Sometimes, we all need something to do.  When I was growing up, we went outside, played with friends, or rode bikes around the neighborhood.  It got us out to get some vitamin D from the sun, or to socialize with friends.  We learned how to communicate with others, and on some level, how to behave.  As much as I enjoy having the world at my fingertips, I am struggling with the realization that my phone has taken over my life.  Although I can look up anything in an instant, I also catch myself scrolling social media and the news for too long.  I know that I am not alone, and others too have admitted to scrolling information and losing track of time, but I think that doom scrolling can be hazardous to your health.

Scrolling the news endlessly can affect your outlook on the world.  Much of the news these days is negative, and if that is all you read, you likely think the world is in the toilet.  There seems to be wars everywhere, and people who want to hurt others.  Although crime statistics seem to show that crime is decreasing, you won’t know that from a daily news scroll.   The unfortunate reality of our world is that shocking news sells, happy news does not.  I’m not sure if it is because people don’t want to know that there are happy people out there (because they feel that bad), or if they just believe that things are that bad that they don’t believe that there are people out in the world that are happy and content.  Regardless, scrolling the news can leave you depressed, scared, and anxious.

Scrolling social media isn’t much better.  Although there can be happier messages on your feed, there generally can be more people trying to convince you to follow their new money-making scheme, and you “could be a millionaire by the end of the year”. Of course, you might have to purchase something to make it work, but the instruction video is free.  If you read the comments from some of the more positive posts, there will likely inevitably be a hater in the crowd, being negative and hateful.     Wouldn’t it be nice if our pages only included information about people we cared about and nothing from the newest scammer, trying to sell the next best get rich quick scheme.   If that were the case, I think the level of depression in the US would go down significantly.

Don’t get stuck doom scrolling.  Put down your phone and go outside.  Take a walk, meet a friend for coffee.  Go out for dinner and listen to music.  Find a concert in the park and stop to listen.  Take a dance class or join a yoga studio.  If you have kids, take them to the beach and teach them to fly a kite.  Enjoy a tea party, with real or imagined tea.   Don’t get stuck in the weeds of the news or social media.

It’s easy to find yourself doom scrolling, sometimes for hours.  There is that sense that you might miss something, but you are missing more with your eyes on your phone and not on the world around you.  Can I make a prediction?  You will not find what you might be looking for on your phone.  You won’t find a real connection with another person.  You might find depression and anxiety, but a new relationship or a new friend is outside your door.  Walk out into the world and discover all it has to offer.   Look to the sky and fly.  It’s all a part of being happy, for life.