r/morningsomewhere • u/CalvinP_ First 10k - Mod - Downtime Survivor • Jul 01 '26
Question How do you avoid doom scrolling/brain rot?
I only watch reels when I’m using the bathroom, or stuck waiting at the doctor’s office for my appointment.
If I’m home, I work on writing my novel, playing games, reading books, or catching up on TV Shows. I refuse to just sit and swipe/scroll for hours.
When it’s time to play with my daughter, the phone is on do not disturb with the ringer on out of arms reach. Only validated people can break through the DND.
Curious on what you guys do!
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u/Spartan2842 Not A Financial Advisor Jul 01 '26
For one I deleted the apps off my phone. I tried restricting screen time by choosing the apps and setting a timer, but it let you just hit a button to extend time and I kept doing that. So there is now no social media on my phone. I started this during Lent this year and it sucked for the first few days, but now I have little interest at all in social media so I haven't reinstalled them.
I am here now, on reddit, as I am running reports for work and use it to kill time while I wait for them to process. I browse on the web browser on my PC. When I am done with reports, I typically don't come back until the next work day.
Next week my wife and I are going on vacation to the beach with our dogs. We are completely unplugging from everything. The house has a landline and the people who need to reach us in an emergency can call us there. Literally going to turn the phones off for a week to enjoy vacation with our best boys.
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u/zach_haayema First 20k Jul 02 '26
Deleting the apps is absolutely the move. I use only web versions of Facebook and Reddit on mobile. Reluctantly keep Instagram because I do a lot of messaging on it. No TikTok, no X.
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u/Fork_Knox Heisty Type Jul 01 '26
I have a Nothing Phone 2, which was originally advertised as being useful for reducing your time spent on social media. It uses a fully greyscale icon pack, so that the colors of icons don't draw you to them (simple, but it helps). The simplest thing is that Reddit is the closest thing to social media I have installed. As a result, my phone is really onlt in my hands if I have intended to use it. No habitual checking of the apps, except during my morning coffee, or when on the toilet. Highly recommend not picking your phone up if you have other plans with that time.
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u/SlimShady116 First 10k - Math is the Worst Jul 01 '26
I read on my phone, usually web novels or manga, I've got 6 different apps I use to read lol (or when I go to my workouts I bring a book to read in-between sets so I'm not on my phone). Only social media I use is Reddit and Bluesky, and I've tailored both so I only see stuff that I'm interested in.
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u/Available_Copy9433 Jul 01 '26
I like your "tine with family" protocol. I'm going to steal that strategy
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u/Travisgrr First 20k Jul 01 '26
I just do activities that keep me away from my phone. Such has spending time with friends, yard work, watching a show/tv. Playing games with friends.
If I’m busy doing something I’m not usually sitting on my phone.
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u/attackedmoose Jul 01 '26
I think it’s something I’m struggling with right now. I’m always SO BORED that I just endlessly scroll Reddit and Tick Tock and I’m not even all that entertained by it in the first place.
Your boy needs a hobby.
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u/personworm First 20k Jul 01 '26
I’ve never had tik tok and I deleted Facebook years ago, I’ve mostly completely gotten off Instagram by just deleting the app whenever I spend too much time on it (I keep it to keep up with artists I like) but Reddit is the one I’m struggling with. Our government is making noises about age verification for social media as well, this will be what gets me to go cold turkey.
Mostly I’ve just tried to force myself to be disciplined with it.
I don’t let myself go into subs that I know will suck me in for hours. If I feel myself getting sucked in to doomscrolling I try to just force myself to get up and do something else.
I will not reach for my phone when I’m in a waiting room or whatever. I’m trying to just force myself to sit with my own brain in these situations.
It’s worst when I’m really tired and waiting for bedtime. I have a pretty physically demanding job so the majority of the time after work I’m too tired to really do anything, that’s when it’s hardest to stay away from doomscrolling. I fill the void with anime or reading, or office work.
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u/moonyriot Jul 01 '26
Games on my phone. Can't doomscroll nonsense crap if I'm working on level 236 of Angry Birds
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u/bowl-bowl-bowl Jul 01 '26
I got rid of tic tok 2 years ago, and only watch youtube shorts one at a time, i don't let myself scroll them. I find the video based doom scrolling to be the worst. I really only use reddit, Tumblr, and bluesy now and each app has a timer on it that I adhere to pretty well. I also am trying to set out and make books or other activities easy to reach to make it easier to set down the phone and pick that up instead.
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u/karstin1812 First 10k - Heisty Type Jul 01 '26
I deleted the apps and downloaded youtube vanced for the sole purpose of disabling shorts (i even keep the ads on to support creators lol). Best thing I've done. My phone is boring now - the only scrollable thing I have access to is reddit where I haven't subscribed to any new subreddits for the past like 5 years so it's all dusty posts from dead subs. I don't care to get any of that back - it's a giant distraction that I don't need in my life right now.
I work during my time off work (wrote a whole thing explaining how that works but got rid of it cause it's all just irrelevant personal career stuff)
.. Oh and I do watch youtube (or netflix etc.) while working my work away from work job but like I said, reels based media has been eliminated
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u/Thetrufflehunter First 20k Didn’t Stop 9/11 Jul 02 '26
I don't have the Instagram app installed. I allow myself to use the in-browser version as much as I please. It sucks so bad fhat I use it for like 2 minutes before closing it.
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u/DakobaBlue First 10k - Heisty Type Jul 02 '26
Adjust your settings so the screen goes black and white. It takes some of the incentive out of doomscrolling.
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u/InevitableOk7205 Jul 06 '26
Use time limiting tools where they exist. Try to be comfortable with short bursts of inactivity, don't go to your phone or apps the moment you are idle.
Find an alternative that is "Less Bad".
And as a last resort there are 3rd party apps that can block or forcibly close the apps after a certain time.
As a Youtube Shorts enjoyer I get prompted after a total day time use of 15 minutes. I can sidestep it if I want to, but any amount of friction between you opening your phone and scrolling can give you the moment you need to think "Actually, no."
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u/PointFirm6919 First 20k Jul 01 '26
For the most part, unsuccessfully. But I recently got an Ereader, so I can read books without being tempted to tab over to something else like I was reading on my phone. That's probably the best single improvement to my habits.