Doomscrolling isn’t just bad for your mood, it can harm your cognition too — here’s how to rein it in
Avoid overloading your brain
Reset your brain
So what can we do about it? It is important to avoid obsessive doomscrolling but instead show resilience and gain mastery over the situation. To do that, you need to have some positive moments of respite. So try to schedule something you enjoy and which relaxes and de-stresses you daily, such as reading a good book, watching a fun film, visiting friends and family ormindfulness training. Exercise or learning something new, such as a different language or a musical instrument, can also be good – boosting both mood as well as cognition.
Another way to take control of the situation is by taking action, perhaps joining or supporting a charity that is involved in helping civilians in Ukraine. When you perform an act of kindness, itactivates the reward systemin the brain – and gives you some power over the situation.
If you continue to be disturbed by doomscrolling, you may wish to contact a clinical psychologist who can help you reduce this activity and its effects, through the use of cognitive behavioral therapy. Interestingly, one study showed it is possible to improve your mood throughcognitive mood induction– rewarding people for their performance on a cognitive test.
In a modern globalized world with many forms of technology and constant bombardment of information and streams of stimulation – some good and some bad – it is important to identify your goals. But it is equally important to develop a strategy for achieving them and for avoiding distraction. So the bottom line is to try to stay positive and resilient – for your sake and others.
After all, what use are we in helping to solve difficult global challenges, such as conflict and climate change, if we’re so depressed and cognitively depleted that we can’t think of the best actions to take?
This article byBarbara Jacquelyn Sahakian, Professor of Clinical Neuropsychology,University of Cambridge;Christelle Langley, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Cognitive Neuroscience,University of Cambridge;Chun Shen, Postdoctoral research fellow,Fudan University, andJianfeng Feng, Professor of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence,Fudan University, is republished fromThe Conversationunder a Creative Commons license. Read theoriginal article.
Story byThe Conversation
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