Swap Doomscrolling for 'Bloomscrolling': How to Curate a Feed That Lifts Your Mood

Our brains are wired to notice threats, which can make it hard to stop scrolling through upsetting headlines. Here’s how one mindful habit can help you take back control of what you see.

There’s a way to use your social media algorithm to your advantage. It’s called “bloomscrolling,” and it’s a growing trend that involves intentionally filling your feed with positive, uplifting, and educational content.

“Bloomscrolling is intentionally looking at online content that makes you feel good rather than constantly consuming negative or stressful information,” says neuropsychologist Sanam Hafeez, director of Comprehend the Mind.

This doesn’t necessarily mean skipping news feeds altogether. “It is more about creating a healthier balance so that everything you see online is not making you feel anxious, angry, or overwhelmed,” Hafeez explains.

A mother of four, Catherine Johnson, latched onto the bloomscrolling trend after realizing that social media had been wearing her out. “It made me feel drained instead of like giving me the break that I wanted it to be,” she told USA Today.

Now, she fills her feed with mountain and waterfall landscapes, and features from writers and artists. Johnson swears by bloomscrolling, believing it’s “the better way to use social media because there is a lot of good out there.”

Bloomscrolling is a response to the negative effects of “doomscrolling,” where a person scrolls through alarming headlines in search of answers.

According to Sreela Roy-Greene, a licensed mental health counselor and therapist at BetterHelp, our brains are wired to pay close attention to potential threats, so alarming headlines can register as danger and keep us scrolling. “The body’s stress response stays switched on,” she says. “Over time, that can show up as anxiety, irritability, trouble focusing, and a low-level sense of dread.”

Young people may be especially affected, Roy-Greene says. According to 2024 data from the Pew Research Center, nearly half of teens say they’re online almost constantly.

Because limiting screen time or deleting apps isn’t realistic for everyone, Roy-Greene makes the case for bloomscrolling, which “shifts the focus from how much we scroll to what we’re actually taking in.”

To start curating your feeds, Roy-Greene suggests observing how you feel first. “After you scroll, pause and notice how you feel. Are you calmer, more connected and energized, or tense and drained?” she says.

Then start following accounts that inspire you, teach you something, or make you laugh, and unfollow the ones that leave you feeling worse. You can also utilize the “not interested” or mute options for upsetting posts, so you don’t get fed similar content.

Hafeez also suggests searching with intention. This means actively looking for content that makes you feel better, whether it’s cooking videos, travel destinations, or cute animals.

She also recommends limiting your scroll time, saying, “Even when you are looking at positive content, too much scrolling can leave you feeling distracted or mentally drained.”

Experts agree that bloomscrolling isn’t a cure-all. “It’s not a substitute for sleep, movement, or real world relationships,” according to Roy-Greene. But it can inspire you to go beyond the confines of being online. Roy-Greene suggests acting on what inspires you: “Send it to a friend, step outside, try the recipe.”