Will I never doom scroll again? Or have a beer? Or buy something stupid on Amazon?

The answer is (in the correct order): Maybe, no, yes. Here’s why:

Doom scrolling has nothing of worth to me in terms of a reward in terms of “Oh, I have had such a stressful day, I am going to reward myself with an hour of Insta today”, nor “I am so down, I feel bad, I’m gonna cheer myself up with a couple of Shorts on TikTok.” Doom scrolling is sometimes just happening, so it has neither a quick-fix or reward function to me anymore. So the answer is maybe. It will happen, I guess, but I will be wary about it.

Alcohol: Strictly no. I don’t think I need to explain this. You may substitute this for any substance that gets me into addiction.

Buying on Amazon: The problem is, when is it a “stupid” buy or something I will regret afterwards? I think it really is a question of the framing of the buy: If it’s a buy out of frustration to treat me for a bad mood and the aim is a little dopamine spike, I think I am going to skip the buy (or try to). If it’s a reward, then it’s a definite yes, because then it serves a purpose of rewarding AND the dopamine spike of buying. But also, I need to be wary about the after effects, because a treat can become something addictive. It remains a fruit to be consumed carefully.

So, what is it about rewards or quick fix? Of course, as I laid out above, a quick fix is to use it as a band aid for an injury of my soul, so to speak, and a reward is a treat for a success or a desirable behavior.

Labeling and framing is a very important and powerful weapon here. If you label it wrongly or too loose or lacking sharp definition, the reward won’t serve its purpose and it will become as problematic as a quick fix, because the only thing it serves is my dopamine spike to get me into the illusion of escaping an uncomfortable emotional state, only to fall back into it after I realize it was an illusion, and even deeper so. Then I might want to recreate the spike and then we enter the realm of addictive or toxic habit loops. A treat, well placed, can, on the other hand, be a motivator and positive reinforcement.

So, be careful with your rewards and quick fixes. Also, be wary of your framings and the frequency.

Until then, keep up the faith in yourself and take one step at a time.