Just one more. Famous last words, right? Or is this the soundtrack that plays in your head every night? Here’s how doomscrolling is fueling anxiety’s all-out blitz against your soul.
Why Do I Do What I Don’t Want to Do?
… For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Romans 7:18-19 NIV
Humans have been wrestling with this question for centuries. The words above are written by the Apostle Paul, the most prolific New Testament author and one of the missionaries who carried the good news about Jesus across the known world in the early years after Jesus’ resurrection.
If he struggled with the conflict between his intentions and actions, it’s reasonable to think we will too!
And that’s the thing about doomscrolling—spending excessive amounts of time scrolling through negative news or distressing content on the internet and social media—we know it’s not good for us.
I mean, who actually feels more secure after “staring and comparing” till 3:00am, critiquing everything about their own life in the light of everyone else’s and their mothers’?
Who feels more emotionally stable after watching people debate in clips and comments about how the greatest threat to our well-being is inevitably coming from the people in power that they don’t like or didn’t vote for?
Why Do We Doomscroll?
Doomscrolling sucks the life out of us and steals our joy. So why do we do it?
Doomscrolling sucks the life out of us and steals our joy. So why do we do it? Here are three reasons.
1. We’re Addicted to Control
Strong language, I know. But it’s true! We struggle mightily to loosen our grip on things that give us the illusion of control, because we think that holding on to control is what makes us safe in the world. We think that if we know all the answers, we can’t be caught off guard. If we can death-grip our closest relationships, we won’t have to feel alone. If we can curate our image, we may be able to eradicate our insecurities.
The reality, though, is that when we death-grip the things in our life, that’s exactly what we get—death. There’s no amount of control that can protect you from life, and hiding from reality isn’t really living. Whatever itch doomscrolling feels like it’s scratching, look upstream to find the source. Maybe it’s springing from a desire for control.
2. We’re Skewed Toward the Negative
Hope is deeply spiritual. There’s a reason why it’s the end result of the way God uses suffering to make us more like Him. It’s hard to hope. Left to our own devices, we’re not inclined to be confident that God is who He says He is—or that He will do what He says He’ll do.
Truthfully, it’s way easier to rely on ourselves and root our expectations in anxieties about the future. Doomscrolling almost feels vindicating because the content we’re watching affirms the negative story we’re already telling. But look downstream to see where the current is taking you. Is it leading you to become a person of confident hope, or someone crippled by anxiety?
3. We’re Conditioned to Compare
You don’t need anyone to tell you this is true. Some of our most natural thoughts are the ones that rank us and others according to our internal priorities. “At least I’m prettier than she is.” “Well, I work harder than he does.” “Our apartment is embarrassing compared to theirs.” “Their kids are a disaster compared to ours.” “They clearly don’t know what they’re doing.”
It’s yucky to admit the percentage of our internal dialogue that sounds like that. But those of us who are followers of Jesus are becoming people who see ourselves and others with eyes of compassion, not condemnation.
Changing how we see means removing the old lens and putting on something new. Doomscrolling is part of the old lens. It trains our brains to focus on how we stack up against everyone else, whether that means comparing how much we have, how much we know, or what we have going for us. If you take off those lenses, where are you actually standing? Are you surrounded by people who love you and who are committed to your good? Or are you standing alone?
Experience Life to the Full
When you look upstream, downstream, and where you’re currently standing, do you like what you see? Would you say you’re living full and free? That’s the life Jesus longs for you to have.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10 NIV (emphasis added)
Jesus said He came so we could experience life as it was really meant to be—full, rich, and satisfying—the kind of life that is truly living. This life invites us to be fully and freely present to ourselves and others. It’s not a life ruled by fear or dominated by anxiety, but fortified by an “all is being set right” kind of peace. This peace and hope anchors our souls in reality and denies anxiety’s wish to drag our souls into prisons of escapism.
How to Find Freedom
Embracing Jesus’ kind of life seems like the obvious choice. Being present in reality, anchored by hope, and ruled by peace? Yes, please! But how do we actually get there when the thief has decorated the walls of our prisons to make control, safety, and advantage look like freedom?
1. Look at Jesus
Jesus didn’t walk through life crippled by anxiety, even though He fully knew what the future held for Him: betrayal, torture, and death.
How easy would it have been for Jesus to live His life trying to escape, avoid, or strong-arm His future? How could Jesus operate with such quiet confidence in a situation that would have sent many of us headlong into the worst version of ourselves?
He had hope. He knew His Father’s character and vision for the future—repaired relationships, restored purpose, and a world set right—and expected Him to deliver at every turn. And He did. Jesus set the example of what it means to be hopeful. If you don’t like where you’re standing, look at Jesus.
2. Look at Others
The simple reality is that you can’t focus on yourself and someone else at the same time. We aren’t wired that way, and that’s probably on purpose. If you feel stuck in selfishness, gripped by anxiety, or trapped in a comparison mentality, one of the best things you can do is find a way to serve someone else.
The practice of identifying a need, seeing a wound, or noticing an opportunity to be loving helps us retrain our brains and develop our compassion. Who can you notice? How can you serve? If you don’t like who you’re becoming, look at others.
3. Take a Step
Finally, we’ve got to take a step. If the current you’re caught up in isn’t leading you where you want to go, get out of the stream! Literally, move.
Your step into a different stream may look like …
- Deleting certain apps from your phone
- Blocking specific websites
- Setting (what might feel like extreme) restrictions or time limits on your phone
But fair warning: Getting out of the water once you’ve adjusted to the temperature can be really uncomfortable. I remember hating it when the whistle blew at our community pool for a safety break, because it meant 15 minutes of suffering in the “freezing cold” summer air until we could jump back in.
In reality, the air was not cold at all. It was 100 degrees in the middle of July. Getting out and adjusting to a different environment felt bad, but it was ultimately for my good—I needed a break so I wouldn’t unknowingly wear myself out and drown.
Getting out of the stream of negative news and distressing content might feel bad because you’ve acclimated. But the air is actually warm, and getting out of that pool might be exactly what’s needed to keep you from drowning. If you know something needs to change, take a step.
Don’t Wait!
My final encouragement is this: Don’t wait! Do something now while the conviction is fresh and your motivation is high. You were made for so much more than wasting your life doomscrolling. This is the sign—it’s time to push back against anxiety’s all-out blitz on your soul and start really living.
If this is your first time hearing about the kind of life Jesus offers, don’t stop at this introduction! Start the Learning the Jesus Way of Life Bible Plan, ask for prayer, or read more about using technology in healthy ways.