Doomscrolling and Wellbeing: Six Practical Ways to Cut Down, From the Mental Health Foundation

Checking the news or social media "just once more" before bed, or first thing after waking, has become such a common habit that it has its own name: doomscrolling, the compulsive, often anxious consumption of a stream of mostly negative headlines and updates. Mind’s own guidance on coping with upsetting events in the news captures how this can feel from the inside, describing being "sucked into a whirlwind of information" with anxiety creeping back in. The Mental Health Foundation has published specific, practical tips for cutting back.

Why this pattern affects mood

Mind’s guidance lists a wide range of reactions people commonly report to distressing or constant news coverage, including feeling "overwhelmed or panicked," "anxious or uncertain" about what might happen next, and, notably, feeling "obsessive or unable to relax" — unable to stop scrolling or to use a phone to relax any more. This last pattern is the essence of doomscrolling: a habit that starts as an attempt to stay informed or to unwind can end up doing the opposite, leaving someone more wound up than before they picked up their phone.

Six practical tips from the Mental Health Foundation

The Mental Health Foundation sets out six specific strategies for cutting back. First, turn off push notifications, since "turning off instant alerts for social media or news apps can give you a break from anxiety-provoking information." Second, use a separate alarm clock instead of a phone, so the phone can be kept in another room overnight rather than becoming the last and first thing checked each day. Third, manage social media feeds actively, including "blocking or hiding certain profiles" to limit exposure to negative content. Fourth, set a concrete time limit, whether that is an alarm to restrict news app use or simply limiting scrolling "to the time it takes to make a cup of tea." Fifth, create phone-free zones in the home, such as the bedroom or the dining table, to interrupt habitual scrolling in specific places. Sixth, balance any doomscrolling with a deliberately positive counterweight, such as "mindfulness, reading, spending time with others, and exercising."

Setting boundaries with news, not cutting it out entirely

Mind’s guidance frames this as setting boundaries with news habits rather than avoiding the news altogether, since staying informed can feel useful and even empowering, and there is no suggestion that disengaging completely is the goal. The aim across both sets of guidance is a more deliberate relationship with news and social media consumption, rather than the reactive, constant checking that doomscrolling describes.

Why small, structural changes tend to work better than willpower alone

Several of the Mental Health Foundation’s tips share a common feature: they change the environment rather than relying on remembering to stop. Turning off notifications, moving the phone out of the bedroom, and creating phone-free zones all remove the trigger that starts a scrolling session, rather than asking a tired or anxious person to notice the urge and resist it in the moment, which tends to be a much harder ask.

Recognising when it has become a habit worth changing

A useful marker for whether doomscrolling has become a habit worth addressing is not how much news is consumed in total, but how it is consumed: scrolling with no clear stopping point, checking the same handful of apps repeatedly within a short space of time, or reaching for a phone automatically when a spare moment appears, all point toward habitual rather than deliberate news consumption. Noticing this pattern is usually the first step before any of the six tips above can be applied effectively.

Frequently asked questions

Is doomscrolling a recognised medical term? It is a widely used descriptive term for a recognisable pattern of behaviour rather than a clinical diagnosis; the guidance referenced here treats it as a wellbeing habit to manage, not a condition to be treated.

Should I stop reading the news altogether? Neither Mind nor the Mental Health Foundation’s guidance suggests avoiding news entirely; the focus is on setting limits and boundaries rather than disengaging completely.

What is the single easiest tip to start with? Turning off push notifications is one of the simplest changes to make immediately, since it removes the trigger that often starts an unplanned scrolling session in the first place.

The bottom line

Doomscrolling describes a pattern that often starts as trying to stay informed and ends up increasing anxiety instead. The Mental Health Foundation’s six tips — turning off notifications, using a separate alarm clock, managing feeds, setting time limits, creating phone-free zones, and balancing scrolling with positive activities — work by changing habits and environment rather than relying on willpower alone.

Sources

• Mental Health Foundation, "Doomscrolling: tips for healthier news consumption"
• Mind, "How to cope with upsetting events in the news"