143: How to Stop Scrolling on Tiktok

Wait , let me tune into Love Island real quick . I don't even watch Love Island , but I know the world does . So that's what we're going to talk about .

When you are in the moment of being sick of yourself , feeling like you are spending so much time dedicated to the screen and you're not feeling good about it , it's starting to bring up a lot of negative emotions in you . We've been there , we are there , and that's why we're talking about this in this episode . So tune in .

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I love this because we , in fact , are sick of our shit a lot of times . Like , typically , what happens is , maybe it's like a Saturday afternoon this is where I find my scrolling Okay Saturday afternoon .

Maybe it's a Sunday afternoon , after I've already been productive like in the morning , had a really great morning , and I haven't quite started my Sunday night routine .

It's like that midday thing where it's like , okay , I'm bored , I don't know what to do , maybe I just don't really want to think or work on work stuff , or work on the podcast stuff , and I just have some time and space and I kind of want to be lazy and maybe there's something emotional that I'm trying to escape from .

And I find myself on my couch exactly what you were saying rotating . I got TikTok , I do a little couple scrolls , I see something that doesn't quite hit the dopamine . I hit it back to Instagram . Ooh , I see someone's story . Ooh , I'm interested . Now that makes me emotionally triggered . Okay , let me go to a couple other ones . Okay , I'm bored .

Now Let me hit it to YouTube . Let me go watch a quick video .

You have to be constantly engaged , your brain and we get in this . Really , I mean , it is so intense . I know that there are so many people that could speak to the science of this , of like why we need to constantly have our mind engaged and why that actually becomes addictive .

But we're going to tell you some ways how to get off this scrolling train , because this is not good . You know . We know that this is not serving us in a positive way . I definitely don't think that you have to go off social media forever or even take a social media break , necessarily .

I think that that can be really good , but you can start taking steps of what are some of the other things that I can do when I'm at home , because , you're right , it's not just like , okay , you're scrolling on TikTok at six o'clock after work for two hours until you decide to make dinner , like , okay , well , you need to get out and get for a walk .

It's like , well , I'm tired , I've been working all day and I don't want to go for a walk right now . So what are some of the other ways that people can more intentionally use their energy ? Okay , or lack thereof .

Okay , maybe I need to hang my planter or maybe I need to make my meal , prep my eggs for the week , or go through my closet and donate a bag of clothes . So I feel like having a list of go-to items that you can do is helpful , right ? Because then you're like okay , I'm bored , I don't want to do this anymore .

What's something I can do to replace this habit ? Right now , let's go to the to-do list .

I mean , I'm really starting to get back into reading and I feel like reading gives me just as much dopamine as scrolling . But it's just such a habit for me to scroll that sometimes now I'm like between Kindle and phone . It's like , okay , leave the phone in the other room , girl .

But I feel like so many people say that they don't like to read and I will respond it's because you haven't read the right book . No , literally it's me , it is not that you don't like to read . It's that you haven't read the right book for yourself .

. It's like reading when you actually have the physical thing , whether it be a Kindle or a book or whatever . You know it's like you're actually , your eyes are engaged . So there's something that's just a more . It's different . You know it's more visual , even though it's just words .

Like to read because they've read a lot of nonfiction , they've read a lot of fiction that is shitty . Like . Find your thing that you like , like , we all love being engaged in a story . That is why we love TikTok , that is why we're so in on the drama .

You know , whatever the story of the week , like reading can be the same way and it feels like such a more healthy way . It uses your imagination , it activates just like a lot of yeah , that like inner , like you create your own world without needing to see anything , and I think it's just amazing . I absolutely love it .

So that's my number one tip Find the kind of book that you want to read .

Okay , these are things that I'm actively doing right now . You're a sports girl , I was pretty girly , but getting in my body . the reason why I'm like loving it so much is because I'm getting in my body . Like when I'm swimming , it's like I'm not thinking , which sometimes we need , and that's kind of why we're using social media and TV .

It's like sometimes we want to like turn our brain off and like pause and like not , because the more time we have , I feel , like the more we kind of look for problems . A lot of people do , at least , or maybe that's just me , I doubt it's just me , but like when I have a lot of space , it's like I'm kind of looking for like okay , what's going wrong ?

How can I fix something ? So the more I can like activate my body I'm not as in my head , which is so helpful .

So like , even if I'm so lazy on a Sunday afternoon and I've gone hiking already , I'm like I do have the energy to go do something Like let me go with a friend and like get moving and like get in my body , cause I feel like that always , like that decision always makes me feel better than fricking scrolling for two hours aimlessly .

But , um , doing this kind of activity , like whether it be like I know a lot of people got into , like doing coloring books and stuff during COVID like or knitting , or doing something that activates your hands in some sort of way um , painting , drawing , like creating something that gets you in that exact space of what you're saying , of like you're not thinking

about you know , every oh , I missed this on my to-do list Like you're immersed in this puzzle or in this project , this craft . Start a scrapbook , like , do something to activate your brain in a way that is doing or creating , because that gets rid of that desire of like you know , okay , just doom , doom , doom , doom .

Like you never get off social media and you're like wow , I'm like so much happier than I was when I sat down to scroll .

You know , like you get , obviously when you go out and do something , of course usually you're happier , but like if you're doing a puzzle , you know it's like wow , okay , I'm kind of like achieving something , and you know I'm doing something . You could do it with yourself , do it with someone else , like you're doing something .

But she was like go get a bunch of flowers from Trader Joe's and like make flower arrangements . Like I love that idea and now I want to do that . Like just get like 10 different like types of flowers and then like make like cut them off , like take each of like the things off , like cut them . And I was like I want to make these like for my friends .

Like how good of a Sunday would that be ? It's like I got a bunch of flowers and I made like four arrangements and then like went and delivered them to my friends like on a Sunday afternoon .

Like you may be listening to this and be like I don't want to do a puzzle , I don't want to do flower arrangements , I don't want to do , you know , reading , whatever . That's okay . You don't have to do any of these things .

The thing is to figure out what is something that is engaging to you and then doing said thing , and I think it is such a trial and error . I also think that there is no doubt that you are going to scroll or watch TV or whatever . One of my other biggest tips , I feel like , is to do one thing If you are committing to the scroll , just scroll .

If you are committing to the TV , just do the TV . When you start getting in that it's like a fight for figuring out what is going to be the most engaging thing for you .

I think that that's when , like it's like danger alert yeah , your mind's going in too many different directions and like you're super scattered , you know , like if you just sit down and find like a show that you really like . You know , I just watched Gentleman on Netflix . You should watch it . If you haven't watched it , it's really really good .

It's like Emmy nominated .

Um , it's like just do that thing .

You know , like we just finished watching that show and it's like I don't feel , as you know , when I'm like dedicated to watching the show and I'm just immersed in the show and there's a story and it's a whole thing and I'm not like trying to just consume like 10 second videos , like over and over and over , you know , it's like I feel like a different sense

of satisfaction . You know what ?

If you want to watch a movie , fucking watch a movie , but really enjoy that movie , right , like , can you make it really intentional ? Okay , I'm going to get , like , some popcorn . I'm going to get my favorite snack . Like , I'm going to cuddle up and I'm going to put my phone over there on the charger and I'm going to watch this movie .

Like , I'm watching Love is Blind UK and I'm like loving it . So I'm like , let me be intentional about it . Like , or am I just like making dinner passively watching it scrolling on my phone ? Like that doesn't feel as good . So , like , whatever it is that you're doing ?

like just be intentional If you find yourself like , oh , I'm annoyed , I always find myself like scrolling and like any free time that I have , like maybe delete the app . Maybe you know structure your time in a different way so you're not constantly looking at your phone , like there's so many different tools and techniques that you could use .

But if you're feeling like that , try out some of these tools that we said and we hope it helps you guys , why are you laughing the way that you said that ?

. My last one is put your phone in a different freaking room . Okay , put your phone in a different room . I stopped putting my charging my phone in a different room at night and I am getting back to it literally tonight after this episode . Do not charge your phone in your room . What do you need your phone for ? Get a freaking alarm clock .

It's like , literally , you can order an alarm clock for probably $5.99 on Amazon . You don't need your phone . Also , the EMFs are really bad and they're doubled when it's on the charger , so you don't need that shit by your head . So , if it is by your head , put it on airplane mode Always , Always . Go listen to an episode on EMFs . Okay , we love you .