Fighting Doomscrolling Through Low-Stimulation

Whenever we are tired from a long day of school or work we sometimes simply want to turn off our brains and go on our devices. We might scroll through social media like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube to watch hilarious quick less-than-30 seconds videos. Now before you know it, hours have passed by and your brain is feeling more overwhelmed than ever. Brainrot fills your head and you fall asleep on your bed, the cycle will repeat again tomorrow.

What you may be experiencing is overstimulation. According to Healthline, overstimulation is a “mix of sensory, emotional, and mental input.” This can occur to anyone, children and adults. Being overstimulated can be very distressing, causing unwanted behaviors and emotions. One may experience a headache while another may feel agitated by the slightest inconvenience. Imagine being in your room working on a pile of homework on your desk as your lamp flickers every so often. You hear loud music blasting against the walls from the next room over and the air conditioning is broken so the air is hot. You can’t seem to concentrate and every second that passes you get more and more frustrated that you can’t answer the question in front of you. This is what overstimulation feels like. Your brain is running from all the various external stimuli occurring at once. A major contributor to this experience can be the very device you keep in your pocket.