Personal Development – Mental Development
Doom Scrolling was first coined in 2018 and it took prominence in Covid when we were all seeking extra information and chasing an understanding of how to process the changes that occurred so suddenly.
Doom means darkness and evil and the world feels dark right now.
While this term may have been invented very recently, the concept is far from original. I vividly recall being glued to the TV following the September 11 attacks and the tsunami of 2004 – desperately trying to comprehend the incomprehensible.
We are hardwired to scrutinise, seek out and be drawn to the negative, because it can physically harm us; this fascination is in fact a survival instinct. From an evolutionary point of view, we seek negatives so that we can protect ourselves against them – I’m thinking predators, natural disaster, and other dangers to which our ancestors were subject. Why do you think we are so inclined to discuss the weather?
In modern society, however, we are unaware that we are seeking negative information. We are drawn to it instinctively and ensnared into it by social media algorithms which recognise our interest and expose us repeatedly and intermittently to the same. It makes sense; we are curious to discover more, we think information and understanding will make us feel better and so we scroll and scroll, believing that the solution lies in the detail. And yet we feel worse.
This compulsion to engross ourselves in negative news may grant us a feeling of being better prepared through being informed, yet it leads to worsened mood, disrupted sleep, increase in ruminative thought and compromised mental health as the fears are given extra airtime and therefore feel heightened; the opposite of our goal to feel reassured.
All well and good! Noted! I hear you cry. And what do you expect me to do about that? You also holler.
Firstly, simply become aware of this tendency. Instinctive tendencies can only be altered when we gather a conscious approach towards them.
Secondly, notice how you can help yourself by consciously setting limits on your exposure, knowing that minute by minute checks will not alleviate your unease: they are likely to increase it.
Should you have a tendency to watch the news at home, switch it off. The impact on your children of a constant stream of ticker tape news will not help them to understand the situation better.
If you have older children, take extra care to ensure that their devices are being monitored and their news consumption is tempered. Talk to them about how easy it is to be drawn into the news and how it can impact us.
Be mindful of how you are modelling news consumption to your children. And if you don’t want them to behave as you are, change your behaviour.
And finally, acknowledge to yourself – with kindness and gentleness – that there is a heaviness apparent as we metabolise the devastating and heart breaking news coming from Ukraine. By all means, stay informed. By all means, be aware of changes. Yet know that you can support yourself and your family best when you are well resourced through rest, through space to switch off and through time for connection with those whom you love.