Transforming Negative Habits: Swap Endless News Scrolling for Joyful Efficiency
In the pursuit of breaking habits and establishing new ones, the author has been testing the effectiveness of a long-term strategy called reframing. This approach, they believe, has been instrumental in overcoming the temptation to watch YouTube and starting new habits, such as getting up early every day to write.
The concept of reframing is rooted in the psychological strategy of perceiving change as addition rather than loss. Humans naturally experience losses more intensely than equivalent gains. By focusing on the gain—something new and positive—rather than the loss, the process tends to feel more motivating and less threatening.
The author found this strategy particularly useful in moving past the discomfort of breaking a habit. They focused on the reason why they were making a change and the positive outcome of the change, which helped them overcome the initial resistance and negative emotions.
However, the journey was not without its challenges. The author faced major withdrawals and spent the first few days of the experiment justifying a YouTube scroll. The video essay by Struthless, titled "The Hidden Cost of Doomscrolling," resonated with the author, who has been struggling with burnout since July of last year and had turned to YouTube as a means of coping.
The video essay exposes doomscrolling as an addiction to negativity and its different forms and costs on individuals. This realization, coupled with the reframing strategy, helped the author to reframe the act of watching YouTube as adding peace of mind, rather than subtracting it from their life.
On the third day, the author was able to get up to write for the first time in ages, and found that it made staying off YouTube easier. Since applying the reframing strategy, the author's days have gone much better. They believe that reframing has an additive feel to it, making it easier to resist the temptation to relapse because it feels like receiving something, rather than depriving oneself.
The author encourages others to watch Struthless' video essay to see if there is something that stands out to them. They also track how often they mindlessly scroll on YouTube, how often they get up to write first thing in the morning, and how they feel on a scale from 1-5. The author has applied this reframing strategy to various aspects of their life, including writing, exercise, and emotional eating.
In summary, the psychology behind "You are not subtracting X, you are adding Y" is about shifting from a mindset of loss and deprivation to one of gain and growth. This positive framing taps into human motivation, identity, habit substitution, and goal orientation to make behavioral change easier and more sustainable.
- In the realm of personal-growth and education-and-self-development, the author has utilized the technique of reframing as a tool for habit transformation, particularly in the context of novel writing and lifestyle changes.
- The author's exploration in health-and-wellness and mental-health has led them to delve into the psychological aspect of reframing, discovering its effectiveness in overcoming addiction-like behaviors, such as doomscrolling and excessive YouTube usage.
- By integrating reframing strategies into aspects of life like exercise and emotional eating, the author has fostered growth, promoting a positive outlook that supports habit substitution and fosters a more sustainable lifestyle.
