Every night it’s the same experience. It’s late, I need to sleep, but maybe I can read just one more Reddit post – that’ll satisfy my “itch.” Just one more! Wait, now just one more. Okay, now I’ll turn it off, but maybe just one more! Aaaaack, I can’t turn away from the internet! Why is it so hard?

At this point maybe you’ve read or heard all about the dopamine hits that doom scrolling gives us. Those little jolts of excitement, wholesomeness, voyeurism, outrage. OMG those jolts feel soooo good. So it makes sense that detaching from that dopamine teat (internet) feels shocking and unpleasant.

I started paying attention to the sensations I experience in the very moment of turning off my phone, detaching from the dopamine teat. Tiny moment, but big feelings! I notice a feeling of shock and breathlessness, something suddenly ripped away. I notice a flare of panic, my brain searching for something to “cling to” now that the scroll is gone. My eyes start to water a bit as they adjust to the darkness. It’s a big transition in an instant, and for that instant it’s not pleasant.

But here’s what else I noticed: the unpleasantness is brief! It’s powerful, but it’s brief. After about 10 seconds, my eyes have adjusted to the darkness and I can feel them relax. My breathing returns to normal. My body starts to “let go,” and it feels lighter and more peaceful. When I turn my attention to curiosity about my own internal experience, I notice a lot.

If you, too, find it hard to stop doom scrolling, I invite you to try it, too: turn your attention to your own internal sensations as you put your phone down. Notice the pain and panic! And notice how it passes. Notice the return of calm.

If you start to notice that you continue to ruminate or have intrusive thoughts, that might be something you’d like to unpack further. I’m here to help!