How To Stay Well Informed Without Being A Doomscroller

We live in an age of 24/7 news cycles, with fresh headlines breaking almost every hour. Each one seems to pile onto the relentless negativity and conflict of the modern world, rarely bringing much hope and lightness. Yet it can feel like an obligation to stay well-informed, whether for professional or personal reasons.

When it’s so easy to reach for our phones and scroll through news feeds at any time of the day or night, the line between being informed and compulsive behaviour becomes easily blurred. 

Here’s a look at how “doomscrolling” draws us in and how it functions as a “firefighter” activity in the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model, as well as how to stay informed while protecting your mental health. 

Why the news can be compulsive

It’s normal to want to know what’s going on in the world out of curiosity, a sense of duty, or because a good understanding of current affairs is necessary to our careers. However, constant exposure to troubling headlines can soon become emotionally overwhelming. 

Our brains are continually processing potential threats, and this can activate the body’s stress response. 

Our brains are wired to scan for threats, and negative news triggers this stress response, our shoulders tighten, our jaws clench and our hearts beat faster. You feel uncertain; anxious; out of control. This prompts a desire for clarity and reassurance, so we turn to the news source again in the hope of finding relief, which is rarely the case. 

Within the IFS model, our psyche is made up of different “parts” that work together to protect us. When distressing emotions arise, certain parts step in to manage or suppress them. 

Doomscrolling often acts as a “firefighter” activity in this framework. 

Firefighters are reactive parts that jump into action to distract or soothe when painful emotions, held by vulnerable “exile” parts, are triggered. 

For example, if bad news stirs up feelings of fear or powerlessness (connected to an exile), a firefighter part might push you to scroll endlessly through news feeds to numb or distract from that discomfort. 

Unlike “manager” parts, which try to prevent distress through control or planning, firefighters focus on immediate relief, even if it’s temporary or unhealthy. Doomscrolling fits this pattern perfectly: it pulls your attention outward to external chaos, temporarily burying internal pain, but often leaves you feeling more anxious or drained.

It’s important to be aware of the editorial policies of most news sites: stories that shock, outrage, or dismay us tend to garner more clicks and dwell time than more neutral, balanced or even positive pieces. Therefore we can easily get the impression that the world is a more terrifying and hostile place than it really is for much of the time.

Signs you may be caught in this loop include:

• Checking multiple news apps or websites several times per hour.

• Feeling guilty when you step away from the news.

• Struggling to concentrate on work, relationships, or hobbies.

• Experiencing tension, sleep problems, or a sense of dread.

• Repeating the same stories in your head, even after reading them.

Left unchecked, this behaviour can affect your mental health, contributing to chronic anxiety, exhaustion or even feelings of helplessness about the world.

How to take control of your news consumption

Most of us don’t want to bury our heads in the sand and become indifferent to the world. The key is to find a way to stay engaged in a healthy and sustainable way. 

Obviously, threats and conflicts do exist, have always done so and probably always will. However, often the quietly positive progress of our era gets buried in the noise, and it takes a little more time and effort to dig it out. If your desire for news is insatiable, try expanding your sources: a lot of fascinating and uplifting events happen under the radar.  

For example, subscribe to accessible scientific journals and read about the amazing new inventions and discoveries that are made every year. Explore grass-roots arts magazines and discover writers, musicians or painters who would not otherwise be on your bandwidth. 

News doesn’t always have to be about disasters and polarised opinions.   

Breaking the cycle

If you still find yourself compulsively doomscrolling at 1am despite your best efforts, set some stricter boundaries around how you consume news. For example:

• Designate two or three specific times per day to check trusted sources.

• Avoid news right before bed or first thing in the morning.

• Turn off notifications and remove news apps from your home screen.

• Choose in-depth reporting over breaking headlines when possible.

This helps you stay informed without being overwhelmed. If you catch yourself reaching for your phone, ask yourself to pause for a few moments.

Take a few slow breaths and check in with your emotions. Are you feeling anxious, bored or out of control? 

In IFS, this is a chance to notice which part is active, likely a firefighter trying to “put out” an emotional fire. Instead of scrolling, try grounding activities like journaling, stretching or talking to a friend to address those feelings directly.

When doomscrolling points to deeper issues

Doomscrolling can amplify negative emotions like anger or fear, but it might also be a firefighter’s way of reinforcing deeper, pre-existing thought patterns. 

For instance, if you’re drawn to news that confirms a belief that the world is unsafe, your firefighter might use doomscrolling to keep those exiled fears at bay, preventing you from feeling them fully. Over time, this can disrupt daily life, relationships or emotional wellbeing.

If this resonates, exploring these patterns with a therapist can help. At our Harley Street clinic, we use Internal Family Systems therapy to uncover the deeper causes of distress. 

IFS helps you identify the firefighter parts driving behaviours like doomscrolling, understand the exiled emotions they’re protecting and foster healing by bringing compassion and balance to your inner system. This process creates space for your Self to lead, reducing the need for firefighters to take over with compulsive habits.