I replaced doomscrolling with one tiny habit. After 30 days, my screen time was down 44%, and I was way less anxious.

A new habit helped me feel happier using my phone.

Rebecca Strong I realized that constantly doomscrolling was making me feel anxious, so I made a rule for myself.

Every time I have the urge to open Instagram, I learn one tiny thing instead.

Since starting this experiment, I've expanded my vocabulary and spent more time doing things I love.

For a long time, I've been acutely aware that doomscrolling was making me anxious.

But still, constantly scrolling through all sorts of distressing content on my phone was a habit I couldn't seem to break.

Whether I was waiting in line at my local coffeeshop or unwinding in bed at night, I found myself unable to resist reaching for my phone, seemingly on autopilot.

There was a positive intention behind this: I wanted to feel informed about the world around me.

But the constant influx of updates about ongoing criminal trials, natural disasters, and mass-casualty events definitely left me with a pretty negative outlook.

Studies have repeatedly shown that doomscrolling takes quite a toll on both our mental and physical well-being , contributing to more stress, anxiety, and fatigue.

So, I made one rule for myself: Every time I had the urge to open Instagram, I'd make an effort to learn one tiny thing instead.

I call them "micro-curiosities." Here's how it unfolded — and why this is a change I plan to stick with.

I started by making a list of things I'm interested in This summer, I learned to grow basil.

Rebecca Strong To make the experiment as seamless as possible, I drew up a list of topics and activities I was interested in, but either didn't know much about or had never gotten around to exploring.