5 things you can do to stop scrolling

Sometimes life does “life things” and it stresses us out. School, work, relationships, family, the news—our stressors have the potential to put us on edge, or keep us awake at night, scrolling with blue light glowing on our faces. Whether you’re scrolling for a dopamine hit of cat belly rubs or doomscrolling to check the latest political news, your phone has an impact on your mood and your mental health.

Part of self-care is not just pampering, but putting ourselves in the best position to handle what life throws at us daily. A friend might tell you to “go touch grass” when you’re feeling aggy, but what does that look like IRL when it’s cold outside or when no one is around to gently nudge you to put down your phone for a bit? We have a few ideas you can try when your brain needs a break from gloom and doomscrolling.

1. Grow something

Even if you have a brown thumb, hear us out! It might be too cold to literally touch grass or be out in nature for long, but you can still get the benefits of the natural world inside your home. Becoming a plant parent is a great way to put more life in your living spaces, to lend your energy to caring, and provide a routine, meditative activity for your mind to focus on. Houseplants not your thing? As spring approaches, consider planting window sill herbs from seed, and watch them grow into something you can use.

2. Move your body

Exercise can help take your mind off what’s going wrong in the world. You can go to the gym if that’s your vibe, but if you’re more into things that don’t require you to be around others, queue up a Youtube workout. Moving your body can also include doing less strenuous activities like yoga, deep stretching, or tai chi. Combine those with breathwork to help relax you and ease your stress levels. Dancing also counts as body movement. Try setting aside moments where you turn on your favorite album or playlist and dance like no one is watching you—unless your lover is. And don’t forget that sex (solo or partnered) is movement, relieves tension, and can take your mind to a happier place.

3. Pick up a hobby

Our phones can be so alluring because they fit in the palms of our hands and have an endless supply of content for us to look at. One way to break that habit is to literally pick up a new hobby to fill your hands and your time. The key here is hobby, not a hustle. Find or revisit an activity that you enjoy doing simply for the sake of doing it. That could look like making art, doing fiber crafts, playing a video game, scrapbooking or journaling, cooking or baking, etc. Just let it be something that holds your attention and your enthusiasm, and the time will fly.

4. Read a book.

If you struggle with focus, reading a book might be an “easier said than done” kind of ask. Still, it deserves a mention because it’s one of the most immersive forms of entertainment and it is available in various formats and lengths. Find a genre that hooks you and dive in! Don’t feel pressured to go analog if you love digital. Download the Libby app and connect with your local library to borrow ebooks. You can also try audiobooks if listening works better for you than a more traditional format. The bonus of listening to an audiobook is that you can combine it with a low-effort activity, like walking outside or on a treadmill.

One important thing to remember with reading is that if your mind wanders, you might be tempted to check your phone, just for a minute, to see if you missed anything. It might help to move your phone out of sight, out of arm’s reach, or to another room so it doesn’t distract you.

5. Get organized.

It’s so easy to get sucked into social media and the worlds inside our phones that we might not realize how much time passes as we scroll. The suggestions above are meant to provide you with tips to regularly replace scrolling with something else that could lower your stress level. It’s also useful to organize your time and set parameters for how long you want to be on your phone. You can use apps that track and limit screen time by locking your phone, or you can set timers and reminders via apps to tell you to shut it down, go do something else. You could also get to a task you’ve been putting off for a while…because you didn’t have time, and now you do. Whatever you decide to do when you put down your phone is up to you, even if it’s just to go touch grass.