7 Steps to Stop Doomscrolling and Live Your Life with Purpose
Photo Credit: Luise and Nic via Unsplash
Hello, beautiful soul.
If you’ve landed on this blog post, you’ve likely reached a personal critical turning point and you have three primary things that you want to learn right now:
How to stop doomscrolling
How to get off social media
How to stop using your phone so much
A Personal Disclaimer
I am going to share with you seven steps in this blog post that have been incredibly helpful to me in my personal life but, obviously, this is not an exhaustive list. These steps may or may not work for you, and they may not speak to the exact complexities you’re facing in your life. I’m not a social media expert, rather a human being just like you who values living their life with meaning, purpose, and intention.
If any of this is the case and you still require further support, I’d love to be helpful if I can. You can reach out to me here and ask me for support if you need any. (I will respond to your email in ~48 business day hours!)
My Intention with this Blog Post
Before we dive in, let me share with you my intention in writing this blog post: To support you by offering you practical steps you can implement today to help you stop doomscrolling, get off social media, and infuse your life with more meaningful connection with yourself and others.
This is not intended to be a kitchy “how to” blog post but rather a practical, helpful guide to help you set new, better, and higher standards for how you live your life. You deserve to live a high-quality life. It’s time for you to consciously create that now.
7 Steps to Stop Doomscrolling and Live Your Life with Intention and Purpose
Make sure you want to change.
Changing a habit is infinitely easier and actually works when we are intrinsically motived to change it. Change is incredibly difficult when we don’t really want it or we’re wishy-washy about wanting it.
Two important factors: Make sure you’re doing this for you—not because you think you should and not because someone else told you to do it. Make sure the desire to stop doomscrolling is intrinsic—that it comes from a true desire from within you. Is this you? Great! You’re ready for step two.Carve out 10 - 20 minutes to free write and journal on the following questions in steps three, four, and five.
Why free writing? Psychology professor James W. Pennebaker, PhD, has studied, researched, and proven that journaling can facilitate the processing and digestion of emotional experiences. According to Pennebaker, expressive writing engages both the left and right hemispheres of the brain, allowing individuals to think critically and creatively so that authentic insights and mental and emotional clarity can emerge.Take your power back by getting clear on what purpose you want social media to serve in your life.
Instead of letting social media dictate your every move, choose to assign a purpose to it to make it work for you. Here are some prompts to get you started:
> Why do I want to use social media?
> Is it out of habit / for the addictive dopamine hit?
> Is it because I genuinely love using it as a creative outlet and/or for watching and engaging in content that is inspiring, entertaining, and/or truly useful to me?Connect your desire to stop doomscrolling with your core values.
For example, two of my core values are intentional living and taking care of the earth. These things are deeply important to me. When I observed that, by being on social media mindlessly and too much, I was living out of alignment with those values, it provided me with extra intrinsic motivation to change.
Similarly, I also value creative self-expression and being of-service, both of which Instagram allows me to do. This allowed me to see using Instagram intentionally was something that worked for me.
Here are your prompts:
> In what ways is social media use out of alignment with my core values?
> In what ways is social media use in alignment with my core values?Make a list of practical ways you can intentionally use your time.
Grab a blank and free piece of paper and start writing down a bunch of things you could do instead of being on social media. Choose things that you love, that bring you joy, and allow you to connect with and be of-service to other people. These are building blocks of an intentional, purpose-driven life. If you need some ideas, I’ll share with you some of mine:
> Listen to a record
> Go for a walk outside / in nature
> Write a poem
> Listen to soothing brainwave music and color in an adult coloring book
> Sing on my karaoke app, Smule
> Bird watch
> Go for a jog
> Spend time with my inner circle / family / chosen family / high-level people who inspire me
> Complete a fun, nature-inspired creative project (like flower pressing or epoxy)
> Browse my local vintage / antique shop for creative ideas and inspiration
> Volunteer for the local cat adoption service
> Read my current favorite novel
> Play a board game with someone I love
> Meditate, practice breathwork, or simply take in the stillness
> Plan an intimate dinner party for me and my people
Hang your list somewhere you will see it every day.
Look at your list every day and remind yourself of the full, beautiful, intentional, and purpose-driven life you get to co-create with the Universe and with your people every day!Commit to doing one thing on your list each day and ask the Universe for help with it.
Here’s my prayer (and you can take it!): Dear Universe / Spirit / God, thank you for helping me to live a purpose-driven and intentional life with ease and grace. Thank you for helping me to replace the habit of going on social media too much with these life-giving, soul-nourishing items on my list with ease and grace.
Bonus Tips
Set a daily limit on your social media app
On Instagram, you can set a timer for how long you want to be on it. I have a 30 minute timer for myself. To set your daily time limit on Instagram, complete the following steps in your Instagram app:Open Instagram and click on your photo in the bottom-right of the app
Click the three horizontal lines in the upper-right corner
Click the “Time management” tab in the “How you use Instagram” section
Click the “Daily limit” tab in the “Manage your time” section
Select your daily limit. Voila!
Turn all social media notifications OFF on your phone (seriously — try it, it’s soooo liberating!)
When you’re eating meals and sleeping, keep your phone in another room so that you can be truly present and well rested
Keep your phone in your bag, jacket pocket, or in the car when you’re spending quality time with people
Get an alarm clock that is not your phone and use that to wake you up in the morning
I hope these practical tips can help you to stop doomscrolling, get off social media, and live your life with more purpose, intention, and connection: the stuff that truly makes our lives worth living.
With care,
Heather
P.S. — Did you find this blog post helpful? If so, I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line here.
