List

Things to do instead of scrolling

The trick isn't stopping. It's having something small and satisfying ready for the moment the pull comes.

A good replacement for scrolling is quick to start, has a clear end, and leaves you feeling a little better rather than a little worse. Pick two or three from below and keep them in mind for the next time your thumb heads for a feed.

For one minute

• Drink a full glass of water.
• Stand up and stretch: reach up, then fold forward and let your arms hang.
• Take three slow breaths, breathing out a little longer than you breathe in.
• Look out of a window and find the farthest thing you can see.
• Find two things in the room that are blue.

For a few calm minutes

• Tidy one small surface: a desk corner, a shelf, the top of a dresser.
• Read a single page of a book.
• Doodle, color, or fold something.
• Water a plant, and actually look at it.
• Put one little room back together (that's what Unscroll is for).

To get off your phone entirely

• Step outside for five minutes, even just to the door.
• Text one person "hi". Just that.
• Start the thing you were putting off, for only two minutes. Then decide.
• If it's late: put the phone on charge in another room and go to bed.

Make it easy to choose

The feed wins because it's one tap away. Put your replacement where the feed used to be: the book on your nightstand, the water by your desk, a calm app on your home screen where the social apps were. More on making the feed harder to reach.

Unscroll is something to reach for instead. When you catch yourself opening a feed, put one little room back together, with a small animal friend for company. A few calm minutes, then you can go. Coming soon to the App Store. See how it works

These are everyday habit tips, not medical advice. If you're having a hard time, please reach out to someone you trust. If you're in crisis, call or text 988 any time (US), or your local emergency number.