Shadowing Practice: How to actually stop DOOMSCROLLING | end your social media addiction *for good* - Learn English Speaking with Video
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If you finally want to stop doom scrolling, but you don't wanna delete your social media, you can do both.
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Your phone addiction is actually not your fault.
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It's not that you're lazy or you need more discipline, you actually need less dopamine traps.
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I am not afraid to admit there was a very long
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period of time where I was actually addicted to my phone and I could not stop checking social media.
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Every night I used to scroll until my eyes hurt
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and my eyes used to literally be red from all my screen time.
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But I knew I reached a breaking point when it started affecting my health and sleep.
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So these are the 10 tips that finally helped me break my doom scrolling addiction
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and how I actually live my life in real time instead of living through a screen.
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Also, I know there's a lot of BS advice out there, so every tip I'm about to share with you, I personally do myself.
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These have all worked for me, so there's a very good chance they'll work for you too.
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I get it, you're overwhelmed and very overstimulated from social media and you want to take a break, but again, you don't want to delete your apps.
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Um, same, that's why you don't have to.
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The first thing you should do is just hide them.
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If you have an iPhone, you can remove all your social media apps from your home screen, but still keep them in your app library.
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This way, as soon as you open your phone, you don't see your social media apps, so therefore it's easier to not check them.
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That two to three second barrier is weirdly enough to pull you out of that doom scrolling mindset.
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Another thing you can do on your phone is to just turn off all your non-essential notifications.
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Let's be honest, half of our doom scrolling begins when our phone pings us, so you need to reduce the number of distractions you're exposed to.
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Obviously, keep your phone calls, texts, and emails on, but everything else can be muted.
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As someone who literally has a career in social media, I can tell you that nothing on social media is that urgent, okay?
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It can wait.
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Another thing I did to kick my social media addiction was actually by creating scrolling windows.
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You automatically want something more when you know you shouldn't have it.
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Like, if I told you to stop eating chocolate, your brain would only think about chocolate.
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So rather than trying to stop myself from scrolling entirely, I just scheduled my scroll sessions into my day so that I wouldn't be tempted all the time.
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Give yourself set times to check Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, etc. and keep each session to about 10 to 15 minutes.
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This really helped me ease into limiting my screen time
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and it was so much easier to stay consistent with it rather than cutting it out cold turkey.
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I mean, your phone addiction is still an addiction, so you have to treat it as such.
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Also, instead of opening up TikTok every single time you're bored, try replacing the habit with something else.
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Our brains love patterns, so when you feel that urge to scroll, you have to give yourself a new pattern to follow.
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For me, I replaced that impulse with drinking water.
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So anytime I'm about to pick up my phone, I'll just reach for my water bottle instead.
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Another thing I do is leave a book on my desk.
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So instead of picking up my phone and scrolling, I'll pick up the book and read.
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If you don't like water or books, you can do crossword puzzles, coloring pages, get those like fidget spinners.
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All of these are a much better alternative than scrolling
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and you'll feel a lot better about yourself at the end of the day.
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One of the best replacements I found is learning.
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Giving your brain something positive to reach for is the most effective way to limit your phone use.
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But education doesn't have to feel overwhelming or like school.
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I actually love finding fun ways to stimulate my mind and one of my favorite ways to learn is through Skillshare.
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I love that their classes are short but intentional.
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So you're not sitting through a two hour lecture, but you're actually watching engaging lessons on topics that spark your interest.
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It scratches the same itch of I want to consume something, but without rotting my brain like social media.
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They have all different types of classes ranging from creativity, art and design, cooking, organization, writing, and so much more.
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Right now I'm taking a class by Lauren Cox called Interior Design Basics.
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I'm currently in the process of moving into my first apartment, which you guys will see more of very soon, but I really wanted to curate my space intentionally.
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So I've absolutely been loving this class and learning about the basics of interior design.
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Instead of losing 30 minutes of my life doom scrolling and feeling worse after, with Skillshare I'm gaining a new skill, perspective, or motivation.
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And my brain still gets that sense of novelty that it's craving.
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Skillshare has thousands of classes taught by real experts
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and every class includes small projects where you can demonstrate what you're learning in real life.
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If you want to replace mindless scrolling with mindful learning, Skillshare is giving the first 500 people who use my link below a one month free trial.
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That way you can explore their classes and see if it works for you and no strings attached.
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Click the link in the description to get started today.
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And thank you so much to Skillshare for sponsoring this video.
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Okay.
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Now, if you're like me and you have very little self-control, get yourself a screen management app.
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I have an app called Opal that literally blocks me from using my apps.
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I just select what apps I want to be restricted and when I want to lock them.
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And I like that you can create sessions depending on your schedule.
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So for me in the morning, I have all my apps blocked except my texts, calls, Spotify, and my camera.
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Because I want my mornings to just be me and my thoughts.
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But after 10 a.m., when I actually start to get into work, then I'll have my emails open, WhatsApp, Safari, anything I need to do my work.
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But even then, all my social media is still restricted.
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This has been really good for just keeping me away from my phone.
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Because sometimes you need an actual barrier to help your addiction.
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And because I already know all my apps are blocked, I don't even check my phone anymore.
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Tip number five is to change your environment.
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Sometimes our brain associates certain activities with locations.
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So if you spend a lot of time scrolling in bed or on the couch, you'll likely keep doing that until you break the pattern.
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So if you also like to do your work in bed or on the couch, don't.
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You need to be working at a desk or a table.
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Your posture will just be more engaged and it will get you out of that doom scrolling mindset.
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When you physically shift where you spend your time, those particular habits won't follow you as easily.
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I don't know about you, but I tend to use my phone the most at night and 30 minutes of scrolling can easily turn into three hours.
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So again, instead of trying to force yourself into not using your phone at all, just create a nighttime no phone zone at least 30 minutes before bed.
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This means doing a low stimulus activity away from screens.
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This will help your brain and nervous system calm down and you will sleep 10 times better.
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I recently got the Hatch Alarm Clock and I absolutely love it because it bakes this low stimulus activity into the alarm.
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There's a little wind down session where it plays some calming music.
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I have mine set to sound baths and it is the most relaxing thing ever.
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I will just lay in bed and meditate and I will just naturally fall asleep.
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But if you don't want to meditate, you can do some stretching, journaling, light reading.
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And by reducing your blue light exposure, you will sleep so much faster and deeper, which of course will improve your overall health.
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Like I said, your bed is a very dangerous place for your phone.
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I'm not going to lie.
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Scrolling while being horizontal is one of the best feelings in the world.
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But if you're trying to quit doom scrolling and actually end your phone addiction, you cannot leave your phone next to your bed.
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Or even worse, sleep with your phone.
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Especially if you normally check your phone as soon as you wake up, don't charge it next to you.
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Charge your phone away from your bed.
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Ideally, someplace that's far enough where you have to physically get up to turn off your alarm.
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Again, when you add these physical barriers to something, it makes it less desirable.
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And keeping your phone away from the one place you love to go on it will help you stop scrolling.
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In fact, I like to take it a step further and literally distance myself from my phone throughout the day.
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If your phone is next to you while you're working, of course you're going to want to check it.
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So don't make it so easy for yourself.
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Sometimes just not seeing it makes you stay off of it.
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Listen, you're not weak, you're human.
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And out of sight, out of mind actually works.
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Doing this plus having a screen management app really helped my phone addiction and my attention span.
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I feel like I can focus a lot longer on work because I'm not as easily distracted.
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Now, so far, all of these tips have been specifically about your phone, but what about your actual social media?
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I'm talking about your algorithm.
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What you consume directly affects your mind.
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And nobody talks about this, but we are literally being brainwashed every day by social media.
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Again, as someone who literally does this for a living, I can tell you what social media does is it relies on repetition to encourage a certain behavior.
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Entertainment, likes, and notifications all trigger dopamine reactions.
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It's that happy, excited feeling.
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When you see 100 people liked your post, you feel really good.
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And over time, you start to crave this feeling more so you spend more time on social media.
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But if you're constantly consuming negative brain rot content, this is going to affect the way you think and your own self-image.
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That is why everybody is so overwhelmed, exhausted, and insecure.
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It's because we are not intentionally curating our content.
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We're blindly consuming.
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So be mindful of what you consume.
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Go through who you're following and ask yourself why you follow them.
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If you're only following someone because they're attractive or you like to live vicariously through their lifestyle, just unfollow them.
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I've unfollowed and muted so many people because they just do not provide value to my life.
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And I know that sounds harsh, but it's the truth.
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Also, I don't care how other people perceive that.
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It's my social media and I have the power to do what I want with it.
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And you should have the same mindset.
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If you often compare yourself to other people or you get easily insecure or stressed out, do something about it.
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Unfollow people, block them, do whatever you gotta do.
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And if you don't wanna unfollow somebody, but you also don't wanna see their posts, all the time, you can just mute them on Instagram and it won't notify them.
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That way you're still following them, keeping that connection, but you're not seeing their content.
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Think of social media like nutrition.
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You need to be feeding yourself with good, valuable things in order to have a healthy body and a healthy mind.
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Like all addictions, if you don't find a replacement, it's very easy to fall back into them.
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That's why cutting your phone use cold turkey is so hard and not effective, because you're not addressing the root of the problem.
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Most doom scrolling comes from boredom or overstimulation.
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You're either bored and you want to fill your empty time
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or you're overstimulated with your real life so you run to social media to escape.
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But instead of using social media as a coping mechanism for dopamine, you need to add activities in your life that give you that natural dopamine.
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Things like walking, getting some sunlight, doing your hobbies, cooking, cleaning, talking with a friend.
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These are all natural ways your brain gets fulfillment.
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And the less you rely on social media for this feeling, the more you'll want to engage in real activities.
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I think a lot of us have forgotten the things that make us happy.
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We know what's trendy, but we don't know what we like.
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So if that's you and you want to rediscover yourself and your passions, then watch this video right here where I break down how to find your real identity and your purpose.
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Listen, the more you live a real life, the less you need a digital life.
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As someone who literally has a career in social media, I get it.
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It's fucking hard.
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But I promise, even if you try to incorporate one of these habits into your routine, you will feel a lot more free and focused in your real life.
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And if you're able to reduce your screen time by a little bit, that's a win right there.
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If you found this valuable, then send it to someone who needs to hear it.
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And as always, if you want more tips and big sis advice from me, then subscribe to my channel because I post there weekly.
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Thanks so much for watching and I'll see you in the next one.
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Bye.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “How to actually stop DOOMSCROLLING”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: scrolling, app, addiction, brain. This video has 154 sentences and 2356 words to shadow. The speech runs for 10:49. The speaker talks fast, about 218 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 84% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| scroll noun | /skɹoʊl/ | A roll of paper or parchment; a writing formed into a roll. |
| addiction noun | /əˈdɪkˌʃən/ | A state that is characterized by compulsive drug use or compulsive engagement in rewarding behavior, despite negative consequences. |
| doom noun | /duːm/ | Destiny, especially terrible. |
| consume verb | /kənˈsum/ | To use up. |
| dopamine noun | /ˈdoʊ.pəˌmin/ | A monoamine C₈H₁₁NO₂ that is a decarboxylated form of dopa, present in the body as a neurotransmitter and a precursor of other substances including adrenalin. |
| unfollow verb | To cease to subscribe to (a feed of another user's activity). | |
| overwhelm verb | /ˌoʊ.vɚˈwɛlm/ | To engulf, surge over and submerge. |
| mute adjective | /mjut/ | Not having the power of speech; dumb. |
| mindset noun | /ˈmaɪn(d)ˌsɛt/ | A way of thinking; an attitude or opinion, especially a habitual one. |
| barrier noun | /ˈbæɹi.ə/ | A structure that bars passage. |
| curate noun | /ˈkjʊɹɪt/ | An assistant rector or vicar. |
| meditate verb | /ˈmɛ.dɪˌteɪt/ | To contemplate; to keep the mind fixed upon something; to study. |
| mindful adjective | /ˈmaɪnd.fl̩/ | aware (of something); attentive, heedful. |
| overstimulated adjective | Excessively stimulated | |
| insecure adjective | /ɪnsəˈkjʊɹ/ | Not secure. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| pick up verb | To lift; to grasp and raise. |
| turn off verb | To power down, to switch off, to put out of operation, to deactivate (an appliance, light, mechanism, functionality etc.). |
| break down verb | To stop functioning. |
| calm down verb | To become less excited, intense, or angry. |
| fall back into verb | To return to old habits; to return to an unhealthy or unhappy situation. |
| get up to verb | To do something, especially something that is forbidden or improper. |
| go through verb | To travel from one end of something to the other. |
| live through verb | To survive a difficult period or event |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- I'm not going to lie.
- Listen, you're not weak, you're human.
- I'm talking about your algorithm.
- It's because we are not intentionally curating our content.
- Also, I don't care how other people perceive that.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was actually addicted · can be muted · be tempted |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | someone who literally · people who use · someone who needs |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has been · have been · I've unfollowed |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 67 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, don't, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: addiction /əˈdɪkˌʃən/, intentionally /ɪnˈtɛn(t)ʃənəli/, notification /ˌnoʊtɪfɪˈkeɪʃn̩/, brainwash /ˈbɹeɪnwɒʃ/, repetition /ˌɹɛp.əˈtɪʃ.ən/
- Long words — get the stress right: intentionally /ɪnˈtɛn(t)ʃənəli/, notification /ˌnoʊtɪfɪˈkeɪʃn̩/, repetition /ˌɹɛp.əˈtɪʃ.ən/, vicariously /vaɪ̯ˈkɜɹ.i.əs.li/, intentional /ɪnˈtɛnʃənəl/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like scroll, addiction, doom.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.