Recently, I noticed that my worst days are ones where I excessively scroll the internet. It kinda feels like swimming in the ocean: the water might feel refreshing at first – an amusing meme, or a cool life update on Facebook – but the deeper you go, the more dangerous and unpredictable it becomes. Sharks in the form of clickbait titles and fake news might slowly circle you, watching for a weak spot. And if you’re unaware, they can take you under. And when you’re under, it can be very hard to get out unscathed.

Here’s Merriam-Webster:

Doomscrolling and doomsurfing are new terms referring to the tendency to continue to surf or scroll through bad news, even though that news is saddening, disheartening, or depressing. Many people are finding themselves reading continuously bad news about COVID-19 without the ability to stop or step back.

As a reminder to myself, here are five things better than doomscrolling to spend time:

1. Read a book
2. Go for a walk
3. Get on the phone with a friend
4. Play games
5. Journal

… and probably a million others.