Got through an entire week without my usual morning anxiety spike

I usually wake up around 5:30 and my brain immediately goes to all the bad news and political chaos out there. But this past Monday through Friday, I tried something different. I left my phone in the kitchen overnight and just sat with my coffee for 20 minutes before checking anything. It was such a small change but I didn't feel that heavy pit in my stomach once all week. Has anyone else found a simple routine shift that helped them disconnect from the doomscrolling?

3 comments

3 Comments

jakejones1mo ago

Yeah that phone in another room trick is a game changer for sure.

skyler_jackson271mo ago

Started doing it with my laptop too, just shut the lid and stick it in a drawer when I need to focus. It’s wild how just knowing you can’t grab it easily kills the urge to check it every few minutes. I even put my tablet in another room now when I’m trying to read a book or something. The whole out of sight thing works way better than just putting it on silent.

jasonallen1mo ago

People are always shocked when I tell them it works, but @skyler_jackson27 is right about the laptop thing too. The effort barrier is real - if it takes more than a few seconds to reach your distraction, you just won't bother. I do the same with my Kindle sometimes (just leave it across the room when I'm trying to sleep). The brain is lazy by design and that works in your favor if you set things up right. Out of sight really is out of mind for most of us.