Here We Go Again: Doomsday Scrolling
Overwhelmed by Discourse On COVID-19 Masks & Vaccinations
and Afghanistan?
Three Ways to Protect Your Digital Health
Do you have the feeling of “here we go again” with the latest negative news and it is causing you doomsday scroll, leaving you mentally exhausted?
As developments in Afghanistan continue and the Delta Variant fueling a spike in Covid cases dominate the news cycle, many are doomsday scrolling. Digital Wellness Expert Mark Ostach reminds us to take a step back and set boundaries with social media.
“Dooms day scrolling is the tendency to continue to surf or scroll through bad news, even though that news is saddening, disheartening or depressing,” says Ostach. ”It nudges us to an exaggeration of gloom and doom, which can impact your digital wellness and mental health.”
According to Ostach, who wrote the book “Courage to Connect, Stories that encourage meaningful connection in your life” , digital wellness is a way to view the content in which you are exposed to and how it fits into your overall wellness. He compares digital wellness to our physical wellness.
“If you look at physical calories or a food pyramid, you know to eat your basic food groups and not to eat too many carbohydrates or too many sugars,” says Ostach. “Ideally, you’re maintaining your weight, feeling like you have a good level of energy and exercising. We need to start viewing our content through the lens of digital calories. If you’re feeling bloated from the news headlines, those digital calories often leave us feeling more sluggish and hungrier for more just moments later.”
Some people chose to take a break from social media all together.
“I don’t think anyone really notices if you were to take a digital fast from social media,” adds Ostach. “As you navigate your day on social media, just realize that everything you consume has a digital caloric value. If the digital calories you consume are headlines from a national news network and inflammatory posts from the “friends” in which you follow, these things often leave you feeling digitally bloated and malnourished (digitally speaking). If you can’t commit to stepping away from social media, then try to be more mindful of what you are consuming.”
Ostach Offers Three Ways to Improve your Digital Health:
- No digital gadgets at meal time or an hour before bed.
- Sleep device free. Get a real alarm clock!
- Take a digital fast at least one hour a day.
His best tip? Go outside & get some fresh air! Even if it’s taking a few extra moments on your porch when you get the mail.
Ostach helps people find the courage to connect—with themselves, their purpose, and with the people in their lives—both online and offline. Ostach’s goal is to restore energy and focus to organizations battling modern life’s non-stop pace and growing sense
of disconnection. He’s done this locally with organizations like DTE, Quicken Loans, Consumers, MEDC, & Honigman. Nationally, Ostach has worked with global companies like BASF, AllState, HItachi, and others.
He’s on a mission to teach people healthy digital habits so they can improve their digital wellness and create deeper connections with things in life that matter most.