These three apps helped me stop doomscrolling

During the first Trump presidency, I worked at a major news network and found it impossible to distance myself from the tumult of daily news, which seemed to bring one alarming crisis after another. But even when I got home at the end of the day, I kept scrolling through my social media feeds and couldn’t tear myself away from it.

Too many nights I lay awake late into the night, reading the president’s latest social media missives and taking in the comments and context surrounding the whole thing, even though in just a few hours I would be back in the middle of it – only more exhausted and more stressed than I would have been if I had hung up the phone and gone to sleep at a reasonable hour. I had to teach myself to completely disengage in my free time, which was made easier by the fact that I was inundated with it all day.

But I no longer work in political media, and as the world descends into ever-increasing crises, from political unrest to environmental disasters to endless wars, I’m falling back into my old habits of consuming news. I know that constant exposure to news and opinions on complex and troubling topics is generally not good for me and can have a real impact on my mental health.

To curb my habit before it gets out of control again, I turn to apps for regulation and distraction. Here are a few that I found most helpful.

To get just enough news: Apple News (or Google News)

Apple news
Photo credit: Lindsey Ellefson

Of course, commentary and context from experts and people with first-hand experience can be valuable tools for making sense of the news, but it’s easy to get sucked into consuming one post after another and one reaction after another. If you want to consume and scroll less, but don’t want to completely miss out on getting the most important news of the day, try changing where and how you get information. Instead of looking at

I have used Apple news ($12.99/month with a one-month free trial) that allows me to customize the type of news I see and the publishers I read. I can open the app, glance at that media’s headlines, read an article if I want, and go about my day without being sucked into a hole of discourse.

I like Apple News (or Google News if you use Android or don’t want to pay Apple for the service) better than competitors like Flipboard because I don’t want that to many possibilities. I want a curated, condensed look at current events, what other people are reading and what I need to know, not a swamp of too many things that I could get stuck in for hours.

Use Apple News to:

• See the day’s headlines

• Read reputable outlets if you want to delve deeper

• Get a glimpse of trending stories featured in a dedicated section

• Read content that’s typically paid for when you have an Apple News+ subscription

• Curate what you want to see and not would like to see

To reduce screen time: One second

One second
Photo credit: Lindsey Ellefson

Okay, so I can’t quite get away from it, which is why I didn’t just delete my social apps completely. In such cases, I try to limit my screen time. I like that for that One secondwhich forces you to pause before opening certain apps, reminds you to do breathing exercises, tracks your time spent on those apps, and can even block certain apps. It’s free to use for one app or $19.99/year for unlimited apps.

I’ve set up my program so that when I try to open certain apps, it also “intentionally” prompts me to do so. For example, if I try, it is Really necessary at this moment. And if you like stats, One Sec tracks how many times it stopped you from opening another app and how much time it saved you as a result.

Data on how many times the app blocked me from opening X in the last day.
Photo credit: Lindsey Ellefson

Use a second for:

• Reduce the time you spend scrolling

• Get concrete data about how much time you spend on social media or other time wasters

• Build long-term habits that allow you to resist the urge to open an app and scroll

Headspace
Photo credit: Lindsey Ellefson

There are two main problems with doomscrolling. First, you’re wasting a lot of time, a problem that the apps above fix. Second, and even worse (for me), you can do great damage to your mental well-being. It’s no use being excited all the time, but social media and news media are both designed to get you excited, engaged, and coming back, with no regard for how it affects your nervous system. So you should not only prevent doomscrolling, but also have an app that counteracts its negative effects.

I like that for that Headspace ($69.99/year with a 14-day free trial.) It includes meditations, sleep sounds, mindfulness tips, and more with simple and calming graphics. You have to remember to use it, so it’s only beneficial if you have the resources to sign up and fight the stress. However, the app is easy enough to use and produces such clear results that it quickly becomes a habit for me. The meditative exercises can be small – just three minutes – and can be accessed anywhere, which is why I prefer Headspace over other stress relief apps I’ve tried.

A meditation I attended with 400 other people when I was feeling stressed.
Photo credit: Lindsey Ellefson

Use Headspace for:

• Monthly check-ins to track your progress with stress or anxiety (depending on what you focus on)

• Brown noise for sleep (which I selfishly like because it keeps me from destroying my Spotify algorithm by hissing for hours)

• A daily offering of tailored grounding exercises, meditations, focus sessions and even music, some of which you’ll take part in in a group to help you feel less alone