Stuck in the scroll? - why we doom scroll, and how to escape!

📱 Stuck in the Scroll?

Why We Reach for Our Phones in Stressful Moments – and What We Can Do Instead

Ever found yourself reaching for your phone again and again – not because you’re expecting a message, but just because? You’re not alone. When we feel low, anxious, or overwhelmed, it’s easy to fall into what some researchers are calling the “doom scroll” – endlessly flicking through content that often makes us feel even worse.

But here’s the thing: it’s not your fault. And you’re not broken. There’s actually science behind why we grab our phones when we’re stressed, and understanding it can help us find healthier ways to feel better.

When do you most reach for your phone?

• When I'm bored
• When I'm trying to do schoolwork
• When I'm waiting for someone or something to happen
• When I'm in a new social situation

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📊 Smartphones and Stress – What the Research Shows

Studies have found a strong link between emotion regulation difficulties – the struggle to deal with tough feelings – and problematic smartphone use (PSU).

Basically, when we find it hard to manage sadness, anxiety, or uncertainty (including boredom), we’re more likely to turn to our phones as a kind of escape hatch.

Here’s what researchers have found:

• Depression and anxiety make us more likely to use our phones to cope — often in ways that leave us feeling worse afterward.

• Low tolerance for uncertainty (like not knowing how something will turn out) is a big reason we grab our phones in social situations, or when we're waiting for something.

• Ruminating (overthinking the past or worrying about the future) and catastrophising (imagining the worst-case scenario) are especially linked to compulsive phone use.

• Using your phone too much doesn’t just happen because you're bored — it often happens when you’re emotionally overwhelmed and your brain is trying to regulate itself the only way it knows how.

💡 Your Brain’s Doing Its Best

It might feel like you're “addicted” to your phone, but really, your brain is trying to protect you. When life feels uncertain, stressful, or overwhelming, phones offer a hit of distraction and (temporary) relief. They’re always there, easy to use, and full of content that gives your mind something else to focus on.

But here’s the kicker: while that scroll might ease anxiety for a few seconds, it doesn’t actually help you process what’s going on. And sometimes it can make things feel worse.

So, what can we do?

💙 Regulate, Don’t Escape: Tips for Rebalancing

At MindPsy, we believe in compassion-first tech. That means helping you understand what’s going on inside and offering better tools to handle it. Here are a few ideas to try:

1. Notice the Pattern Next time you’re deep in the scroll, ask: “What was I feeling before I picked up my phone?” Stress? Boredom? Anxiety? That awareness is step one.

2. Interrupt the Autopilot Keep a sticky note on your phone case with a gentle reminder: “Pause. Breathe. Choose.” Sometimes just seeing it helps break the habit loop.

3. Try a Grounding Ritual Instead of scrolling, try one of these:

   • 5-4-3-2-1: name 5 things you see, 4 you can touch, 3 you can hear, 2 you can smell, 1 you can taste.

   • Movement bursts: 30 seconds of stretching or walking to shake off anxious energy.

4. Reach for Support Text a friend, talk to someone you trust, or just name your feeling out loud. “I’m overwhelmed right now” is powerful.

👀 Coming Soon: MindPsy’s Presence Metric

At MindPsy, we’re developing a new feature to help – something we call your Presence Metric.

This will gently track when and how often you reach for your phone during low moments, and show patterns that might be connected to stress, sleep, and your mood. It’s not about judgement. It’s about insight. Because once you can see it, you can start to shift it.

And here’s the best bit: when you engage in healthier strategies (like grounding, movement, or reflection), you’ll start to see your Presence Metric rise.

🧪 We’ll be rolling it out to our Beta users in the next couple of weeks — stay tuned!

✨ Final Thought

Your phone isn’t the enemy. It’s a tool. You're the one with the strengths, and skills that are just waiting to be unlocked. And we’re here to help you do exactly that.

📚 References

1. Brown, E. J., Stopa, L., & Clark, D. M. (2022). Phoning it in: Social anxiety, intolerance of uncertainty, and problematic smartphone use. Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies, 4(4), 839–852.

2. Elhai, J. D., & Contractor, A. A. (2018). The relationship between depression, anxiety, and problematic smartphone use: A review of recent literature. Current Psychiatry Reports, 20(3), 51.

3. Horwood, S., & Anglim, J. (2021). Emotion regulation difficulties, personality, and problematic smartphone use. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 24(1), 47–54.

4. Zhang, Y., Mei, S., & Chai, J. (2022). Cognitive emotion regulation strategies mediate the relationship between psychological distress and problematic smartphone use. Psychological Reports.

5. Elhai, J. D., Levine, J. C., Dvorak, R. D., & Hall, B. J. (2016). Fear of missing out, need for touch, anxiety and depression are related to problematic smartphone use. Computers in Human Behavior, 63, 509–516.

6. Geng, Y., Gu, J., Wang, J., & Zhang, R. (2022). Cognitive and emotional dysregulation pathways from social rejection to problematic smartphone use. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 11(1), 148–159.