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Doomscrolling is a Curse. Here's How to Replace it with Witchcraft. — Transcript

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0:00"Tonight I will finally cleanse the
0:01house." I said, but what I actually
0:03ended up doing for hours on end was, you
0:06guessed it, doom scrolling. Sound
0:08familiar? In today's day and age, where
0:10social media apps are literally designed
0:12to make us addicted, and where our
0:14attention spans have shrunk to that of a
0:17goldfish, more and more people are
0:19replacing their hobbies with doom
0:21scrolling, even if they regret it
0:23afterwards. It's empty entertainment. It
0:25is bombarding us with dopamine, and more
0:28often than not, we would be way better
0:30off engaging in an actual hobby. Doom
0:32scrolling infringes on all of our
0:35hobbies and lifestyles, and witchcraft
0:37is no exception. Instead of actually
0:40practicing, we end up scrolling on
0:44or on Witchstagram for hours on end,
0:47which gives us the false feeling of
0:49engaging with our craft, even though
0:51we're actually just consuming content.
0:53If you want to get rid of this addiction
0:55and replace some of your doom scrolling
0:56with actual witchcraft practice, then
0:58this video is for you. Additionally to
1:00my last video on reviving your
1:01witchcraft practice if you are in a
1:03slump, in this video we are going to
1:06talk about how you can replace your doom
1:08scrolling with witchcraft. I will look
1:09at this from a couple of different
1:11angles, because I believe that there are
1:13different reasons for why we end up doom
1:15scrolling, and that depends on the
1:17person and also the situation. So,
1:20there's not really a one-size-fits-all
1:21solution to this problem.
1:23But, before we hop into this, hi, my
1:26name is Benter, and welcome or welcome
1:27back to Between Fog and Fen, where every
1:29Wednesday we talk about all things
1:30witchcraft, folk magic, folklore, and
1:32Norse paganism.
1:36>> [music]
1:40>> All right, so to start things off, as I
1:42already said, I do not believe that
1:43there is a one-size-fits-all solution to
1:46doom scrolling, because different people
1:47doom scroll for different reasons, and
1:50also in different situations. We really
1:52have to look at why we are doom
1:54scrolling in the first place to be able
1:57to solve the doom scrolling problem. So,
1:59I first of all try to identify a couple
2:02of different reasons why people end up
2:03doom scrolling. This is most probably
2:05not a complete list because I am most
2:08probably blissfully unaware of some of
2:10the reasons why some people might be
2:12doom scrolling, but this list stems
2:14first and foremost, of course, from my
2:16own experience also as a neurodivergent
2:19person with ADHD. So, if you have ADHD,
2:22then you will probably find yourself in
2:24this list, but it not only stems from my
2:26own experience, but also the experience
2:28of other people I talked to and also of
2:31other content creators whose content I
2:34watched. So, in the end, the list of
2:36reasons for doom scrolling that I came
2:38up with is first fear of missing out or
2:41wanting to stay up to date with what's
2:43happening in the world or what's
2:45happening in an online community,
2:46something like that. Next up, we have
2:48emotional avoidance. [music] So, that
2:50can be trying to avoid any kind of
2:52uncomfortable feeling. For a lot of
2:54people, this will be boredom, of course,
2:56but it could also be the feeling of
2:58being overwhelmed with a situation,
3:00anxiety, sadness, anger. There are so
3:03many uncomfortable feelings and a lot of
3:05people are feeling a lot of
3:06uncomfortable feelings at the moment,
3:08understandably. So, a lot of people are
3:10trying to avoid these feelings. What
3:12adults do nowadays if we feel
3:14uncomfortable, if we feel sad or bored
3:17or just dysregulated, [music] then we
3:19reach for our phones and we start doom
3:20scrolling and that kind of calms us down
3:23and it gives us nice feelings instead of
3:25the uncomfortable feelings that we might
3:27be feeling at the moment. Next up, we
3:29have decision fatigue. That was a big
3:32reason for me. You get home from work,
3:34you eat [music] dinner, and then after
3:35dinner, you're sitting on the couch
3:37thinking, "Okay, now I want to do
3:39something, but what will I do? I don't
3:41know what to do. I feel overwhelmed by
3:44making a decision on what to do right
3:46now." So, a lot of times, I wanted to do
3:48something witchcraft related, but I
3:50couldn't really come up with something
3:52to do. I couldn't decide. I knew that
3:54there were a million things that I could
3:56have done, but I had to make a decision.
3:57And for some reason, I was so
3:59overwhelmed by that decision. So, I just
4:01ended up taking up my phone, avoiding
4:03the decision, and doomscrolling. And
4:06then, 2 hours were gone, and I had done
4:08nothing. I had just doomscrolled, and
4:10then I went to bed. So, decision fatigue
4:13for me was a big one. Next up, we have
4:15uh struggling with task switching. I
4:17have, for example, a problem with task
4:19switching. Eating dinner, one task, and
4:21I need to switch to another task. For
4:23me, it takes a lot of energy to switch
4:25from task A to task B. And it doesn't
4:28necessarily have to be something I don't
4:31like to do, you know? Of course,
4:32everyone wants to delay cleaning the
4:35apartment or washing the dishes or
4:37something uncomfortable that they need
4:39to do. But, I also had this problem of
4:42switching from task A to task B if task
4:44B was something I was actually looking
4:46forward to. So, in general, switching
4:48from one state or one task to another,
4:52that's also something that a lot of
4:53people struggle with. And then, they
4:55reach for their phone to kind of buffer,
4:57you know? It's I always imagine it like
4:59Netflix buffering when there is a loss
5:02of internet connection. You want to kind
5:04of avoid and delay what you are going to
5:06do, so you end up reaching for your
5:08phone. And because we know how addictive
5:10social media is, you don't do it for
5:12like 5 minutes, but you end up doing it
5:14for 2 hours. Next up, for a lot of
5:15neurodivergent people, especially people
5:17with ADHD, in general, a need for
5:20stimulation. Anyone who has a corporate
5:22job, who works from home a lot of times,
5:26knows the moment when you sit during a
5:28meeting that could have been an email,
5:29and you are bored as [ __ ] You can't
5:31really focus on it because it's boring,
5:34and you need some stimulation, so you
5:35want to reach for something. And what we
5:38always have on hand is our phone. So,
5:40then we sit on the meeting with our
5:42camera turned off, and we doomscroll
5:44because, honestly, we don't really have
5:45to focus on the meeting. It could have
5:47been an email, nobody [ __ ] cares if
5:49we pay attention. We could have also
5:50reached for something else, but the
5:52phone is usually what we have on hand
5:54and what gives us stimulation and
5:55especially dopamine while we're
5:57scrolling. So, that's also a big thing,
6:00especially for neurodivergent people. We
6:02need stimulation, so we end up
6:04doomscrolling because it gives us a lot
6:06of dopamine. That's what [music] it's
6:07designed to do because that's what makes
6:10us addicted. And then, the last reason
6:11that I see people talk about a lot isn't
6:14necessarily my problem anymore at least,
6:17but general exhaustion. Sadly, there are
6:19quite a lot of people at the moment who
6:21work two or three jobs or simply someone
6:24who has children and is taking care of
6:27them. Maybe they are the sole caretaker
6:30of that person. Maybe they're taking
6:32care of parents or grandparents, or
6:34there's just any other reason why they
6:36are insanely busy and just don't have a
6:39lot of energy at the end of the day. So,
6:41a lot of people in that situation think
6:42to themselves, you know, "I don't really
6:44have the energy to do anything." What is
6:46again always available and doesn't
6:48require any over energy is
6:50doomscrolling. So, a lot of people when
6:53they are extremely exhausted and they
6:55sit at home by the end of the day, they
6:58feel like they don't have any energy to
6:59do anything else but doomscrolling.
7:01Those are the reasons that I personally
7:03identified. Again, this might not be a
7:05complete list, but now that we have
7:07identified the reasons why we are
7:09doomscrolling, we can look at how we can
7:12replace that with witchcraft [music]
7:14instead. First of all, though, I want to
7:16recommend something that is entirely
7:18non-witchy and also not sponsored. I
7:21wish. I wish they would sponsor me. If
7:23you want to sponsor me, hook me up. Just
7:24a genuine recommendation because it
7:26saves my [ __ ] life from
7:29doomscrolling, and that's Brick. I feel
7:31like everyone and their mom is currently
7:32talking about Brick, but it's this tiny
7:34little device that you tap your phone to
7:37to [music] brick your phone to basically
7:40block a couple of the apps that you
7:41don't want to have access to and then
7:43you can only unbrick your device if you
7:46again tap it to the little brick. You
7:49literally have to go there to do it. I
7:52first of all thought this won't do
7:54anything for me because I'm not that
7:56lazy, but turns out I am that lazy. In
7:58the beginning I used to keep the brick
8:00downstairs, brick my phone and then go
8:02upstairs to go to sleep. So then I had
8:04like half an hour or an hour before bed
8:06that I had my phone bricked and then in
8:07the morning I could not first thing in
8:10the morning reach for my phone and
8:12doomscroll on social media, which I used
8:14to do because my phone is now bricked
8:16and I can only unbrick it by going
8:18downstairs to the kitchen. This really
8:20helped me in the evening before bed and
8:22for the mornings and also during
8:25meetings and things like that. I can
8:26just brick my phone then I go into a
8:28meeting and I am way more focused
8:30because I cannot doomscroll. So again,
8:33this is not witchy at all, but it's just
8:34a genuine recommendation. It for me
8:36personally, it really, really works. But
8:38now let's look at how to replace
8:41doomscrolling with witchcraft.
8:44First of all, we're looking at decision
8:46fatigue. So as already explained, this
8:49can look like you after dinner sitting
8:52on the couch, not really being able to
8:56decide what to do with yourself [music]
8:58next. You know you want to do something.
9:01You want to do something witchy maybe
9:03even, but you cannot decide for the life
9:05of you. So what you end up doing is
9:07doomscrolling to kind of delay the
9:10decision or to avoid the uncomfortable
9:12feeling of not being able to make the
9:14decision. What I personally see as the
9:16solution to this problem is to
9:18completely eradicate the need for making
9:22a decision. If you don't have to make a
9:24decision, there is no need for
9:25doomscrolling in the situation because
9:27you already know what to do. And this
9:29can be achieved in multiple different
9:30ways. First of all, I already made a
9:32video on my personal witchy task jar.
9:35This is still such a dumb name, but I
9:37don't know which name to give it that
9:39sounds better. But this is my personal
9:41witchy task jar that I made to solve
9:43this specific problem. So, it is
9:45literally just let's just say a bottle
9:48like this, a little glass bottle, and it
9:50contains a couple of slips of paper that
9:54contain a tiny little witchy task that I
9:57can do in a pinch. Divination,
9:59meditation, researching a plant,
10:01researching a deity,
10:03>> [music]
10:03>> communicating with a spirit, anything
10:05that I can really do anytime without any
10:07preparation or any specific material.
10:09And I made this task jar so that
10:11whenever I want to do something, but I
10:14feel this decision fatigue, I can just
10:16reach for the jar, take out a little
10:18piece of paper, read what's in it, and
10:21then do that thing without even thinking
10:23about it. So, that way I don't have to
10:25make a decision. But of course, there
10:27are other solutions as well. One thing
10:29that I could see work pretty well is to
10:31make a witchy curriculum for yourself.
10:33It's kind of like a little class that
10:36you make for yourself. So, you pick a
10:38topic that you want to learn about or
10:40that you maybe want to get better at,
10:42and then you give yourself things to do
10:46and things to learn, and you make
10:48yourself your own little curriculum. And
10:50I think in this situation it would work
10:52because you can simply look at the
10:54curriculum and you know what to do. You
10:56already prepared this curriculum
10:57beforehand, so in the moment where you
10:59want to do something, but usually
11:01decision fatigue would arise, you can
11:03just look at the curriculum and you know
11:04exactly what to do. But what you could
11:06also do if you don't feel like preparing
11:08a full-on curriculum would be of course
11:10to join some kind of online class, not
11:14necessarily live classes, but
11:16pre-recorded classes. So, that way
11:18whenever you want to do something, you
11:19can just watch the next class and do
11:21something that revolves around that
11:23course, or you simply dedicate specific
11:26days, and this will work specifically
11:27well for you if you like routines. You
11:29could dedicate specific [music]
11:31weekdays, for example, for specific
11:33things. Every Monday in the evening, I
11:36do some divination. Every Tuesday in the
11:39evenings, I learn about painful
11:42workings. Every Wednesday, I cast a
11:46little spell for my business. And every
11:49Thursday, I do a little money working or
11:53I learn something about a plant that can
11:56be used for money workings, you know?
11:57You can dedicate specific days so that
11:59when day comes and you have time in the
12:02evening, you don't even have to think
12:04about it because you know exactly what
12:06to do on the specific day.
12:10Okay, and now let's look at reason
12:11number two for why you might be doom
12:13scrolling. And that is issues with task
12:16switching. It's kind of similar to
12:18decision fatigue, but it arises in
12:20general when you're switching from task
12:22A to task B or from state A to state B.
12:25It could also be something like going
12:27from being clothed and dry to hopping to
12:29the shower or being wet, you know?
12:31People struggle with something like that
12:32as well. Anything where you switch from
12:35A to B and you struggle with that. To
12:36solve this problem, of course, we need
12:39something else than the decision fatigue
12:41problem because deciding on what to do
12:43isn't the problem here. The problem is
12:44that we're uncomfortable switching a
12:46task. And you want to soothe yourself
12:48and give yourself a little bit of time
12:50before you switch from A to B. You just
12:52need something small that you can do to
12:55buffer, basically. Something very small
12:58that gives you a little bit of time
13:00between switching tasks. This could be
13:02something very, very small, something
13:04very simple like a tiny little
13:06meditation. Even just closing your eyes
13:10and focusing on your breathing for 1 or
13:122 minutes. That is already better than
13:14doom scrolling and that will give you
13:16some practice with meditation. But it
13:18could also be something like breathwork.
13:21And also bonus points, meditation and
13:22breathwork can actually give you energy
13:24to switch to task B, so that's great. It
13:28could also be a little divination
13:30session if [music] you feel comfortable
13:33doing something like a one-card tarot
13:35pull or something like that. Just like,
13:37for example, praying, like a tiny little
13:40prayer that you can focus on for a
13:42couple of minutes, or something like
13:45reading one story in a folklore
13:48collection, for example, or learning one
13:51fact about a local plant or a local
13:53animal. You know, anything very small
13:56that you can do in a pinch when you're
13:58struggling switching from task A to task
14:00B. And even better if you either have
14:04the thing you need on hand because
14:06that's why we reach for our phone
14:08usually, or if it's something you don't
14:10even need any tools for because if you
14:12have to go get something, then that can
14:15be a little bit of a struggle. But to
14:16avoid that, we can also identify places
14:19where we usually struggle with task
14:21switching. So, for me, that's always the
14:24couch, you know, switching from having
14:25dinner and watching TV and then
14:27switching to doing something else.
14:29That's usually where I struggle. So, I
14:30could, for example, put a book of
14:32folklore there or a book about plants,
14:34whatever you want to use, like whatever
14:37tool you want to use in that situation,
14:39you could put it wherever you usually
14:42struggling with task switching. So, that
14:44could really help.
14:46All right, and that brings us to reason
14:48number three for doomscrolling. And that
14:51is emotional avoidance. So, as I already
14:54said, this could be avoiding boredom. A
14:56lot of times, this is boredom, but also
14:58anything else that is uncomfortable like
15:01sadness or grief or anger, any kind of
15:05emotion that is uncomfortable that you
15:08currently don't want to feel at the
15:09moment where the world kind of feels
15:12like it's very [ __ ] up. A lot of
15:14people are dealing with a lot of sadness
15:16and grief and anger and all of these
15:18uncomfortable emotions all the time. And
15:21um, lot of times, what we do is we reach
15:24for our phones and we doomscroll social
15:26media because it kind of soothes us, it
15:29calms us down. Sometimes it makes us
15:31laugh or we see a cute animal, you know?
15:33So, we're kind of avoiding feeling any
15:36emotion that we don't want to feel by
15:39bombarding ourselves with all of these
15:41different emotions that social media can
15:43bring up. And to find a solution to this
15:45problem or to find something witchy to
15:48do instead of doomscrolling in that
15:49situation, you kind of first of all have
15:52to identify what you're actually wanting
15:55to distract yourself from because that
15:57also influences what can help you in
16:00that situation instead of doomscrolling.
16:02Because if you want to avoid boredom,
16:04okay, that's easy. You can do whatever
16:06is exciting to you. But if you're trying
16:08to avoid, for example, anger or grief,
16:10this might require something else. While
16:12if you're trying to avoid boredom, you
16:15could, of course, meditate. Um, maybe
16:17meditation might not be the best thing
16:20to do for you if you are currently being
16:22very, very sad. So, here it really
16:24depends on what you're trying to avoid.
16:26The thing with emotional avoidance is
16:27that we have to catch it. [music]
16:29So, we have to kind of be aware of what
16:31we're doing when we're doing it. One
16:33thing that I feel helps with that is app
16:36blockers, which are already available
16:39just natively within iOS, for example.
16:42So, you don't have to get like an
16:43additional app for that or anything.
16:45But, um, what these app blockers do
16:47isn't necessarily that they're actually
16:49holding you from using the app because
16:51you can just click them away and then
16:53you can continue using the app. But they
16:54do kind of disrupt this [music]
16:56automatic pattern. They give you this
16:58extra second to kind of think about,
17:00"Why do I actually want to doomscroll
17:02right now? Why do I feel like I need to
17:04access Instagram right now or TikTok or
17:06Facebook or whatever apps you're using?
17:08Why do I feel like I need to do this
17:10right now? Am I trying to avoid boredom?
17:12Am I trying to avoid sadness or is it
17:14something completely different?" And
17:15once you are aware of what it actually
17:17is that you're seeking, you can then do
17:20something else that gives you what you
17:22need instead of doom scrolling. So, if
17:24for example, you are trying to avoid
17:25boredom, then I kind of feel like that
17:27is pretty easy because if you're bored,
17:30just do anything else. Just do anything
17:33else, even if it's just a very, very low
17:35energy thing to do, which I will talk
17:37about later as well. Or if it's
17:40something that you're currently very
17:41passionate about, you know, if it's just
17:42boredom, then you can do whatever.
17:45Whatever it is that distracts you from
17:47your boredom that isn't doom scrolling.
17:49But if it is something else, something
17:51like sadness or grief or anger or
17:53whatever kind of uncomfortable feeling,
17:55at least whenever that's the case for
17:57me, what I need is I need distraction. I
18:00need something that takes my focus off
18:02of that feeling because that is what I
18:04want from doom scrolling. So, if I want
18:06to replace that, I need something that
18:08gives me exactly that. One thing that I
18:10would, for example, do is I would try to
18:12engage my brain in something. I would
18:13try to learn something. I would either
18:16try to learn about a new plant or
18:19folklore, an entirely new occult
18:21tradition that I have not a clue about.
18:24I would try to learn about anything,
18:27basically. Anything because that really
18:30engages my brain, and when I'm trying to
18:32learn something and when I get into it,
18:34I'm not focusing on anything else. I'm
18:36focusing on what I'm learning. So, I
18:38feel like that would be a good way to
18:40avoid any kind of uncomfortable feeling.
18:42Even though maybe you shouldn't even
18:43avoid it. Maybe it would be healthy to
18:45actually feel it, but that's not what
18:47this video is about. For some people,
18:49reading a witchy book might also work.
18:51For other people, this will maybe not be
18:54engaging enough for your brain, so try
18:56it and see if that works or not. What
18:58always helps for me personally is going
19:01outside and engaging with the local
19:03spirit. That always improves my mood a
19:06lot. But again, do whatever helps you
19:09personally because going out for a walk
19:12might [music] not be distracting enough
19:14for you. So, again, try it. It might
19:16help and it might not. Something else
19:19that might be distracting enough for you
19:21if something like reading or going
19:23outside and engaging with local spirits
19:25isn't good enough might be something
19:27like gardening. And yes, that is a
19:31witchy task, especially if you if you
19:33have a witchy herb garden or something,
19:35you know, engaging with these plants,
19:36trying to take care of them, trying to
19:38research what you want to plant next,
19:41anything like that. If you do have a
19:42garden, that might be nice. Or you could
19:44also do some kitchen magic. You could
19:47cook something or bake something. And
19:49bonus points if you make something that
19:52gives you what you are seeking. So, not
19:54only are you distracting yourself from
19:55what you're feeling, but if you're for
19:57example trying to avoid a feeling of
19:59sadness for example, you could make
20:01something, you could for example bake
20:02cookies or something, and you could bake
20:04with some herbs for example or some
20:07other ingredients that you associate
20:09with joy and with happiness. Or if you
20:12are trying to avoid a feeling of anger,
20:14then you could for example use any kind
20:16of ingredients that are calming to you.
20:19So, that way not only are you
20:20distracting your brain in the moment
20:22from the emotion that you're trying to
20:24avoid, but also you are making something
20:27that actually counteracts those
20:29feelings. Kitchen witchcraft might be
20:31very very good for this purpose. But
20:33honestly, it could be anything. You
20:35could cleanse the house if that is
20:37distracting for you. You could clean or
20:40redecorate your altar. You could make an
20:42incense blend or try to formulate an
20:45oil. You could come up with an
20:48incantation for something, you know, you
20:50could basically do anything that
20:53distracts you enough. And what is
20:55distracting enough, that will differ
20:57from person to person.
21:00So, let's look at reason number four.
21:03And that is specifically for my ADHD
21:05girlies, and that is needing stimulation
21:09or needing a dopamine kick. For me,
21:11that's for example, especially the case
21:13at work. A lot of times when I'm waiting
21:15for my code to compile, I'm a software
21:18developer, when I'm waiting for my code
21:20to compile or I'm waiting for someone to
21:23review my code or I'm sitting in a
21:24meeting that could have been an email. I
21:26do have to be kind of engaged and
21:28focused, but I don't have enough
21:30stimulation to be focused. So, in those
21:32moments I need something. So, for
21:35example, what I used to do a lot, which
21:37luckily I don't do anymore, was for
21:39example, when I was sitting in meetings
21:41and I knew it was kind of a podcast
21:44meeting, you know, I didn't have to
21:45engaged in it. I just had to consume it
21:48and it was enough to listen to it. Then
21:50I would doom scroll.
21:51I wouldn't necessarily watch TikToks or
21:53anything like that, but I would still
21:54doom scroll, read something, look at
21:56other people's stories, things like
21:57that. To just have something to do,
21:59something that stimulates me enough so
22:01that I can kind of focus more on the
22:03meeting because ADHD people need a
22:06specific amount of stimulation to be
22:08able to focus. So, that's why we do
22:10things like that. And a lot of times we
22:12just doom scroll for stimulation and for
22:15no other reason than stimulation and a
22:17dopamine kick. Again, that is something
22:19you have to kind of be aware of in the
22:21moment. You have to realize why you are
22:24in the need for doom scrolling right now
22:26so that you can interject it. For
22:27stimulation, that is kind of tricky
22:30because if you're looking for
22:31stimulation from doom scrolling, you
22:33need to replace it with something that
22:34gives you dopamine, something that gives
22:36you stimulation. So, it really depends
22:39on what gives you dopamine and
22:40stimulation. One thing that works really
22:43well for me is any kind of magical fiber
22:45arts. For example, um I do cross stitch
22:48embroidery and cross stitch embroidery
22:50for me, because it is so repetitive,
22:53but it still gives my fingers something
22:55to do and something and it gives me
22:57something to focus on. It is such an
22:59amazing stimulating, like perfectly
23:02amount of stimulation which you think to
23:04do. I could just chant an incantation
23:06while I'm doing it. I could focus on
23:09weaving the energy into my embroidery. I
23:11could do something like knot work when
23:14I'm embroidering. So, there is a lot of
23:16ways to turn your fiber arts into magic.
23:19So, for me, any kind of magical fiber
23:22art is perfect. I do cross stitch
23:24embroidery, but you could also be
23:25crocheting or knitting or spinning or
23:30really whatever you want to do. And then
23:31just turn that into a magical act.
23:34Something else that kind of resembles a
23:36stimming toy could also be prayer beads.
23:39So, you could actually work through some
23:41kind of prayer beads and say a prayer
23:44while you're doing that. There are so
23:46many different ways to work with prayer
23:47beads. That could be something that
23:49works for you because again you have
23:50something to do with your hands. And
23:52apart from these two things, I think
23:54anything that can be done very quickly
23:56and that gives you kind of a feeling of
23:59having finished something. Because
24:01finishing projects gives you dopamine.
24:03Like it gives you this this kick that
24:05you're seeking. So, not only are you
24:07doing something new and that's the same
24:09thing with doom scrolling. You're always
24:11seeing something new. Whenever you
24:12scroll, you're seeing something new and
24:14you're finishing something and all of
24:15that gives you a dopamine kick. So, if
24:17you want to replace that with something
24:18magical, you can use a simple, very fast
24:22witchy task that you can finish in a
24:24short period of time so that you're
24:27doing something new and you're getting
24:28dopamine from that, but also you're
24:29finishing something and that also gives
24:32you dopamine. So, I'm thinking about
24:33something like applying a magical oil,
24:37burning some incense with an incantation
24:39for example, creating a sigil or bind
24:42rune, or if you already have one that
24:44works for you, using that, burning it.
24:47You know, anything short and sweet like
24:49that. And something else that could also
24:50give you this novelty dopamine kick is
24:53rearranging or redecorating any kind of
24:56altars. Of course, this takes a little
24:57bit longer. If that gives you a kick,
25:00and for me personally, it always does,
25:03then [music]
25:03cleaning, redecorating, rearranging
25:06altar spaces, that can be very, very
25:09helpful.
25:11Now, reason number five, [music]
25:13FOMO.
25:14The fear of missing out, or more so kind
25:18of wanting to keep up to date with
25:20what's happening in the community or
25:21with the people, you know. So, when it
25:23comes to witchcraft, then often times
25:25people feel like they have to be on
25:26social media so that they are up to date
25:29on what's happening in the online
25:30witchcraft community. I feel like this
25:32is one that is actually kind of hard to
25:34replace with witchcraft practices
25:37because it's not like you're avoiding
25:39something, but you're actually seeking
25:41the online community, and it just leads
25:44to you doom scrolling because you want
25:46to know what's like trendy or whatever.
25:48But, what I kind of feel like is
25:51sometimes it's not actually wanting to
25:54keep up to date with the community, but
25:56what's hidden beneath all of that is the
25:59sense of novelty, to learn something
26:01new, or to learn about a new trend, or
26:04the new spell that everyone is casting,
26:05you know. Something like that could also
26:07be beneath the feeling of FOMO. So, you
26:11actually should kind of reflect on if
26:13it's actually wanting to know what's
26:15going on in the online community, or if
26:16it's more of a thing of "Oh, I want
26:18novelty, you know, my own practice feels
26:20a little bit stale and boring right now,
26:22so I need someone else's input to make
26:25my practice feel more interesting right
26:28now." There's nothing wrong with like
26:30going on Instagram, Discord, Facebook,
26:32or wherever your community is, and
26:34actually engaging with the community.
26:36The thing is only that often times we
26:38end up doom scrolling, and it gives us
26:40the feeling of engaging with community,
26:42but we're actually just consuming, and
26:44we're not actually engaging with anyone
26:46at all. So, there's nothing wrong with
26:48going on social media to chat with other
26:50people. The issue is if you start doom
26:52scrolling and you kind of you're
26:53replacing the actual community with doom
26:56scrolling instead. So, you know what I'm
26:57trying to get at here is that trying to
27:00seek community online in itself not a
27:03problem, but you have to be aware that
27:05scrolling on which talk or Instagram
27:07reels is not giving you community and
27:10keeping up with the trends on which talk
27:12or whatever, that's not necessary. Like
27:15you don't you don't have to do that.
27:17There is nothing you are missing out on
27:19if you're not up-to-date on the newest
27:22trend. And if you are actually seeking
27:24community, then first of all, try to
27:27seek community somewhere where you don't
27:30run the risk of doom scrolling. So,
27:32maybe avoid things like Instagram or
27:35TikTok or YouTube for community and more
27:38so go on things like Discord where you
27:42don't run the risk of doom scrolling
27:44videos that much because that's usually
27:46where the harshest traps are waiting.
27:50But, I feel like Discord for example is
27:53way better because you're literally
27:54engaging with community there, but you
27:56don't run the risk of just doom
27:58scrolling there because whatever do you
28:00want to doom scroll on Discord? If that
28:02is something that is possible where you
28:04live, of course, look for in-person
28:07community also because in-person
28:10community is usually more fulfilling
28:13than online community. For me, where I
28:15live right now, not very possible, but
28:18uh if you are living in a bigger city
28:20especially if you live in the UK or in
28:21the US or Canada, then that is
28:24>> [music]
28:24>> probably possible. If what you're
28:26actually seeking here is not actually
28:28the community part, but more the novelty
28:31part, then maybe instead of doom
28:33scrolling, try to check in with the
28:36otherworldly local community that you
28:38have. Try to check in with your spirits
28:40or with your deities and see what's
28:41going on with them. Or alternatively,
28:44check in what's going on with you by
28:47doing some divination that can also be
28:50something that gives you some novelty.
28:53All right, but now let's get to the last
28:56reason for doom scrolling, number six,
28:58and that is a general exhaustion. So,
29:01again, if you are a person who works
29:03multiple jobs or a person who maybe is a
29:06single parent or maybe you're
29:08additionally to your job, you're taking
29:10care of your parents or your
29:12grandparents or anyone else or whatever.
29:15You're maybe volunteering a lot
29:17alongside your normal day job or
29:20whatever it might be. But for some
29:22reason, you end up with a lack of energy
29:25in the evening because you have a lot to
29:27do and you're very, very busy. In which
29:29case, often times people end up doom
29:32scrolling because they feel like it's
29:34the only thing that they have energy
29:36for. Luckily, there are a lot of
29:38witchcraft practices that require very
29:41little energy. I actually already made a
29:44video on that topic and there are also a
29:46lot of different videos on this topic
29:49out on YouTube. A million of them. So,
29:52there is a lot of ideas that you can get
29:54from other creators as well alongside my
29:56video. But here are already some ideas
29:59for low energy practices that you can do
30:02instead of doom scrolling. First of all,
30:04and that's one of my favorites is making
30:06amulets, talismans, spell [music] bags,
30:10spell bottles, anything like that. You
30:12really only have to spend a lot of
30:14energy on once and then afterwards, you
30:17can use them very, very easily because
30:20you just take them
30:21and you wear [music] them and that's
30:23about it. So, those are definitely
30:26something that I really, really like to
30:28do because it's such a very, very easy
30:31way of bringing some magic into your
30:33day. Similarly to that is also using
30:36sprays and oils for example. If you make
30:40a couple of oils or you just buy a
30:42couple of oils. If you don't have the
30:44energy or the time to make oils, it's
30:46not a problem. If you are interested,
30:48then I actually have a video on that, a
30:49full guide, but if you don't have the
30:51energy or the time or the interest
30:54[music] to make them yourself, you can
30:55just buy magical oils. There are so many
30:57shops that make them. You can get them
30:59for different intentions, and whatever
31:01you need that day, especially if you
31:03need like energy or motivation or
31:05anything like that, you can apply a
31:06magical oil or use a spray or burn an
31:10incense. That requires very little
31:12energy, very little time, but it's
31:14something so small, yet so effectual.
31:17Again, I will bring kitchen witchcraft
31:19in here as well, simply because you have
31:23to cook either way. So, if you already
31:26have to cook, you have to spend energy
31:27and time on that, why not just pour a
31:30little bit of your witchcraft into that
31:32as well? That way, you're kind of
31:33merging what you have to do, because
31:36cooking is essential, you have to make
31:38food. Why not just merge that with
31:41witchcraft? Use specific ingredients for
31:44specific purposes, or make a specific
31:46dish with a specific intention, or weave
31:49your energy into it, ask the spirits for
31:52help or to bless your meal. Whatever you
31:54want to do, there are a million
31:56different ways to do kitchen witchcraft,
31:57but I kind of feel like if you don't
31:59have a lot of energy or time, then
32:02kitchen witchcraft or things like
32:04enchanting teas or coffees or any kind
32:06of beverage, for example, it's a perfect
32:08solution, because again, you have to do
32:10it either way. You have to feed yourself
32:12and your family, so you can kind of
32:13combine those two things. Something that
32:15has really become an essential for me is
32:18very, very short and easy morning or
32:21evening meditations, and maybe some
32:22divination if you have the time.
32:24Meditation or breath work or anything
32:27like that is something that not only
32:29grounds you a lot, but it can also give
32:31you a lot of energy for the day. So,
32:33while yes, you might be very tired in
32:35the evening, by doing some meditation
32:37and maybe some breath work, you can
32:39actually gain some energy by doing it.
32:42So, yes, you have to get yourself to do
32:43it, but maybe if you do it a couple of
32:46times, you will feel that afterwards
32:48you're actually more energetic. So, for
32:50some people this will work, for some
32:52people this won't because they will fall
32:54asleep or something. So, totally depends
32:56on the person, but my personal
32:57experience tells me that meditation
32:59actually gives me a lot of energy
33:01because first of all it grounds me for
33:02the entire day if I do it in the morning
33:05or just in between, maybe on a lunch
33:06break or something, and it also gives me
33:09energy. Something else that is very low
33:11energy and consumes very little time is
33:14working with sigils and bind runes. It
33:16could be drawing them on something like
33:18your windows or your doors for
33:20protection or something and then
33:21charging them. It could be drawing them
33:24on a piece of paper, charging them,
33:26burning them, you know, anything you can
33:28do with them. I feel like it is very
33:30quick and easy magic, and even if you
33:32don't have the energy or the desire to
33:36make them yourself, there are a lot of
33:39sigils and bind runes that you can find
33:41online that you can simply use. And then
33:43of course, there are also workings that
33:45actually take longer, but that you're
33:48doing only like 5 or 10 minutes at a
33:51time. So, maybe something like working a
33:54big 7 or 9-day candle, you know, that
33:57you simply light for 5 or 10 minutes
33:59every evening and say a little prayer,
34:01working a money bowl or any kind of bowl
34:04spell kind of intention, doesn't have to
34:06be a money bowl. Spells like that that
34:09work [music] because you're working them
34:11regularly. So, you don't have to spend
34:14like 1 or 2 hours every day on those
34:16kinds of spells, but just like 5 or 10
34:17minutes every day or even just [music]
34:19once a week really. A lot of people work
34:21their money bowl, for example, once a
34:23week on a specific day. So, it doesn't
34:25just have to be a one-off spell that is
34:28quick and easy. You can also do longer
34:30workings that only take a tiny little
34:33bit of time and energy out of your day.
34:36All right, and that being said, those
34:38were my ideas for how you can replace
34:40doom scrolling with witchcraft. I really
34:43hope that this helped someone because I
34:46recently replaced a lot of my doom
34:48scrolling with a lot of hobbies and
34:49witchcraft and I've never felt better.
34:51Honestly, I reduced my screen time from
34:53like 4 hours to 1 and 1/2 hours a day.
34:56It was one of the best things I ever
34:58did. So, I really hope that some of
35:00these tips are helping you. Again, if
35:03you have recognized an additional reason
35:04for why you are doom scrolling that I
35:06did not include on my list then tell me
35:08in the comments. Again, I hope you like
35:10this video. If you did, make sure to
35:11subscribe, give a thumbs up, ring the
35:13bell down below, and hype the video. I
35:15do sometimes still post on Instagram.
35:17So, if you're interested in that, check
35:19that out. Get my book Hands-On
35:21Heathenry. It is ready for pre-order at
35:24least in Europe already. And if you feel
35:27like financially supporting me and this
35:29channel, then check out my Patreon or my
35:31YouTube membership. And I will see you
35:33in another video. Bye.
35:35>> [music]
35:44[music]

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