India-Pakistan tensions: How doomscrolling can affect your mental health and ways to protect yourself from the screen

It was well past midnight when Virarbased 37yearold businessman Chirag Chauhan shook his wife Neha awake ldquoWe had just gone to bed after a tumultuous Saturday although I kept checking my phone for updates The official handles on X were all quiet which I found very strange I was quite convinced that something sinister was afootrdquo he reminisces His concerns about being the latest victim of the incessant news cycle or social media algorithm were further substantiated when he checked his phonersquos digital wellbeing featureChirag ChauhanldquoWhile on an average day my screen time is about threefour hours this figure has now gone up to 12 hours I was shocked to find how hopelessly addicted Irsquod become to my phonerdquo he adds And although Chauhan may have caught on to his doomscrolling many others like him continue to continually hit refresh on their apps eager to devour every bit of information that comes their way A phenomenon that rose to prominence during the pandemic doomscrolling continues to be one of the primary ways that many people deal with stress and the fear of the unknownDecode the currency of informationldquoWhile doomscrolling is often described as the cycle of refreshing endlessly scrolling compulsively and staying tethered to every alert update and speculation it is not just a digital habit it is a nervous system response to collective uncertainty grief and helplessnessrdquo notes psychologist Namrata Jain She further explains that doomscrolling is our attempt to create predictability in a world that feels unstable As human beings our brain seeks information to feel safe as a survival instinct But when the exposure is constant overwhelming and devoid of resolution this instinct becomes dysregulatingNamrata JainInterestingly this behaviour does not only impact those directly affected by the conflict Jain points out that people across the nations are experiencing vicarious trauma or the emotional residue of bearing witness to the suffering of others Through endless digital exposure feels of fear anger and grief are internalised often subconsciously ldquoWhat many of us donrsquot realise is that doomscrolling has now become a performative form of empathy Therersquos a growing and understandable guilt around switching offMany people feel that disengaging from the news is equivalent to disengaging from suffering This guilttraps people in a cycle of overexposure mdash staying informed to prove that they care It is compassion that converts into selfflagellationrdquo she says The third layer as Jain describes it is emotional displacement For people already living with unaddressed anxiety helplessness or emotional distress war coverage becomes an outlet to project and channel those feelings It gives form to an otherwise invisible inner turmoil offering a clear narrative of lsquoThis is why I feel unsafersquoThe price of screen addictionPostOperation Sindoor my social media habits have transformed dramatically Irsquom constantly hooked to my phone eager for updates This has had an impact on my physical and mental health I find it hard to fall and stay asleep My deepseated fears combine with overthinking to make me restless More recently the alternating ceasefire proclamations followed by attacks create and magnify my sense of distrustrdquo shares 31yearold Soumita Saha a singersongwriter Chauhan echoes her concerns also sharing that the presence of fake news further adds to the frustration ldquoBy the time the news has been verified the damage has been done Wersquore left wondering what to dohellip Do we do anything at all Whatrsquos going to happen What is even truerdquo he lamentsSoumita SahaRakesh Raghuvanshi CEO and founder of Sekel Tech observes ldquoEconomic incentives drive the fake news ecosystem Content creators earn revenue through clicks views and engagement metrics on major platforms regardless of accuracy During crises such as military tensions audience attention spikes dramatically while critical thinking often diminishes due to heightened emotions The information vacuum during developing situations creates opportunities for speculation and fabrication to fill gaps faster than verified reporting can Algorithmdriven platforms reward sensational content that generates strong reactions not necessarily truthful content Low barriers to entry in digital publishing mean anyone can create convincinglooking lsquonewsrsquo without journalistic standards or accountabilityrdquoRakesh RaghuvanshildquoOver the last few days Irsquove come to realise that even the sources we believed were trustworthy are falling prey to fake news Now from a customerrsquos point of view we can spend several hours believing what these sources say only to be dismayed when the news is proved false To safeguard against this I advocate what I call a ZeroTrust Policy a concept thatrsquos borrowed from cybersecurity best practices Just as you wouldnrsquot trust a QR code or message implicitly donrsquot take any news at face value Remember that your social media algorithms only push more of what you are already viewing while taking zero responsibility for the veracity of the contentrdquo warns Gautam S Mengle security awareness strategist at CyberFrat a firm that specialises in cybersecurity awareness education and advisoryGautam MengleHe also warns that the consumption of fake news does not just affect your sanity or peace of mind it also influences your decisions or your actual actions that could include being drawn into fraudulently seeking funds in the name of relief to families of the martyrs or towards the upgradation of the armed forces ldquoIt is a very real outcome and one that can only be addressed by changing your consumption patterns at the sourcerdquo Mengle signs offFind your calmDisrupted sleep chronic worry irritability and even physical symptoms such as headaches or gut issues can result from screen exposure or media saturation Jain suggests a few strategies to cope with doomscrolling1 Choose onetwo reliable sources Check updates at a fixed time eg 10 am and 6 pm Avoid news before bed2 Set locks or use apps that lock applications that you are addicted to or doomscroll on3 Disable breaking news alerts instead opt for intentional checking rather than reactive scrolling4 After news exposure intentionally engage in a grounding activity mdash deep breathing stretching sipping a warm drink or stepping outside for five minutes5 Mute accounts that sensationalise Prioritise factbased calm reporting6 Remind yourself that staying online 247 does not change the outcome But attending to your wellbeing allows you to show up in more sustainable meaningful ways for yourself and for others7 Talk about it Process it with someone you trust or a therapist to reduce its hold on your attention8 Use breathwork cold water on your wrists or hands or use the 54321 technique name 5 things you see 4 you feel 3 you hear 2 you smell and 1 you tasteTo calm your urges1 Delay the impulse Tell yourself ldquoIrsquoll check in 15 minutesrdquo Often you will notice that the urge passes2 Substitute behaviour Keep a book activity or playlist handy to redirect the habit3 Remind yourself ldquoMy grief is valid but my survival does not depend on my vigilancerdquoatOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params