Ever opened Instagram or Twitter just for five minutes—and suddenly an hour’s gone, your head feels foggy, and you’re not even sure what you just read? That’s doomscrolling. I’ll be honest, I’m guilty of it too. There have been nights when I’ve scrolled through endless news and updates, only to close my phone feeling heavier than before. And the next morning, I’d wonder why I felt so mentally drained before the day even began. That exhaustion has a name: Cognitive Fatigue.
What Is Doomscrolling?
Doomscrolling is being unable to stop swiping or clicking through endless content—even though it’s making you feel anxious, drained, or low. Originally, the term was tied to consuming bad news, but today it can look like:
- Watching Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts one after another, late into the night
- Refreshing news feeds for the latest tragedy or trending topics
- Checking your favorite influencers and feeling a fear of missing out
- Scrolling endlessly, hoping the next swipe will feel better (but it doesn’t)
It’s that digital age loop where you keep scrolling, hoping the next thing will feel better, but instead you’re pulled deeper into the whirlpool of gloomy, dramatic, or draining content. Sound familiar? Yeah, me too.
What Is Cognitive Fatigue?
Think of your brain like your phone battery. Run too many apps in at at once like emails, work tasks, social media, news alerts and it drains fast. Cognitive fatigue is when your brain is low on charge. You might notice:
- Reading the same line three times without focus
- Struggling with simple tasks or decisions
- Getting irritable over small things
- Zero creativity or motivation
It’s not just “being tired.” It’s your brain running on 5% battery
The Trap of Scrolling Reels (a.k.a. Doomscrolling 2.0)
Here’s where it gets tricky: Doomscrolling and Mental Fatigue feed each other.
When you’re already tired, it feels easier to just keep swiping through reels or shorts. But the more you scroll, the more drained you become.
- Threat bias: Our brains are wired to pay more attention to drama, conflict, or negativity → reels that trigger strong emotions hook us fast.
- Algorithms know it: Social platforms prioritize shocking, dramatic, or envy triggering content because that keeps you glued.
- No closure: There’s no “end.” One reel leads to another, so your brain never gets the satisfaction of finishing.
It’s junk food for the brain filling, but not nourishing.
That struck me hard, doomscrolling isn’t just wasting time, it’s actually training my brain to think in a negative loop
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is basically a Twitter feed of worries in your head… Doomscrolling is kind of like practicing having GAD… If you run every day, that’s going to impact your muscles. If you doomscroll every day, that’s going to impact your psychology and your brain.
— Jade Wu, psychologist, in an article for BBC
My Wake-Up Call
For me, the turning point was realizing how much doomscrolling was stealing my focus. I’d sit down to work and find myself mentally foggy. Or worse, I’d carry the heaviness of last night’s into the new day.
That’s when it hit me: the more I fed the cycle, the less peace I had. If I wanted clarity and focus, something had to change.
Breaking the Cycle (Without Deleting Every App)
I didn’t go cold turkey (and you probably don’t need to either). Instead, I tried small shifts that helped me reclaim my mental battery:
- Time-boxing: Give yourself a reel/digital content budget e.g, 10 minutes after lunch or in the evening. Not whenever boredom hits.
- No-scroll zones: Phone stays off limits in bed. Reels at 2 a.m. = guaranteed groggy mornings.
- Feed cleanup: Unfollow accounts that trigger FOMO or negativity. Follow creators who inspire, teach, or make you genuinely laugh.
- Micro detoxes: Eat a meal without your phone. Or try a “reel free Sunday afternoon.” Your brain will thank you.
- Sleep > scroll: Remind yourself that no reel or digital content is worth sacrificing deep rest. Waking up fresh beats another 30 second clip.
- Engage in Healthy Activities: Replace some of your scrolling time with activities that are good for your mental health, like exercise, hobbies, or chatting with friends. Think of it as swapping out a fast-food habit for home cooked meals. It’s about making healthier choices for your mind.
They’re not big changes, but together they made a noticeable difference.
A Healthier Information Diet
The goal isn’t to shut out reality—it’s to stop negative content from draining your energy.
When you notice the signs of mental fatigue, and how endless scrolling feeds it, you can step back and reclaim control.
Being informed is valuable. But being hooked? That’s just exhausting.
So the next time you find yourself lost in reels or headlines, pause and ask: Is this helping me grow, or just wearing me down?
I still slip up now and then but the difference is, I know how to catch myself and reset.
Comments