Today (10th October) is World Mental Health Day, a day which emphasises the importance of good mental health, raises awareness of mental health issues and current challenges to mental health, tackles stigma and helps break down barriers to support for mental health.
This year, The Mental Health Foundation’s theme is ‘Overwhelm: when global events and relentless bad news become too much’.
The foundation explains:
“The world is going through a tough time right now and even if you’re not directly affected by events, it can still feel like a lot to cope with. It’s okay to ask for help, no matter what you, or anyone else is going through…We may not have the power to influence or change everything we’d like to on a global scale. But there are things we can do to protect ourselves and others from feeling overwhelmed and hopeless in the face of current events.”
To support with this, the Mental Health Foundation has 6 ‘Tips to manage overwhelm during global events and relentless bad news’
- Set boundaries with the news – for the amount of content you will consume and how often.
- Use grounding exercises – focusing on the present to help calm in moments of stress/anxiety.
- Have phone free times – break doomscrolling habits by managing screen time.
- Talk with others – quality time with friends/family/loved ones can help you feel more connected.
- Give yourself permission to rest – self-care isn’t selfish, looking after yourself is important too.
- Focus on what you can control – take small positive actions to help you find a sense of purpose rather than helplessness.
The negative cycle of doomscrolling
One specific behaviour that the Mental Health Foundation identifies as contributing to a feeling of ‘overwhelm’ is doomscrolling. Have you ever looked at the time and realised you’ve been scrolling Instagram or another social media app for the last hour trying to learn more about a specific topic you’re concerned about and want to become more informed on or because you’re worried about missing out on something important? That can be described as doomscrolling, where you’re continuously scrolling through negative news for long periods of time.
The Mental Health Foundation explains that whilst doomscrolling can often start with good intentions, it can, ‘quickly turn into an unconscious habit that can leave us feeling overwhelmed and anxious.’ It can also lead to a negative cycle where you find yourself doomscrolling because you are anxious and overwhelmed but you are left with the same feelings or heightened ones as you continue scrolling. There can also be physical impacts as well as mental ones such as headaches, nausea, shoulder pain, problems sleeping and poor posture.
How to know you’re doomscrolling
As doomscrolling can be an unconscious habit, how can you recognise that you are doing it?
- Consider how you are feeling when scrolling – notice if you are anxious, tense, stress, angry, emotionally drained or ‘numb’.
- Take note of how long you are spending scrolling and how often, particularly if it is more often or for longer than you intended.
- Reflect on how you are engaging with where you are right now in the present – is it difficult to ‘switch off’ from what’s going on online? Do you find yourself feeling you ‘need’ to check/worried you’re missing out?
Learn more about World Mental Health Day and how to take part
How educators can use NetSupport’s solutions to help students
Using solutions like classroom.cloud and NetSupport School, educators can help focus students onto specific websites and applications, reducing cognitive load which can help ease students’ feelings of ‘overwhelm’. Educators can also use safeguarding tools within classroom.cloud and NetSupport DNA to monitor student device activity, to spot where students are feeling particularly anxious and stressed about particular events or topics. This can help teachers start a conversation with students that can help them also consider their online habits at home, perhaps helping them break a doomscrolling cycle or helping them to take some small productive steps forward to manage a situation where they feel helpless/out of control.