A Realistic Guide to Cutting Back on Doom-Scrolling
Help me help myself: answering this question while still figuring it out
I wrote a Sub-note about this a week ago, and someone (Ines) asked a question that I’m turning into a full post. Disclaimer: I’m still doom-scrolling and brain-rotting—just a little less. But I’ve found ways to cut back on my steady diet of nothingness.
Here’s the note:
Question from Ines: Can you talk a bit about your experience? How’d you manage to stay away?
Hi Ines, nice to meet you!
I’m not a die-hard ‘quit all social media’ people. I still have TikTok, I still go on from time to time. I just got off the psycho social wheel I was spinning on. At least temporarily.
Here’s how I managed the experience:
Acknowledge you have a problem.
Are you in a constant loop, toggling between apps? Falling into a TikTok rabbit hole, getting bored or drained, then immediately switching to another platform to scroll or swipe? If this cycle eats up hours of your day, you might have a doom-scroll brain-rot problem.
One thing that helped: getting a little disgusted—and honestly, bored—with the content I was consuming.
Reframe your thinking from “this is fun!” or “I’m learning so much!” to “this isn’t actually adding anything to my life.” If scrolling leaves you feeling numb, drained, or like you’re wasting your time, it’s a signal to reassess.
Go All In
I had to go full immersion to break my TikTok habit. I tried to be a TikToker because I genuinely wanted to connect with people. But the reality? People weren’t engaging with what I was putting down—probably because I can’t do the whole on-camera edu-tainment thing.
So, I gave it an expiration date. I did a 100-video TikTok challenge over four months. Once I hit 100 and still felt like it wasn’t a fit, I let go. That, combined with the realization that I was spending way too much of my life inside brain-rot world, helped me step away.
Setting numbered boundaries (like "I’ll post X times before deciding") can give you a structured exit strategy instead of quitting cold turkey.
Quitting Instagram Gradually
Slow and steady wins the race when it comes to brain-rot recovery. I eased out of Instagram over time.
What helped the most? I just wasn’t interested anymore. The platform had lost its grip on me.
I also had pretty much abandoned the account I grew to 136K followers (it was higher during its heyday). I wasn’t getting dopamine hits from likes, comments, or engagement anymore. Honestly? I held onto it for the clout—because people respect a verified account with a six-figure following.
For a while, I only used it to post my Substack content. But then I realized: I had this account for 10 years. That felt like a poetic number to close the show at. So, I did.
Bottomline
Reframe how you think about these platforms. As of January 2025, there’s more reason than ever to step back. They’re not fulfilling—they’re boring, often toxic, and simply not giving anymore. The playful, curious energy they once had is gone.
💅🏻 Practical tips
✔ Keep your phone out of your bedroom at night—or at least out of bed. Read a book or magazine instead. Romanticize it. Light a candle. Make tea. Get cozy.
✔ Delete the apps that give you “bad feelings.” Pay attention to how scrolling makes you feel. The moment you catch yourself thinking, “Ugh, not another person trying to sell me a mop for bathtubs,” take that as your cue—delete the app.
✔ Quit gradually. Yes—delete the app. If you redownload it later, no big deal. Just delete it again when you’ve had your fix.
✔ Track what you’re reading, watching, writing, and listening to—without big social media platforms. You’ll be shocked at how cultured and smart you’ve become.
✔ Don’t turn to trash tv. It’s just another form of scrolling. Turn on a movie from 1984 like Paris, Texas.
✔ Get the Brick. I came across an interview with Piera Gelardi where she mentioned a tangible, on-lock solution—an actual device that locks you out of the noisy, distracting accounts that keep you from getting any real work (or life) done.
Quitting social media—or at least cutting back—isn’t about willpower. It’s about shifting your mindset and making it harder to mindlessly scroll. The more friction you add, the easier it is to break the habit.
And if you still find yourself doom-scrolling? No shame. Just start again.
This was written by a founder of a social media app.
You're so right about the apps becoming boring! In the end, the reason I could quit instagram was genuinely because it just wasn't fun anymore. Now, if only the same could be said about reddit...
This take on doom-scrolling is so real. It’s refreshing to see someone admit they’re still scrolling, just less—because let’s be real, quitting entirely is unrealistic for most of us. Social media isn’t just entertainment; it’s where we get news, connect, and even build careers. But yeah, there’s a fine line between using it and being used by it.
The idea of getting “bored” with content is a good mindset shift. So much of what we consume is just recycled noise, and realizing that makes it easier to detach. Also, the whole “delete the app, redownload if needed, then delete again” strategy is honestly how most of us operate anyway—it’s nice to see it framed as an intentional approach rather than a failure.
That said, I wish this piece acknowledged that some of us literally need social media for work or side hustles. Quitting isn’t always an option, but setting better boundaries? That’s the real move.