You probably don’t need an academic study to tell you that doomscrolling results in feelings of anxiety, stress, depression and overstimulation. (Though studies have indeed made the link).
Finding ways to get off your phone, and the doomscroll possibilities that lurk within, will pay dividends for your mental health and wellbeing.
So put your phone in another room, close the door, and try any number of these activities to give your brain some respite.
1. Read a book – a physical, printed one
2. Read a magazine – a physical, printed one
3. Watch something with subtitles
4. Make pickles
5. Make chilli oil
6. Bake bread
7. Knit something
8. Mend something
9. Do a drawing
10. Do a painting
11. Do a puzzle
12. Call a friend
13. Call your mum
14. Call your dad
15. Call your sibling
16. Call your grandparents – they will be thrilled
17. Do a facial mask
18. Paint your nails
19. Go for a walk
20. Go for a run
21. Go for a bike ride
22. Go to the gym
23. Meditate
24. Build some Lego
25. Clean your car
26. Clean your bedroom
27. Organise your wardrobe
28. Organise your pantry
29. Organise your bathroom cabinet
30. Do some gardening
31. Do a yoga class
32. Do a Pilates class
33. Do a strength class
34. Go dancing
35. Have a bath
36. Take a nap
This story appears in the March 2025 Wellness Issue, which explores how to feel good in 2025.
