Way Out of Doom Scrolling
Save yourself, from Doom Scrolling
We all know the feeling. You grab your phone for “just a minute,” and an hour later you’re still there—scrolling through endless headlines, posts, or videos that leave you uneasy, restless, or strangely hollow. This isn’t just distraction. This is doom scrolling. And while people often frame it as a lack of willpower, I see it differently. Doom scrolling is your intuition’s way of telling you that something deeper is calling for your attention.
Why Doom Scrolling Hooks Us
The science is simple but powerful. Your brain is wired to crave novelty. Every swipe brings the possibility of something new—an unpredictable hit of information or entertainment. That unpredictability is what lights up your dopamine system, the same system tied to curiosity, learning, and even survival. On one level, doom scrolling makes sense: your mind is trying to keep you informed and ready.
But here’s the issue. Instead of clarity, doom scrolling delivers clutter. Your nervous system is flooded with micro-stressors: news of conflict, images of chaos, people arguing in comments, endless ads selling you more of what you don’t need. All of it stacks up inside you, leaving you overstimulated but undernourished. Intuition—the quiet, steady voice inside—struggles to break through the noise.
What Your Intuition is Really Asking
When you feel the pull to scroll, pause and ask yourself: What am I really looking for?
Most of the time, it isn’t the news, the gossip, or the next funny video. It’s connection. It’s reassurance. It’s a sense of meaning or stimulation. Doom scrolling is just the shortcut your mind takes when it doesn’t know where else to look. The intuitive shift happens when you slow down enough to recognize the signal underneath the habit.
A Quick Experiment
Try this the next time your thumb hovers over the screen. Stop for two breaths and check in with your body.
Do you feel open and curious, or tense and tight?
Your body doesn’t lie. Tension usually means you’re searching for escape. Openness means you’re genuinely curious. That split-second awareness is the moment where doom scrolling turns from unconscious compulsion into an intuitive choice.
Left unchecked, doom scrolling carries real costs. Studies show it can heighten anxiety, disrupt sleep, and even skew your perception of the world. When your feed is filled with negativity, your brain begins to expect more negativity in real life. Psychologists call this the “availability bias”—you start to believe the world is as chaotic as your scrolling suggests. Over time, this dulls your ability to sense what’s real, what matters, and what feels right for you. That’s intuition getting buried under noise.
Small Shifts, Big Relief
Here’s the good news: you don’t need to quit scrolling altogether. The goal isn’t abstinence, it’s awareness. A few intuitive shifts can turn the habit from draining to empowering.
- Replace the Loop: Move your most tempting apps off your home screen. In their place, put one app that nourishes you—a meditation tool, a journaling app, or even your music library. Give your intuition a chance to meet your need in a healthier way.
- Set a Ritual: Instead of scrolling endlessly, scroll with intention. Ten minutes to check in with a friend’s posts, or to read updates from a trusted source, can leave you informed and connected without tipping into overwhelm.
- Use Your Senses: When you feel yourself spiraling, set the phone down and connect with something real. Hold a warm mug. Pet your dog. Step outside and feel the air on your face. These small sensory resets signal to your nervous system that you’re safe and present.
- Shift from Consuming to Creating: Ask yourself, “What could I make in this moment?” Maybe it’s a voice note to a friend, a short journal entry, or even snapping a photo of something beautiful around you. Creating is the antidote to consuming—it puts you back in alignment with your own inner guidance.
The Intuitive Way Forward
Intuition is built in the space between thoughts. Doom scrolling fills that space with endless noise. The way out isn’t through guilt or restriction. It’s through listening. Each time you feel the pull to scroll, take it as a reminder: my intuition is asking for attention. That one reframe changes everything.
Instead of chasing what the feed offers, ask what your own life is offering in this moment. Is there someone you’ve been meaning to call?
A book waiting on your shelf?
A thought you’ve been avoiding because it feels uncomfortable?
These are your real notifications. These are the ones that matter.
A Personal Story
Not long ago, I caught myself scrolling late at night. News headlines, one after another, each more negative than the last. By the time I put my phone down, I felt heavy, anxious, and drained. But then I asked myself: what had I actually been looking for?
The answer surprised me. I wasn’t looking for news. I was looking for comfort. I was looking for connection. I was looking for something to remind me that tomorrow still held promise.
So I tried something different. Instead of scrolling, I texted a friend I hadn’t spoken to in a while. Their response was simple but warm: “I’m glad you reached out.” That one small shift gave me more relief than an hour of scrolling ever could. That’s intuition in action—guiding me to what actually nourished me.
The Science Behind the Shift
Neuroscience backs this up. Research on attentional control shows that intentional pauses—like checking in with your body before you scroll—retrain your prefrontal cortex, the part of your brain responsible for self-awareness and decision-making. Over time, these small pauses strengthen your ability to choose what serves you instead of reacting automatically. In psychology, this is called “interoceptive awareness”—your ability to sense your inner state. And it’s the foundation of intuition.
A Ritual to Try Tonight
Here’s a simple practice.
The next time you feel pulled into the feed, pause and ask yourself three questions:
1. What am I hoping to find?
2. What does my body feel right now—open or closed?
3. What’s one small action that would actually give me relief?
Write your answers in a notebook. It only takes two minutes, but you’ll notice something powerful: your scrolling urges begin to lose their grip. Why? Because your intuition has stepped back into the driver’s seat.
What I am saying…
Doom scrolling isn’t a weakness. It’s a signal. It’s your inner compass reminding you that you’re craving something real—connection, reassurance, or clarity. The feed can’t provide it, but your intuition can. Every time you pause, breathe, and choose presence over noise, you strengthen that compass. And the more you listen, the more life begins to feel like it’s speaking directly to you.
So the next time your thumb hovers over the endless scroll, remember this: you’re not escaping reality—you’re being invited back to it. That’s where intuition lives. That’s where you live. And that’s where you’ll always find what you’re really looking for.
Derek Wolf
If something in this spoke to you, there’s more waiting.
I write, interact, and teach more deeply over at www.L2Bintuitive.com—where we explore how to actually live what you feel.
Save yourself, from Doom Scrolling
We all know the feeling. You grab your phone for “just a minute,” and an hour later you’re still there—scrolling through endless headlines, posts, or videos that leave you uneasy, restless, or strangely hollow. This isn’t just distraction. This is doom scrolling. And while people often frame it as a lack of willpower, I see it differently. Doom scrolling is your intuition’s way of telling you that something deeper is calling for your attention.
Why Doom Scrolling Hooks Us
The science is simple but powerful. Your brain is wired to crave novelty. Every swipe brings the possibility of something new—an unpredictable hit of information or entertainment. That unpredictability is what lights up your dopamine system, the same system tied to curiosity, learning, and even survival. On one level, doom scrolling makes sense: your mind is trying to keep you informed and ready.
But here’s the issue. Instead of clarity, doom scrolling delivers clutter. Your nervous system is flooded with micro-stressors: news of conflict, images of chaos, people arguing in comments, endless ads selling you more of what you don’t need. All of it stacks up inside you, leaving you overstimulated but undernourished. Intuition—the quiet, steady voice inside—struggles to break through the noise.
What Your Intuition is Really Asking
When you feel the pull to scroll, pause and ask yourself: What am I really looking for?
Most of the time, it isn’t the news, the gossip, or the next funny video. It’s connection. It’s reassurance. It’s a sense of meaning or stimulation. Doom scrolling is just the shortcut your mind takes when it doesn’t know where else to look. The intuitive shift happens when you slow down enough to recognize the signal underneath the habit.
A Quick Experiment
Try this the next time your thumb hovers over the screen. Stop for two breaths and check in with your body.
Do you feel open and curious, or tense and tight?
Your body doesn’t lie. Tension usually means you’re searching for escape. Openness means you’re genuinely curious. That split-second awareness is the moment where doom scrolling turns from unconscious compulsion into an intuitive choice.
Support the channel and future content
☕ Buy Me a Coffee
The Cost of Staying StuckLeft unchecked, doom scrolling carries real costs. Studies show it can heighten anxiety, disrupt sleep, and even skew your perception of the world. When your feed is filled with negativity, your brain begins to expect more negativity in real life. Psychologists call this the “availability bias”—you start to believe the world is as chaotic as your scrolling suggests. Over time, this dulls your ability to sense what’s real, what matters, and what feels right for you. That’s intuition getting buried under noise.
“Every time you pause before scrolling, you give your intuition room to speak louder than the noise.”
Small Shifts, Big Relief
Here’s the good news: you don’t need to quit scrolling altogether. The goal isn’t abstinence, it’s awareness. A few intuitive shifts can turn the habit from draining to empowering.
- Replace the Loop: Move your most tempting apps off your home screen. In their place, put one app that nourishes you—a meditation tool, a journaling app, or even your music library. Give your intuition a chance to meet your need in a healthier way.
- Set a Ritual: Instead of scrolling endlessly, scroll with intention. Ten minutes to check in with a friend’s posts, or to read updates from a trusted source, can leave you informed and connected without tipping into overwhelm.
- Use Your Senses: When you feel yourself spiraling, set the phone down and connect with something real. Hold a warm mug. Pet your dog. Step outside and feel the air on your face. These small sensory resets signal to your nervous system that you’re safe and present.
- Shift from Consuming to Creating: Ask yourself, “What could I make in this moment?” Maybe it’s a voice note to a friend, a short journal entry, or even snapping a photo of something beautiful around you. Creating is the antidote to consuming—it puts you back in alignment with your own inner guidance.
The Intuitive Way Forward
Intuition is built in the space between thoughts. Doom scrolling fills that space with endless noise. The way out isn’t through guilt or restriction. It’s through listening. Each time you feel the pull to scroll, take it as a reminder: my intuition is asking for attention. That one reframe changes everything.
Instead of chasing what the feed offers, ask what your own life is offering in this moment. Is there someone you’ve been meaning to call?
A book waiting on your shelf?
A thought you’ve been avoiding because it feels uncomfortable?
These are your real notifications. These are the ones that matter.
A Personal Story
Not long ago, I caught myself scrolling late at night. News headlines, one after another, each more negative than the last. By the time I put my phone down, I felt heavy, anxious, and drained. But then I asked myself: what had I actually been looking for?
The answer surprised me. I wasn’t looking for news. I was looking for comfort. I was looking for connection. I was looking for something to remind me that tomorrow still held promise.
So I tried something different. Instead of scrolling, I texted a friend I hadn’t spoken to in a while. Their response was simple but warm: “I’m glad you reached out.” That one small shift gave me more relief than an hour of scrolling ever could. That’s intuition in action—guiding me to what actually nourished me.
The Science Behind the Shift
Neuroscience backs this up. Research on attentional control shows that intentional pauses—like checking in with your body before you scroll—retrain your prefrontal cortex, the part of your brain responsible for self-awareness and decision-making. Over time, these small pauses strengthen your ability to choose what serves you instead of reacting automatically. In psychology, this is called “interoceptive awareness”—your ability to sense your inner state. And it’s the foundation of intuition.
A Ritual to Try Tonight
Here’s a simple practice.
The next time you feel pulled into the feed, pause and ask yourself three questions:
1. What am I hoping to find?
2. What does my body feel right now—open or closed?
3. What’s one small action that would actually give me relief?
Write your answers in a notebook. It only takes two minutes, but you’ll notice something powerful: your scrolling urges begin to lose their grip. Why? Because your intuition has stepped back into the driver’s seat.
What I am saying…
Doom scrolling isn’t a weakness. It’s a signal. It’s your inner compass reminding you that you’re craving something real—connection, reassurance, or clarity. The feed can’t provide it, but your intuition can. Every time you pause, breathe, and choose presence over noise, you strengthen that compass. And the more you listen, the more life begins to feel like it’s speaking directly to you.
So the next time your thumb hovers over the endless scroll, remember this: you’re not escaping reality—you’re being invited back to it. That’s where intuition lives. That’s where you live. And that’s where you’ll always find what you’re really looking for.
Derek Wolf
If something in this spoke to you, there’s more waiting.
I write, interact, and teach more deeply over at www.L2Bintuitive.com—where we explore how to actually live what you feel.
Read These Next:
Why I Still Question Myself
I Wasn’t Wrong—Just Early
I Felt It Before I Knew It
When I Got Quiet Enough
Stopped Asking for Permission
Why Most People Miss the Signs
I Don’t Need to Be Right. I Need to Be Aligned.
I’m Not Always Peaceful, But I Am Always Listening
Some Lessons Don’t Come in Words
I Didn’t Plan Any of This. I Just Followed It.
I’ve Shared My Steps. Now It’s Your Turn.
Written by Derek Wolf for Learn to Be Intuitive — an extension of intuitive living and everyday clarity.