Is the internet to blame for burnout?

Hello again!

Have you ever opened your phone to do something and found yourself scrolling through TikTok videos telling you how to do everything?

No? Just me? 😜 

From perfecting your skincare routine to frying food without a fryer (um, ok?!). There’s tips on literally EVERYTHING.

On one hand, the internet is an incredible portal to information, tools, strategies, stories, and interesting people.

On the other, it’s a giant recipe for burnout, especially for neurodivergent brains.

The Neurodivergent Brain and Digital Overload

Neurodivergent brains are more impacted by fast-moving digital information. We take it all in. We think about it. We absorb it. We’re also very curious (which is a wonderful trait) but not always conducive to getting things done.

Sometimes, the first step in preventing or mitigating burnout is to remove the sources of burnout. In many cases, it’s our phones.

Digital overwhelm can make it harder to:

• filter out unnecessary stimuli.

• organize and process multiple streams of information.

• manage attention across various tasks.

• manage our mood

Okaaayyy, but what am I supposed to do about it?

Combating digital overwhelm is an overwhelming challenge in and of itself, so I’m not promising to solve it all here (we’ll tackle that in our community space!), but here are a couple of quick actions you can take to reduce the stress-inducing content in your feed.

1. Delete or unfollow mainstream news sites and swap for an unbiased peer-reviewed source.

2. Make it harder to access social media by moving apps off your home screen, hiding them, or even deleting them.

3. Ask yourself if you really need notifications turned on. If not, switch them off.

4. Use a tool like Opal, Rize, or the screen time settings on your phone to help you control how much time you spend scrolling. I personally use all three.

How we’re helping reduce digital overwhelm at Divergently

We’re doing the heavy lifting to make finding what you need, when you need, easier.

1. Our team of experts, therapists, scientists, and friends vet and review the products, content, and suggestions we share to make sure it’s accurate and actionable.

2. We centralize information into one place, so you don’t have to comb through endless web pages to find what you need.

3. We’re organizing content by topic so that it’s comprehensive and contains context and nuance.

4. We’re bringing in experts to teach, guide and support you.

5. We’re making it fun with body-doubling and social connection.

Why? Because we were tired of being sucked into digital black holes and wanted to do something about it.

Stay tuned for more details! We’re so close to launching.

Best,

Kendra Koch

Founder of Divergently

Ps - if the news is getting you down post-election or otherwise, but you still want to read it, we recommend you take a break or switch to a source like our partner, 1440 Media.

Daily News for Curious Minds

Be the smartest person in the room by reading 1440! Dive into 1440, where 4 million Americans find their daily, fact-based news fix. We navigate through 100+ sources to deliver a comprehensive roundup from every corner of the internet – politics, global events, business, and culture, all in a quick, 5-minute newsletter. It's completely free and devoid of bias or political influence, ensuring you get the facts straight. Subscribe to 1440 today.

Sign up now!