6 Tips To Beat Brainrot And End Your Scrolling Habit

6 Tips To Beat Brainrot And End Your Scrolling Habit

You feel bored, stressed, tired, or fatigued…you find yourself grabbing your phone and scrolling

Or you try to look for something on your phone and end up 2hours scrolling on TikTok 

Or you pick up your phone any time you are in line or waiting,

your brain wants stimulation that’s easy, cheap, and fast; that’s what social media scrolling provides 

but you are sick and tired of doing that; then you are at the right place

I have been doing that a lot lately because of the pressure I am feeling and trying to escape thoughts of and feeling tired and exhausted 

I want to share what I will do to overcome brainrot: easy tips that you can do too!

What you’ll learn:

• What is brainrot and why you have it
• 6 tips to beat brainrot

What is brainrot and why it happens 

Brainrot is a result of consuming social media content, especially short-form content that is low in quality

for a long time without limit ie. scrolling

It produces a lot of dopamine that comes from the anticipation of something new(novel) and

the uncertainty of what will be shown, which are both factors that produce dopamine and keep you hooked,

and leads you to come for more and amplifies the urge to pick up your phone every time you feel bored,

stressed, overwhelmed, fatigued (any time your brain is not feeling good)

6 Tips to beat brainrot and end scrolling:

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The first 3 points I learned from Veronica Mark Here

1-track your scroll

Why should you do it:

to understand when and why I scroll, because when you understand the need behind your scroll;

it becomes easier to change the behaviour

Most triggers are emotional

When I’m tired, I can’t focus or get hard things done

When I am about to start a hard task

When I have nothing else to do(boredom)

Other times would be because i found it is the habit itself

Most common emotions that trigger scrolling are stress, pressure, boredom, overwhelm, burnout, drained, tired

How to do it (what I am going to do):

Without judgment, I’ll use a note app, or you can use a notebook and record when and why

By the end, you’ll learn what triggers the scroll

Ask, what is my brain looking for right now? Why am I scrolling right now?

How can I satisfy this need in a different way? 

2-interrupt the loop

Why should you do it:

Wakes your brain, makes you reflect, not do without thinking(automatically, grab and scroll)

Add friction and restrict ease of access, which are major components in making habits form

How to do it(what I am going to do):

I’m going to use the time lock on my device that you can find similar to it on your phone,

or you can download an app, like OneSec 

3-feel boredom

Why should you do it:

To gain focus, creativity, peace of mind, sense of calm,…

People don’t like boredom nowadays especially

because there is an easy way for stimulation that relieves that boredom instantly, which is social media scrolling

How to do it (what i am going to do):

1-notice moments of boredom and choose not to pick up your phone

When waiting in line, waiting for the elevator, waiting for your turn in a clinic

When you are walking, sitting in nature, drinking something 

2-create moments of boredom 

Not listening or doing anything while you do chores around the house, taking a 5min break, 

Just be in the moment; hear the sounds, feel the temperature, enjoy the scene, focus on the task at hand

4-create a novelty menu/dopamine menu

It is the same as the dopamine menu if you have seen the trend on social media

Why should you do it:

Social media works on a variable reward system like a slot machine

When you scroll, you don’t know what will come next

This uncertainty and novelty is what keeps your brain hooked and doing it again and again

How to do it(what i am going to do);

Create a menu of things that help you get those feelings in a healthy manner that you will reach out for instead of scrolling

Examples of things to add

Like using an easy gaming app that you can play with others or alone and provides you with new levels to get to that are new

Or coloring a new page and choosing your colors

Writing what you are grateful for and what you accomplished each day

The next two points i learned from Carl Newport’s podcast here

5-read every day

Why should you do it:

to enhance thinking, help you come up with original ideas, and develop complicated thoughts

Rewrite your focus and attention span

How to do it(what i am going to do): some points I shared to give you ideas, which i won’t be doing

1- read what you enjoy(right now i am enjiooying romantasy,fasntsy romance,a little romance with a dash of nonfiction)

2-read everyday twice a day(i only read once so far but listen to audiobook as my second read)

3-read 15- 20 pages; when it becomes easier, increase it to 30-60pages( i focus more on number of books per month; my goal is 2)

4-incorpate hard books; make 1 in 3 hard

Books with sophisticated original ideas for nonfiction and for fiction ones that are challenging that take more concentration to understand and slower consumption to make sense)

(I’m choosing nonfiction with subject matter that i want to learn and not some generic motivational thing)

This idea is only to be done after you have built the habit  

5-Listen to audiobooks while reading (immersive reading) or on its own, is a great way to read more than once a day, which is what i do

Sign up for Audible’s free 30-day trial and start listening [Paid Link]

6-write to grow

Why should you do it:

Coordinate different regions of the brain together that won’t otherwise

Rewiring the regions you used to understand complicated thoughts to come up with your own original thoughts

Prone to more resistance because of the mental strain it causes which makes it harder yet more rewarding in terms of cognitive strength and concentration

Think of the strain like when you work out to build muscles: it’s unpleasant, hard, but you do it anyway

because you know the rewards from doing is worth it

how to do it(what i am going to do with extra ideas):

1-write regularly to practice structuring your thoughts that help you organize and structure your thoughts

(writing blog posts like i do, newsletter, or journaling..)

2-make writing your identity that would make it easier to do ( I’m a writer in training, I’m a good writer,..)

3-the 10-min rule: to help you with the resistance(this rule is gold;i will start using it)

Train yourself that first 10 minutes will suck, then it gets better and feels tolerable

4-study technique: when you read, think:

Why is this article good? What’s the art? What is the author doing here? Why is this flowing so well?

Look at rhythm, switching between A and B , integration of quotes (quote, sentence, call back,..)

Begin to appreciate, analyze, look for the art of writing in reading, and pull techniques that you will use to make your writing better 

(i am going to write these questions in a list format and use it whenever I read something.

i would do it for some things at first to not overwhelm myself)

Conclusion

Behaviour change needs patince and, compassion, and curiosity as you work through it

Otherwise, you’re setting yourself up for failure and additional pain that you would have avoided!

As always, choose one or two things to do and start

Comment: what will you replace scrolling with? How will you gain your focus and attention back?

You’ve read 6 tips to beat brainrot and End Your Scrolling habit

Praying for your success 

, Wafaa