sure. wait. what?

If you don’t know what doomscrolling is, you’re lying.
— Emma Chamberlain

I stumbled upon Emma Chamberlain’s podcast today, and the episode I listened to couldn’t have come at a better time. Like most people with smartphones, I too had become addicted to the dopamine hit I get while watching short videos. The algorithm had got me beat, luring me in like a hypnotist dangling bright shiny things right in front of my eyes.

Obviously doomscrolling is bad, it’s stupid, and it’s scientifically proven to cause brain rot. In the podcast, Emma suggested coming up with a list of things to do instead of doomscrolling and saving the list in your Notes app. She also shared the things that she herself does, and here I am avoiding doomscrolling by rating Emma Chamberlain’s recommendations.

1. Put together outfits

“Go in your closet and just start trying on clothes.”

I actually used to do this. There was a brief phase in my life when I’d spend every Sunday prepping my office outfits for the week ahead. I like this recommendation because it does not require spending money or leaving the house. 5/5

2. Watercolor painting

“There’s just something about the watercolor experience that’s enjoyable regardless if you’re good at it or not.”

I used to paint watercolor, long before I became a chronic doomscroller. Watercolor painting is quite enjoyable, but it does require patience and some skill to create something decent. 4/5

3. Read Yelp reviews

“If you are listening to this and you don’t live in America, find your equivalent to Yelp.”

The only time I care about reviews is to make sure that I am not getting scammed. Reading reviews on your phone is also a slippery slope since you’re only one swipe away from switching tabs over to TikTok or YouTube. 1/5

4. Give yourself a deep clean

“Go ahead and floss really deep. Go do a face mask. Clip your toenails.”

I guess we could all use some deep cleaning. I might even put a face mask on tonight and listen to music while waiting for 20 minutes to pass. 4/5

5. Make a beautiful snack or meal

“Make yourself a beautiful avocado toast. Take your time doing it. Have fun.”

I used to do this too. I even had a Nara Smith era before Nara Smith was a thing. I didn’t cook anything complicated, but I took the time to make the food look pretty so I could post pictures on this blog. 5/5

6. Play a board game

“Board games are like a brain workout.”

I’m not that into board games. I can’t play them alone, and I only enjoy them if I’m playing with other people who are patient enough to understand the rules for me. 3/5

7. Go to a wine shop

“Ask the wine shop employee to recommend you wine. I can guarantee you they will talk to you for hours.”

I do not like wine, and I do not enjoy talking to customer service folks. 1/5

8. Look through a picture book

“Sometimes reading a book is too much work. Sometimes looking at a picture book is just right.”

I don’t own any art or photography books, and I ain’t buying one just to get away from my phone. Somehow I find more joy in reading a good book book than looking at picture books. 2/5

9. Walk up a hill

“It’s a great workout, but also you get to see a different perspective at the top.”

I literally just did this last night. This reco obviously does not work if you live in flat areas, but I happen to live in one of the hilliest parts of the city. When L and I got up the hill, we saw a beautiful nightscape and envied the people who could see the view every day from their hilltop mansions. 5/5

10. Rearrange your stuff at home

“This could mean moving a table. This could also mean moving a candle. It doesn’t need to be that deep.”

I like keeping things where they are, but if moving doesn’t need to be major, I guess I can move my plants around, maybe find the ones that are wilting and see if they will thrive in a different shelf or corner. 4/5

11. Spice up your old clothes

“Maybe add some pins to an old baseball cap. Attach some vintage patches to an army green jacket.”

The only thing I can thing of is my brown blouse that’s been hanging on my clothes rack for a while now because it’s missing a button and I think I can fix it. Other than that, I am not really keen into starting a small project to upgrade my old clothes. 2/5

12. Buy that kitchen appliance that you’ve been really wanting

“Go get that air fryer.”

If I were to splurge on a new kitchen appliance, it’s probably going to be a bread maker. Then again, I don’t think I’m in the position to splurge on a new appliance just to get away from my phone. 2/5

13. Go to the mall

“I love the mall. I don’t need to buy anything. I just like to look at things and touch things.”

I’m the opposite. I hate malls. I can never leave the mall without buying anything. I was just at the mall a couple of weeks ago, and I ended up buying a new pair of shoes. I guess I needed to replace my old pair, which already had holes in them. Still, I don’t like malls. 1/5

14. Play pool

“There’s a bit of a learning curve, but once you get into it, it’s so fun.”

I have zero interest in going to a bar just to learn how to play pool. I might consider this once I get my own house with a basement. 1/5

15. Find a boring wall in your house and make a piece of art for it

“If you really dedicate yourself to making it good, I can almost guarantee that you’ll get sucked into the process.”

I started doing this recently. I got tired of picking and buying prints from Etsy, so I figured I could just make the art myself. Cheaper and more fun. 5/5

16. Rewatch a show or movie from your childhood

“There’s so many things that you can’t comprehend when you’re younger.”

Sometimes I watch old Filipino shows and I realize how dumb they are now that I’m an adult. I prefer going back to shows that I liked as a teenager-slash-young adult. 4/5

17. Figure out your next haircut

“Look anywhere but Instagram for haircut inspiration.”

My personal rule is to never go to the salon more than once a year, which means I only have two hairstyles: long and short. I am currently in my long hair era, so I already know that I will chop my hair off next year. 2/5

18. Write a short story

“If it’s bad, who gives a fuck?”

This is a good idea, except every time I attempt to write a story, I hear this nagging whisper in my head saying chaka, chaka, chakaaa. 2/5

19. Make a dish from scratch

“Find a recipe online for something that you usually by pre-bought, and make it yourself.”

I might actually do this with soup. I’m a soup girlie, so I’m thinking about making beef stew or chicken soup this weekend. 4/5

20. Practice eyeliner

“Get good at eyeliner. There’s no such thing as too much practice.”

I remember practicing eyeliner one afternoon many years ago, and the skin around my eyes got sore because I kept making mistakes and rubbing the ink off the skin using cloth and makeup remover. I rarely wear makeup, but I do want to get better at eyeliner. 4/5

21. Walk around your house and address stuff that you’ve been ignoring for weeks

“Piles of clothes. A full trash can. No toilet paper left. Chipped paint on the wall.”

My list consists of dying plants everywhere, crumpled receipts in the drawer, dusty shelves, and cluttered cupboards. 4/5

22. Try every flavor of something that you like

“For example, gum.”

Buying more stuff? Nope. 1/5