fragments our attention and makes it

harder to be present in our lives. Conversations, meals, quiet moments—all

get interrupted by the pull of the phone.

Relationship Strain

Partners and family members often notice the doomscrolling habit before

we do. "You're always on your phone" is a common complaint in couples

therapy—and it points to a real disconnection.

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Signs Your Scrolling Has Become a Problem

How do you know if your phone use has crossed from normal to problematic?

Consider these questions:

- Do you often scroll longer than you intended?

- Do you feel worse after scrolling but continue anyway?

- Is your phone the first thing you reach for in the morning and the last

thing you look at before bed?

- Have you noticed increased anxiety, irritability, or difficulty sleeping?

- Has your partner, friend, or family member expressed concern?

- Do you feel restless or anxious when you can't check your phone?

- Are you using scrolling to avoid difficult emotions or tasks?

If several of these resonate, it may be time to make a change.

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How to Break the Doomscrolling Habit

Breaking any ingrained habit is challenging, but it's absolutely possible.

Here are evidence-based strategies I recommend to clients:

1. Increase Friction

Make it slightly harder to access the apps you tend to doomscroll. Move

them off your home screen. Log out after each use. Turn off notifications.

Even small barriers can disrupt the automaticity of the habit.

2. Set Intentional Limits

Use built-in screen time tools to set daily limits on specific apps. When

you hit your limit, honor it. The goal isn't perfection—it's building

awareness and gradually reducing compulsive use.

3. Create Phone-Free Zones

Designate certain times and spaces as phone-free: the bedroom, the dinner

table, the first hour after waking. Protect these boundaries consistently.

4. Replace the Habit

Habits are hard to eliminate in a vacuum. It's easier to replace

doomscrolling with a different behavior that meets the same underlying

need—whether that's relaxation, stimulation, or distraction.

Consider: What could you do instead? Read a book? Listen to music? Step

outside? Call a friend? The replacement doesn't need to be "productive"—it

just needs to be less harmful.

5. Practice Mindful Check-Ins

Before picking up your phone, pause and ask: *Why am I reaching for this

right now? What am I feeling? What do I actually need?*

This brief moment of awareness can interrupt the automatic loop and give

you a choice.

6. Curate Your Feed

You have more control over what you see than you might realize. Unfollow

accounts that consistently make you feel worse. Mute keywords. Seek out

content that informs without overwhelming.

7. Address Underlying Issues

If doomscrolling is serving as a coping mechanism for anxiety, depression,

or avoidance, addressing those underlying issues is essential. Surface-level

habit changes will only go so far if deeper patterns remain unexamined.

This is where coahing can help.

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When to Seek Professional Support

If you've tried to cut back on your own and find yourself unable to change,

you're not weak or broken. You're dealing with a behavior that's been

carefully engineered to be addictive, layered on top of your own unique

psychology, history, and stressors.

Coaching can help you:

- Understand the emotional function your scrolling serves

- Develop healthier coping strategies for anxiety and difficult emotions

- Rebuild attention and presence

- Address underlying depression, anxiety, or perfectionism

- Repair relationships affected by phone use

- Create sustainable change without willpower alone

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A Note for High Achievers

Many of my clients are high-achieving professionals—executives, engineers,

founders, physicians, attorneys. They're accomplished, disciplined, and

successful in most areas of life.

And yet, they struggle with this.

If that's you, know that intelligence and willpower aren't enough to

outsmart a habit that's been engineered by some of the smartest behavioral

psychologists and designers in the world. The pull of the phone isn't a

character flaw. It's a design feature.

Seeking help isn't a sign of weakness. It's a recognition that some

problems benefit from support, perspective, and expertise.

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Taking the First Step

If doomscrolling is affecting your sleep, your mood, your relationships,

or your ability to be present in your life, I invite you to reach out.

At Silicon Valley Leadership Lab, I work with individuals and couples navigating the

intersection of technology, anxiety, and modern life. My practice is

located in Menlo Park and serves clients throughout the San Francisco

Bay Area, including Palo Alto, Atherton, Woodside, Los Altos, and

surrounding communities.

Ready to make a change? Schedule a complimentry consultation to see how I can help you.

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*Dr. Margaret Li is a licensed clinical psychologist practicing

in Menlo Park, California. She specializes in working with high-achieving

professionals on anxiety, depression, perfectionism, and relationship issues.*