Explained | How mindful hobby could help you break your after-work ‘doomscrolling’ habit

By Emma Palmer-Cooper for The Conversation

Southampton : It’s a familiar picture for many of us: after a long day at work, we find ourselves glued to the couch, phone in hand.

Maybe even for hours at a time. What starts as a way to mentally unwind or catch up on the news quickly becomes hours spent compulsively “doomscrolling” – the act of spending an excessive amount of time on social media scrolling through overwhelmingly negative content. A fear of missing out is what drives many of us to continue our repetitive scroll.

While it might feel like doomscrolling helps you to stay informed, research shows that this habit often results in considerable psychological distress. This ultimately leads to lower mental wellbeing, poorer life satisfaction, and reduced engagement at work.

The good news is there are many ways to break this bad habit – and one way people have successfully replaced time on their phones is with a hobby.

By making a conscious decision to change a habit – such as picking up your phone and doomscrolling for hours – you can replace it with one that’s more fulfilling.

Having an after-work hobby is linked to better wellbeing and may play a part in reducing work-related stress.

Creative activities in particular are known to encourage a sense of personal fulfilment through developing new skills. Personal fulfilment is important for emotional resilience.

Some of the most beneficial hobbies to try in order to break your doomscrolling habit are those that encourage mindfulness. Doing a hobby mindfully simply means paying attention to what you’re doing and being in the moment – whether that’s colouring, knitting or sewing.

Mindfulness is the practice of focusing your attention on the present moment and experiencing your thoughts and feelings without judgment. It’s not necessarily about clearing your mind, but about engaging in an activity with your full attention, and not being distracted by other thoughts.

Here are just a few ways that mindful hobbies can help you break your doomscrolling habit.

They hold positive attention

When you’re focused on a craft, your hands are busy, so you’ll be too engaged to reach for your phone. Creative hobbies that require attention, such as knitting or colouring, can also act as a “flow activity”, where you lose track of time and feel fully immersed in what you’re doing. This can be a great antidote to losing hours doomscrolling.

They’re calming

Many people who have a creative hobby say the physical repetitive actions are meditative and calming.

Crafts can also support healthy emotion regulation – our ability to manage and respond to emotional experiences. Soothing your nervous system can counteract tension triggered by doomscrolling.

They provide a sense of achievement

Doomscrolling can leave people feeling a loss of control, whereas mindful hobbies provide a sense of control along with tangible results: a colourful drawing, a knitted scarf or perhaps an embroidered trinket.

Achievement is considered one of the core ingredients of psychological wellbeing – and is a key remedy to distress.

They reduce stress and anxiety

Mindful crafting offers a break from ruminating. Just ten minutes of regular mindful colouring – at least three times a week for two weeks – can reduce stress, anxiety and feelings of low mood, alongside improving quality of life.

Creative hobbies can also significantly lower levels of our stress hormone, cortisol, which promotes a sense relaxation.

They offer a sense of belonging

By engaging in a new hobby you also join a community of people with similar interests. This opens you up to more positive social interactions, and a sense of belonging is linked to better wellbeing.

Choosing the right hobby

Activities such as colouring, knitting, sewing and crochet are a good place to start as they involve repetitive, soothing movements along with a sense of achievement. Of course, you should choose a hobby you think you’ll enjoy, as you won’t build new habits doing activities you don’t want to do.

Here are some other things you can do when getting started to give you the best chance of success.

Start small.

Actively setting a small and achievable change in behaviour can increase your success in building new, positive habits. So to begin with, choose a simple project that’s not too hard to complete – such as colouring a single page or knitting a small square. Or, set a goal to spend 10-20 minutes a day on your hobby after work before reaching for your phone. Early, achievable wins lead to a sense of achievement, and keep you motivated.

Set boundaries around phone use.

Create a “no phone zone” and make time for your hobby. This will help remove temptation to scroll and make a more calm environment for you to craft in.

Be present.

Notice the colours, textures and movements involved in what you’re doing. If your mind starts to wander, gently bring your focus back to your activity.

Join a community.

Whether online or in person, connecting with others who do the same hobby can increase your sense of belonging and make it even more enjoyable. This can also promote more positive online interactions.

Breaking your doomscrolling habit doesn’t mean you have to abandon social media entirely. But swapping scrolling for mindful hobbies in your free time allows you to set meaningful boundaries and build positive habits. By prioritising your wellbeing and engaging with information in a balanced way, your brain gets a “mental break” from all the negative content.

(Emma Palmer-Cooper is Lecturer in Psychology, Centre for Innovation in Mental Health, University of Southampton)