If you’ve ever found yourself scrolling endlessly through social media, reading post after post about everything that’s going wrong in the world, you’re not alone. This habit—commonly known as doom scrolling—can feel strangely necessary, especially for Survivors of domestic abuse or other trauma. It’s more than a bad habit. For many Survivors, doom scrolling is a way to stay alert. A way to feel prepared. A way to not be caught off guard again.

But here’s the hard truth: while doom scrolling may feel like it’s keeping us safe, it’s actually reinforcing a cycle of fear, hypervigilance, and emotional exhaustion.

Why Survivors Doom Scroll

Survivors often live with a brain that has been trained by trauma to always be on alert. After experiencing abuse, unpredictability, and danger, it becomes second nature to scan for threats—especially emotional ones. Social media offers a 24/7 feed of just that. Conflict, tragedy, pain, injustice. For a trauma-wired brain, these constant updates feel like necessary information. Knowing what’s going wrong in the world feels like a way to brace for impact.

The problem is, the brain doesn’t distinguish between immediate threat and global pain. When you flood your system with bad news, your body reacts with stress, anxiety, and even grief. It’s like reliving trauma over and over again. That’s not awareness—it’s overload.

The Damage It Does

Constant exposure to negative content can:

• Reinforce negative thinking patterns, making it hard to see anything good.

• Trigger anxiety and panic responses, keeping the nervous system in fight-or-flight mode.

• Disrupt sleep, making recovery and healing even harder.

• Undermine self-worth, especially when comparing your life to the curated highlight reels of others.

• Delay healing, because the brain becomes wired to expect danger, not peace.

The more time we spend submerging ourselves in darkness, the harder it becomes to believe that light even exists.

Rewiring the Brain: How to Break the Doom Scroll Cycle

Healing doesn’t mean ignoring what’s wrong in the world—it means protecting your nervous system while staying grounded in reality.

Here are some ways to gently shift the pattern:

1. Set Time Limits

Designate a set time of day (and a time limit) to catch up on news or social media. Avoid doing this first thing in the morning or right before bed.

2. Curate Your Feed

Unfollow accounts that leave you feeling anxious or hopeless. Follow people who share helpful, hopeful, or healing content. It’s okay to mute—even just temporarily.

3. Balance with Positivity

For every heavy piece of content you consume, intentionally seek out something uplifting. A rescue animal account. A nature video. A poem. A success story. This rewires the brain to notice the full picture—not just the pain.

4. Practice Mindfulness

Breathe. Stretch. Step outside. Notice your body. These grounding practices help the brain shift out of panic mode and into the present.

5. Talk It Out

Isolation amplifies fear. Connecting with someone safe—whether it’s a friend, a therapist, or a support group—helps you process without spiraling.

You Deserve Peace

If doom scrolling has become your default, please know: you’re not broken. Your brain is doing what it was trained to do—protect you. But you don’t have to live in survival mode forever.

Healing means reminding your nervous system that safety is possible. That joy still exists. That you deserve to see more than the bad.