I Replaced Doomscrolling With Something Way Better
Every now and then I fall back into loops of doomscrolling.
Periods of time when I can’t help but use my phone, at times when I shouldn’t be, like before and after bed, or during after hours excessively.
It’s not great, I know, but I do it anyways.
Over the years I’ve realized there are two big issues when it comes to doomscrolling, and it’s not simply that it’s “bad” for you.
The first is that you can still get by, function normally, and have a decently successful life with a high screen time.
Meaning you can succeed despite your scrolling.
Which is a bad thing because that makes it harder to quit, and you leave a lot of potential on the table.
The second is that beating doomscrolling isn’t a one time thing.
It quite literally is an addiction of it’s own, meaning if you quit once, you can still get addicted again.
So you can’t just win once and be free; you have to get good as saying no repeatedly over and over again, for the rest of your life.
One of nature’s hardest tasks is managing our desires and the need to be gratified, and doomscrolling is an extension of that.
But it’s not all bad and it’s not all hopeless.
In fact, there are plenty of things we can do to counteract this.
For me, picking up this camera has been a big part of that.
Let’s begin.
Touching Grass Through Photography
I used to think if I had more free time I’d be more productive.
If I didn’t have to show up to a job or if I didn’t have obligations, then my art and creativity would magically blossom.
That couldn’t be further from the truth.
Because once I got really good at managing my time, saying no to more things, and creating more free time, I realized I wasted most of it lying in bed on my phone.
When you have nothing to do, it becomes too easy to do nothing.
And “nothing” here, means scrolling.
Perhaps one of the great benefits of photography then, is that it forces you to get outside.
Quite literally, most of what’s interesting to photograph lies outside our doors, and in this case, photography almost has a built-in “touch grass” feature.
You’re taking pictures of people or things in the outside world, interacting with them, and you’re being constantly fed reminders that these things exist.
And the tools you’re using aren’t directly linked to any social media apps or scroll features.
Sometimes photography will bring you further, to places where you have no signal or connection in the first place.
These things become a natural reset, because you literally can’t scroll while you’re camping in the woods.
This can serve as a great break from your normal routine, if things get bad, and your brain will start to reset itself.
You still have to upkeep these habits when you return so you don’t fall back into negative loops, but it’s a great way to cut off that connection if needed.
Some might argue that if you’re always taking pictures you’re not living in the moment.
But I think, especially when compared to phone use, a camera is a much better alternative.
In fact, I’d even say a camera forces you to look and appreciate the moment more.
Because to take good pictures you have to observe what’s going on around you.
And those things can’t be done unless you’re in the moment in the first place.
So photography not only gets you outside and forces you to touch grass, but it resets your brain, and allows you to appreciate the moment more.
Reigniting the Flame
Like I said earlier, a large reason why people become addicted to their phones is because they don’t have much else better to do with their time.
And I don’t mean this offensively, just as a matter of fact.
Photography, or any hobby really, can help reignite that flame within you.
You see for me, whenever I make these videos, take and edit photos, travel to new places, or create a bigger project like a book, I’m reminded of all the other different ideas I want to do creatively.
One idea leads to five, so there’s always an endless amount of ideas to develop.
And developing even one of these ideas takes time.
That being said, you begin to realize there’s so much to do and so much life to live that you couldn’t possibly live it all even if you had a thousand lives.
And yet you could technically waste the single life you do have scrolling on your phone.
A creative hobby like photography reminds me of these things I want to do.
And that reminder makes it just a little bit easier to put the phone down, than if I didn’t have some ambition or thing I wanted to get better at.
When you have no greater alternatives or reason to stop doomscrolling, you won’t.
In contrast, when you have something more important to do, it’s easier to put the phone down.
Creativity compels me in a way other things cannot, and that’s why I find making things so fulfilling.
So if you’re trying to get away from your phone, find something that interests you, that gives you that feeling, that reminds you of all the stuff you want to do in life.
It could be photography.
If it’s not, keep searching, everyone’s got something they like.
Do You Need a Camera?
So great, photography gets you out into the world and reminds you of all the stuff you want to do.
But now you might be thinking, why have a separate camera when I could just use my phone?
Nowadays phone cameras are great.
They have all the megapixels, the image quality, and the resolution.
And they even have multiple lenses to switch between.
Not to mention, they’re convenient.
You’ll almost always have your phone on you, meaning you’ll always have it when you want to take pictures.
That being said, I still find it worthwhile to carry a camera around and have something separate, just for photos.
Because the whole point of this is to get away from our phones, right?
You see, one of the greatest marketing strategies for phones was: one device that could do “everything”.
You can call, text, use any app, and take great pictures all in a small pocket device.
Which is great, but…what if we’re trying to get away from our phones?
Meaning we don’t want to have to use our phone, just to take pictures.
Contrary to what some may think, having a separate device for photos is actually better.
For one, it makes the storage of photos easier and more convenient.
With phones you have a combined album full of pictures, screenshots, documents, and whatever.
But most cameras use an sd card, where you can isolate just the memories.
That separation makes it easier to sort through, organize, and transfer images.
Similarly, because it’s a separate device, you don’t get caught using other apps before or after opening the camera app.
It might sound a little silly, but triggers are really how addictions thrive.
If it’s bad, even just seeing the Instagram or TikTok app icon on the home screen can trigger temptations in your brain, making it that much harder to stay offline.
It’s like trying to eat healthy when someone’s dangling fries and burgers in front of you.
It’s impossible.
So not needing to use my phone to take pictures made it that much easier to stay away.
Out of sight, out of mind.
Furthermore, despite the advancements in phone camera technology, I still think the overall look and image quality of a camera is better.
I made a whole article on why it’s still worth buying a camera in the age of smartphones, check it out here.
The point is, having a separate device just for photos allows the phone to remain simply as a communication device, what it was intended to do.
And a camera can be a camera.
Understanding that, has gone a long way in saving me from brainrot.
Using Instagram Creatively Again
A lot of people will point fingers and blame social media apps for getting them addicted.
But the fact of the matter is, that’s what these things were designed to do.
They are made to keep us on there as long as possible, and pointing fingers won’t make it any better.
Therefore a big pivot and realization we have to come to is:
It’s not the app’s fault for getting us hooked; it’s our fault for misusing the app.
Instagram for example, was (and still kind of is), the social media app for photographers.
Much has changed now, but just because the algorithm prefers a certain type of content, that doesn’t mean you have to subscribe to it.
These days it’s all about the reels, virality, and short form.
If you’re trying to gain the algorithm, get a ton of views and followers, and grow on social media, then you have to play that game.
But most of us can actually use Instagram however we want, in whatever way we want.
For me, that means using posts as a way to improve my photography.
I’ll treat each carousel as a mini photography project, which forces me to think about how each image looks and connects to one another - and I think that practice makes my photography better.
The posts don’t gain the algorithm and it doesn’t go viral, but that’s not the point.
Furthermore, I’ve set a time limiter on these apps so I don’t scroll or waste time needlessly looking at other people’s stuff.
I’ll post and ghost, closing the app as quickly as I can.
So I’ve learned to escape the Reels and TikTok feeds, and use the app how I want.
Ironically it’s the Shorts that still get me, but whatever, that’s progress.
The point is, you use the app, the app doesn’t use you.
If you find yourself lost in the sauce, find a way to use these apps creatively again, before your brain breaks.
And don’t claim you need Instagram for “inspiration”.
You don’t need inspiration, you need action.
Because if you actually took action every time you got inspired we wouldn’t be here right now.
Remember: less consuming, more creating.
If you want to get back to using Instagram creatively again, I’ve made a whole separate article on that, you can check that out here.
You Don’t Need to “Quit”
The biggest paradox about social media addiction is that you don’t need to “quit” doomscrolling.
Quitting is possible, but it’s usually too high of a bar for people with a high screen time, at first.
It would be like going from 100 to 0 in a day - not likely.
In actuality, a more effective way is to simply replace it with something else.
You see, if we begin to treat doomscrolling and excessive screen time as an addiction, because it is an addiction, we can learn to recognize patterns, and start correcting them.
One of the biggest things I’ve learned is that it’s easier to replace addictions than it is to eliminate them.
So if you replace your doomscrolling with something positively productive like going to the gym or doing something creative, it’s much easier to do than just “trying to stop”.
Of course you can become exercise addicted or work addicted, but I feel like that’s better than being scroll addicted, and probably less likely to happen since the rewards cycles aren’t as fast or stimulating.
The problem with many people is that they set a bar too high when they start out.
They want to stop scrolling entirely, instead of scrolling less.
And naturally stopping scrolling entirely is harder to do, at least in the short term.
It’s like starting a new sport and saying you want to win an Olympic medal next year.
It’s not impossible, but unrealistic, and sets us up for failure.
But if you build a new positive habit while you attempt to ease off an old negative habit, the brain has something to give it’s attention to.
So from here on out, anytime you feel the urge or temptation to scroll, replace it with something else.
For me, I’d go outside and take pictures, workout, or go for a walk.
And within a short time I’d forget about the urge to scroll, because I’m too busy doing something else.
If you find yourself scrolling all day it might be because you have nothing better to do.
But if you pick up a hobby like photography you’ll start having less and less time to even scroll.
Without getting too philosophical, the reason why many of us find it hard to stop scrolling is because we lack something truly meaningful to give our attention to.
When we lack meaning, we default to the meaningless, the pointless scrolls of quick and unfulfilling dopamine hits.
But when there’s a point to all of it, something we’ve chosen that’s worth suffering for, it makes scrolls look like poison, rather than candy.
It’s why Nietzsche, the famous German philosopher, once wrote:
“He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.”
It doesn’t mean you need some sort of grand life purpose or anything like that.
Just something important enough to get you out of bed and off your damn phone.
It could be a creative pursuit like photography, or to simply feed your dog and take him for a walk.
You decide what’s important, what’s meaningful, and what’s worth quitting for.
So, in a nutshell, that’s how a camera saved me from brainrot.
Because although I still fall back into seasons of doomscrolling, photography and other creative things constantly pull me out.
It gets me outside, reminds me of the real world, and reignites the flame.
I’ve found better ways of tiptoeing around social media and using platforms like Instagram creatively.
And it replaces the phone in my hand with something I’ve deemed worth doing.
If you found this useful, share this with a friend who’s brain is currently rotting and needs to hear this.
If you have any helpful tactics that have helped you stay off your phone, leave them in the YouTube comment section.
If you’re interested in photography, subscribe to the channel, that’s a lot of what we talk about here.
And check out Photography Essentials and Photography Systems if you’re interesting in learning more.
Thanks for reading, best of luck.
