things to do instead of doom scrolling during the summer

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Anything Goes with Emma Chamberlain"
Episode: "Things to Do Instead of Doom Scrolling During the Summer"
Release Date: July 13, 2025

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Emma Chamberlain dives deep into the pervasive issue of doom scrolling and offers a plethora of engaging, summer-specific activities to help listeners break free from the endless cycle of negative online consumption. Recorded from various comfortable and unconventional locations, Emma shares her personal struggles, practical solutions, and creative ideas to foster a more fulfilling and joyful summer experience.

1. Understanding Doom Scrolling

Emma begins the episode by addressing the widespread phenomenon of doom scrolling—the habit of endlessly scrolling through negative news and social media feeds, leading to feelings of depression, anxiety, and insecurity.

“I think it's safe to say that at this point, the experience of sitting down on your phone, scrolling on social media for hours, to the point of feeling depressed and anxious and insecure is a universal experience.” [00:00]

She humorously notes how even her grandma has fallen into this habit, highlighting its ubiquitous nature despite the alarming emotional toll it takes.

2. Emma’s Personal Battle with Doom Scrolling

Sharing her personal journey, Emma recounts the extreme measures she took to curb her doom scrolling habit:

“I bought a second phone. I downloaded all of the addictive social media apps onto that phone and then decided to keep that phone in a drawer.” [Transcript excerpt]

By relegating her second phone to a drawer, Emma created a physical barrier to reduce her screen time. Although she acknowledges occasional lapses, she emphasizes the effectiveness of this strategy in significantly reducing her doom scrolling.

3. Summer-Specific Alternatives to Doom Scrolling

Emma passionately advocates for embracing the vibrant opportunities that summer offers, presenting a variety of activities tailored to counteract the allure of the smartphone.

a. Embracing Seasonal Fruits

Emma encourages listeners to revitalize their fruit bowls with fresh, seasonal produce:

“Instead of doom scrolling on your phone, why don't you go to your local farmer's market or if you don't have a local farmer's market, go to your favorite grocery store and pick out a bunch of seasonal fruit.” [06:48]

She highlights the joy of creating aesthetically pleasing fruit plates enjoyed under the warm summer sun, enhancing both mental well-being and physical health.

b. Creating Flower Arrangements

Transforming a simple activity into a creative endeavor, Emma suggests:

“Pick out a bunch of eclectic, fun flowers that match your personality and spend the afternoon making little flower arrangements… It brings joy every time you see your little flower arrangement.” [08:29]

This hands-on project not only beautifies living spaces but also serves as a therapeutic outlet.

c. Baking Elaborate Desserts

Emma shares her love for baking as a means to disconnect:

“If you want to distract yourself from your phone for multiple hours, no box mix from scratch. Everything. Do it by hand.” [12:01]

She recounts baking an elaborate birthday cake, emphasizing the immersive and rewarding nature of the process that kept her engaged for hours without reaching for her phone.

d. Organizing Your Space

Turning housekeeping into a fun challenge, Emma advises:

“Cosplay as a professional organizer for yourself. Choose a room in your house and pretend like it's not your room.” [16:19]

By approaching organization with creativity and a playful mindset, this activity becomes both productive and enjoyable.

e. Engaging with Nature: Bird and Animal Watching

Emma expresses her affection for birds and nature, recommending:

“Bird watching… Listen to some chill music and smile softly at the soft feathers and peaceful demeanor of birds.” [17:28]

She elaborates on the tranquility and mindfulness that comes from observing wildlife, whether it’s birds in a city park or cows in a rural setting.

f. Curating Music Playlists

Enhancing one's musical experience, Emma suggests:

“Sit outside somewhere… clean up your playlists and make new ones. Perfect your music collection.” [29:39]

By meticulously organizing and creating themed playlists, listeners can deepen their appreciation for music while staying engaged offline.

g. Exploring Book and Movie Reviews

For the literature and film enthusiasts, Emma recommends:

“Read book and movie reviews… Make lists of books you want to read based on reviews.” [31:03]

This activity not only fosters a love for reading and cinema but also provides a structured way to explore new content without the pitfalls of endless scrolling.

h. Physical Activities: Yoga and Handstands

Promoting physical well-being, Emma offers:

“Find a nice place in the shade… do a little ten-minute yoga.” [39:30]

She also humorously shares her attempts at handstands as a fun and physically demanding way to divert attention from the phone:

“Do a handstand and try to be good at it. I can promise you it'll make you forget about your phone and you'll be exhausted by the end of it.” [40:31]

i. Creative Photography Walks

Combining exercise with creativity, Emma advises:

“Go for a walk… try to take genuinely good images.” [40:31]

Capturing interesting and beautiful moments encourages mindfulness and artistic expression.

j. Puzzle Solving

Emma reminisces about the joy of puzzles:

“Start a puzzle… You’re strengthening the brain and experiencing a level of tranquility that can only be found through doing a puzzle.” [43:14]

Puzzles serve as a calming and intellectually stimulating alternative to screen time.

k. Planning Themed Dinner Parties

For social creativity, Emma suggests:

“Plan a dinner party based on your dream summer vacation destination.” [46:19]

Even if the party doesn't come to fruition, the planning process itself is a productive and engaging diversion.

l. Enjoying Water Activities

Finally, Emma emphasizes the rejuvenating power of water:

“Find a way to get into water. It feels so good.” [50:51]

Whether swimming at a local pool, ocean, or even filling an inflatable kiddie pool, water activities offer a refreshing escape from digital distractions.

4. Conclusion: The Art of Pivoting

Emma wraps up the episode by reinforcing the importance of learning to pivot away from doom scrolling. She encourages listeners to embrace a variety of activities without judgment, highlighting that any positive endeavor is a step in the right direction.

“Anything is better than doom scrolling for the most part. So I encourage you to learn to pivot.” [Conclusion Transcript]

Emma underscores that fighting the urge to doom scroll is an ongoing battle, but with the right strategies and creative alternatives, it's a journey worth undertaking.

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Key Takeaways:

• Recognize the Impact: Understanding how doom scrolling negatively affects mental health is the first step towards change.

• Implement Practical Solutions: Creating physical barriers, such as keeping a second phone in a drawer, can help reduce screen time.

• Embrace Creative Alternatives: Engaging in activities like baking, organizing, and bird watching can effectively substitute the habit of doom scrolling.

• Stay Active and Mindful: Physical activities and mindful hobbies not only distract from digital addictions but also contribute to overall well-being.

• Consistency is Key: Regularly incorporating these activities into daily routines can help establish healthier habits and diminish the temptation to scroll endlessly.

Emma Chamberlain’s episode serves as a motivational guide for anyone looking to reclaim their time and mental peace during the vibrant summer months by replacing doom scrolling with enriching, enjoyable activities.

Transcript

[Emma Chamberlain]

I think it's safe to say that at this point, the experience of sitting down on your phone, scrolling on social media for hours, to the point of feeling depressed and anxious and insecure is a universal experience. We've all experienced it like my grandma has experienced it. And I don't even know if she knows how to send an email, but somehow she knows how to doom scroll. It's kind of a miracle, honestly, that she figured that out. Like, that feels advanced. But unfortunately she figured out something that I wish she didn't figure out. Because doom scrolling is one of the most miserable experiences of life today. I mean, there are more miserable experiences, but doom scrolling is actually really bad. And it shouldn't be, because it's just the act of using the Internet. Scrolling, consuming content, consuming news, consuming information. Like, it shouldn't be that bad, but it is. And unfortunately we're all experiencing it. But it's inevitable because the Internet is more addictive than ever and we are not equipped as human beings to resist the temptation. So we're all sort of fighting this bad habit together, which is sort of beautiful, but again, unfortunate because doom scrolling sucks and makes us all feel like shit. And it really made me feel like shit a few years ago, to the point where I took extreme measures. I bought a second phone. I downloaded all of the addictive social media apps onto that phone and then decided to keep that phone in a drawer. Drawer. Unless I really needed it to maybe post something on social media or every once in a while to check in on my loved ones. And, you know, but other than that, the phone's in the drawer and I will say it really helped me. Like, I can confidently say that I've kicked the doom scrolling habit for the most part. Am I perfect at it? No. Like, once a month, do I find myself doom scrolling again? Yes. And is it miserable? Yes. But I will say I've gotten really good at avoiding it. But listen, buying a second phone didn't fully solve the problem, right? Because then the issue arises of like, well, why don't I just go get the phone out of the drawer? Like, how do I prevent myself from taking that step? I mean, luckily, the fact that it's in a drawer is an added step that prevents it. But then what happens if I'm feeling really motivated to doom scroll and I want to go get it out of the drawer, what Then I learned to pivot, find a different activity to go do instead. Something that's a little bit more productive. And that's helped me a lot because don't get me wrong, I still have moments where I want to go get my phone out of the drawer. And sometimes I do. On really low discipline days, I go grab the phone. But for the most part, I've learned to pivot. And I pivot to again, as I said, to a different activity. And in today's episode, I'm going to be giving you some inspiration for some activities that you can pivot to when you want to doom scroll. Specifically during the summertime. Because where I live, it's summer right now and there's nothing more depressing than sitting on your phone all day when it's gorgeous outside, the sun is out, the UV is up, and you're inside on your phone. No. That is so depressing. Okay, during the winter. During the winter, doom scrolling to me is less depressing. It's still unfortunate, but it's less depressing because it's cold out and the alternative activities aren't that different to doom scrolling. Like what? Have a movie marathon on the tv? You know, crack a book? Like, I don't know, it's. It, it kind of feels the same. It's particularly unfortunate to doom scroll during the summertime because the summertime should be joyful. It's warm. There's so many more activities to participate in. There is no reason to be sitting inside doom scrolling on your phone. I did another episode like this a few months ago. Maybe like eight months ago now, like last September. Just giving random things to do instead of doom scrolling in your phone. This episode is specifically for summer. These are summer specific activities to get you off your fucking phone, okay? So that you can feel good and stop overloading your mind with too much information. So without further ado, these are things to do instead of doom scrolling during the summer. I briefly interrupt this episode to let.

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[Emma Chamberlain]

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[Emma Chamberlain]

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[Emma Chamberlain]

Now back to the episode. We all have that dusty empty fruit bowl in our house sitting on the counter just begging for some fresh produce. But I'm someone who gets into a routine with what I'm eating. And I eat the same things every day. And a lot of times they're easy to prepare because I don't like things that are too complicated and a lot of stuff I end up keeping in the fridge or whatever. And so my fruit bowl usually looks pretty sad because a bunch of fresh fruits, it's not always in my rotation. Right. That's like a nice thing to have around that I definitely will eat if it's there, but it's not often in my routine. Do you know what I mean? Depends. It depends on what phase of my life that I'm in. But all of this to say my fruit bowl is usually dusty and empty with like one lemon in it and like one little old dried up piece of ginger that I like, had from when I was drinking a lot of lemon ginger tea, you know what I mean? But it's dried up. It is. It's dried up and it's gross and it's like unedible at this point. And if you look close, there's probably mold. There are so many delicious fruits ripe during the summer. Instead of doom scrolling on your phone, why don't you go to your local farmer's market or if you don't have a local farmer's market, go to your favorite grocery store and pick out a bunch of seasonal fruit.

[Guest Voice]

Okay.

[Emma Chamberlain]

I'm talking about peaches, plums, nectarines, cherries, blackberries, strawberries, I think watermelons. In season, you can look up a list of all the fruits that are in season during the summer. Buy a bunch of beautiful seasonal fruit that are in season.

[Guest Voice]

Okay.

[Emma Chamberlain]

It's summertime. Let's lean into it and fill that fruit bowl. Please wipe it out first though, because if your fruit bowl looks like mine on an average day, it is dusty. There is a little bit of mold in it from old fruits that got moldy and I didn't wipe it out. Let's clean the bowl, then fill it up with beautiful fruit. And then for the next week or so. Now you have a beautiful fruit bowl to have fruit from as a snack for the week. Yum. Something I really love to do is make a really aesthetically beautiful fruit plate, especially during the summer. And I like to sit outside and I like to eat it. There's something about that that is so magic to me. And like when the sun warms the fruit a little bit so it's like really juicy and it doesn't hurt. Your teeth because it's not cold. Like, if you have fruit in the fridge, it's like, cold and hurts your teeth. But if you let it sit in the sun for a second while you're eating it, it gets warm and jammy. Oh, my God, what a delight. So indulge in some seasonal fruit instead of doom scrolling in your phone. Kind of in the same world. Another thing you could do is go to your local farmer's market, if you have one, or a local grocery store and pick out a bunch of fresh flowers.

[Guest Voice]

Okay.

[Emma Chamberlain]

If you don't have any sort of receptacles for flowers, my recommendation would be go buy a 12 pack of Mason jars because it's like, the perfect size to fill with flowers and they look cute and, like, somewhat rustic. And you can buy a bunch of flowers that match your personality.

[Guest Voice]

Okay.

[Emma Chamberlain]

If you're a tulip type of person, I don't know if tulips are in season during the summer. If you're a tulip person, get tulips. These flower arrangements are for you. They're for no one else. If you like daisies, get some daisies. Pick out a bunch of eclectic, fun flowers that match your personality and spend the afternoon making little flower arrangements, perhaps in mason jars or in anything that you have at your home that would work and pop them around the house. I love having fresh flowers in my house. It's definitely a high effort sort of thing, but it's so rewarding. It brings joy. Every time you see your little flower arrangement, you're gonna smile, you're gonna smile. And they don't need to be extravagant. They don't need to be perfect. They just need to feel like you. Honestly, a really fun afternoon craft that keeps giving. It's like a little craft that keeps on giving because your house is going to look beautiful for the next, like, two weeks with all these flowers. How wonderful. Okay, moving on. This episode is brought to you by Squarespace.

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[Emma Chamberlain]

Open all the doors. Actually, don't do that because somebody might walk into your house. Actually, don't open all the doors. Open all the windows. Get the breeze brushing through the house and figure out an elaborate dessert, summer dessert that you wanna make.

[Guest Voice]

Okay.

[Emma Chamberlain]

Sit at your dining room table and ask yourself what summer dessert sounds the most delicious right now. Now, you might discover upon some reflection that you're craving cherry pie. You might discover upon reflection that you're craving a lemon bar. I don't fucking know. Is that a summer dessert? I don't know. Brainstorm a summer dessert and then find a recipe. Go online, look at a cookbook in your house, find a recipe, go to the store, buy everything, come home, make sure those windows are still open. Hopefully you close them when you enter the store and then you're going to reopen them. Now that you're home and you're ready to bake, bake an elaborate dessert from scratch. No box mix.

[Guest Voice]

Okay.

[Emma Chamberlain]

If you want to distract yourself from your phone for multiple hours, no box mix from scratch. Everything. Do it by hand. I recently did this a few months ago in a big way for my birthday. And I made a YouTube video about it. How I made a birthday cake. I was so consumed in that experience. I was so. I was so in it. I didn't think about my phone for like, I'm not kidding, eight hours because it took me so long to make that cake. And I also fucked up halfway through and had to start over. So, I mean, it probably wouldn't have taken eight hours, but it did for me because I'm kind of. I don't want to call myself an idiot, but I'm tempted because it was really like, I forgot the sugar. How do you forget the sugar in a cake? I know I'm asking myself the same thing. But I was so consumed by that project that I didn't go on my phone, I didn't listen to music. Like, I didn't do anything. I was fully in that experience. And it was actually so rewarding because. Because there's just something magical about really getting lost in a task. And I think baking has that ability because it is kind of hard to Be honest. Especially if you're making something fully from scratch and you can really get into flow state with it, even if you're not a natural born baker, because I definitely am not. Set the mood and make an elaborate dessert from scratch. Okay, next, another idea again. Open all the windows, put on some music, set a vibe, set a real good summery vibe. Let the outdoors in. Right? And do some productive shit around the house that you've been avoiding. Okay, I'm talking about open up your makeup drawer, take out all your makeup brushes, and please wash them. It's been too long. I'm talking to myself here because I have not washed my makeup brushes in like three months. And it is, it is getting gross. And honestly, maybe this weekend I'll open all the windows and I'll put on a tank top and I'll wash my makeup brushes. Maybe. Honestly, that sounds kind of delightful. Another thing you could do is clean your AirPods. I know that they're filled with earwax. Please get out a Q tip and like some rubbing alcohol or something. I don't know how you clean them. You should google that so that you don't ruin them. But get a Q tip in the least and get in there and clean them up. Can I be honest? I need to do this again. I think I just. I think I'm kind of subconsciously just listing things that I need to do. Clean up your AirPods. Another thing you could do is cosplay as a professional organizer for yourself. Choose a room in your house and pretend like it's not your room. Pretend that you were hired by yourself to organize your room, whatever room you want, and then go in there and make it perfect. Okay, let's say you choose your bedroom. More specifically, maybe your closet. Go in there, fold everything perfectly, and put everything in rainbow order. Like, my closet is in somewhat of rainbow order. It starts at white, then it goes to like yellow and creamy stuff. Then it goes to red. I have like a certain order that I do that I don't. I don't really know why I do it, but I do. Then it goes to red, then it goes to green, then it goes to blue, then it goes to purplish, then it goes to brown, then it goes to black. Put it in order. Look up a tutorial of how to fold things professionally and fold things professionally. Maybe you choose your pantry. You don't need to go out to the store and buy, you know, a bunch of, like, fancy containers to organize your pantry, but just make everything look nice as though you're a professional organizer. And you don't need to do your whole house because let me tell you, if you are, like, about to doom scroll on your phone and then you're like, oh, fuck, what should I do? What should I do? I need to, like, pivot and do something else. And then you're like, all right, I'm gonna go organize my entire house. You're gonna end up getting frustrated like an hour in, and you're gonna end up doom scrolling. So don't be too ambitious. All right? Choose one room, spend 45 minutes to an hour on it. And if you keep doing that every once in a while when you want to doom scroll, if you pivot to organizing a room like you're a professional organizer, over the course of few months, your whole house is going to be in really good shape.

[Guest Voice]

Okay?

[Emma Chamberlain]

Another thing you could do is walk around your home and find 10 things or a number of your choosing. Maybe you're lucky number seven.

[Guest Voice]

Okay?

[Emma Chamberlain]

Choose seven things that you no longer use anymore or you no longer want to have around, or you think somebody else could get better use out of and start a donate bin. I have a running donate bin in my house, and it's so helpful because every time I stumble upon maybe a piece in my closet or an appliance in my kitchen that I don't use anymore or is taking up too much space and I think somebody else could get more use out of it, I put it in a donate bin in my house. It's easy to access. I just walk up to it and drop it in there. And what's nice about that is, like, sometimes when my friends come over, they look in the donate bin and they're like, oh, can I have this? I'm like, absolutely. And at a certain point when it fills up and all my friends and loved ones have looked through and they're like, all right, we're good. I go off and I donate it in. One man's trash is another man's treasure. So that could be kind of gorgeous for you.

[Guest Voice]

Okay?

[Emma Chamberlain]

Moving on from doing productive things around the house, another thing you could do is go, ideally, walk, if it's close by, to a random little local place you've always been curious about but have never gone into, like, a cafe or a casual restaurant or an ice cream shop or a park or an antique shop. Go somewhere in your neighborhood that you walk by all the time that you've just never gone into for some reason. We all have places like that in our neighborhood. Like, for example, for me, there was Actually, I've had a few of these instances. I drive by this watch shop, like, every day, literally every day. And eventually at a certain point, I got to go in because I needed help with a watch. And it was so fun because I was like, oh, my God. Like, I've never. I've. I've driven by this every day and I've never gone in. Now I have a reason, you know, so it's fun. But even if I didn't have a reason, like, I've noticed that watch shop before. You know what I mean? And so it was really exciting to go in. But another occurrence like this for me was there's like this little mom and pop sort of pharmacy gift shop thing near my house. And I've seen it again, like a hundred times, but never gone in. And one afternoon I was bored and I went somewhere nearby, and I was like, you know what? I. I have a few hours to kill. I have nothing better to do. I'm gonna go in. And I just spent like a half hour in there farting around. And it was really enjoyable and it was exciting because again, I see this place all the time, and I've always been sort of curious about what's going on inside. And now I know there's also been, like, little restaurants like that, you know, in areas that I've lived where I've just seen the same place over and over again and never had a reason to go or never really been inspired to go. And in a moment, when you want to be doom scrolling, maybe you'd be better off going and checking out one of those places and you might discover a new favorite place, or not. And then you might leave a negative Yelp review. So we'll see. Another thing you could do. Don't judge me for suggesting this, but I think this is a delightful activity. Go bird watching at a nearby park. You don't need binoculars. You don't. Honestly, don't bring binoculars. That's like extra. I mean, you could, you could, but you don't have to sit on a bench at a local park, put your headphones in, listen to some music, and just look at the birds. I love birds. Okay? Birds, to me, might be my favorite genre of animal, actually. I mean, I love. I kind of love all animals, I guess, but I really love birds. Like, I have a weird affection for birds that I don't understand, but I just love them like ducks, pigeons. I mean, I really love ducks, though. Well, I really love pigeons, but I really love ducks. Like, ducks are so cute. Cause ducks Are more snuggly to me. Like, I don't snuggle them, you know, I'm not like abusing them, but they're just more snuggly looking than a pigeon. So when I see a duck, I'm like warm and fuzzy inside. I can't take my eyes off of them. Cause I just feel so warm when I look at them. Pigeons I love as well, but in a different way. I love them because they're always around. I mean, not always, but I'm often in city environments, so they're always around and it just feels like little friends that are always around. Does that make sense? It's just comforting that they're there and they're always there. There's something so magical about just listening to some chill music and smiling softly at the soft feathers and peaceful demeanor of birds. Now listen, if you don't have birds around you, maybe you have cows or pigs. I don't know. Like, find a place where you can see nature and wildlife and animals in their habitat and just watch them. There's something so. Oh my God, watching cows, wonderful. Just as wonderful as watching birds. Like, if perhaps you live somewhere more rural, I mean, put out a little blanket and sit and watch cows. That's so awesome. And they can't fly away, which is nice. It sucks when you're loving watching birds and then they fly away with a cow, it's not gonna fly away. So if you live somewhere rural, consider yourself lucky. It reminds me of the one time that I looked out my window one day and looked in my pool and saw that there were two ducks in my pool and I almost shit my pants. I was so excited. I was like, I'm about to watch these ducks for the next six hours. And then they flew away, like very quickly after I noticed them. So it was really depressing. But anyway, go animal watching and listen to some calm music and pay attention to the little weird things that they do, like when they ruffle around their feathers or when. If you're watching a cow, the cow like, swats flies with their tail and just enjoy that experience. And perhaps if you find that you're really enjoying animal watching, maybe more specifically bird watching, maybe you could teach yourself to make a birdhouse so that then you could bird watch at your house all the time.

[Guest Voice]

Okay.

[Emma Chamberlain]

Birdhouses are so cute. Like, obviously it's fun because when a bird moves into one, it's like, so riveting. Unfortunately, that hasn't happened to me yet. I have multiple bird houses outside in my backyard and not one bird has moved in yet. It has been years. And I also didn't make them. I bought them online. But if I ever am in a position down the line where I'm bored and I'm in the mood to do something kind of crafty, I might make a birdhouse. That kind of sounds fun. And if you don't have any birdhouses at your house, this might be an awesome little craft for you to get you off your phone. Okay, I have no clue what making a birdhouse entails, and honestly, it might not be a fun activity, but at least you thinking about, oh, maybe I could make a birdhouse. I really like birds. And then going online and researching it, that in itself, even just researching it, is getting you off your phone. Even if you decide, you know what, I'm actually just going to order, like a cool homemade one on ebay or something. Like, because that's kind of what I did a few years ago. Mine are all homemade or whatever. Even if you end up deciding that and like ordering one online, that's better than doom scrolling on your phone. You see what I mean? I briefly interrupt this episode to let you know that this episode is brought to you by State Farm Insurance may.

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[Emma Chamberlain]

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[Emma Chamberlain]

When it comes to getting the help you need, State Farm is the real deal. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Now back to the episode. Another thing you could do is go for a walk, get into a comfy walking outfit, like some soft workout shorts, you know, a loose tank top, some soft socks in your comfiest running shoes, put some headphones in, go for a walk and listen to an album that you've been meaning to listen to. We all have that album that we've been wanting to listen to in full but just haven't gone around to. Instead of doom scrolling, go listen to that album. And while you're doing it, go for a little walk. And don't walk fast. I mean, unless you really want to. I feel like a lot of times we dread going for a walk because we're like, ugh, it's gonna be, like, exhausting. And it should be exhausting. Like, if I'm gonna go for a walk, I'm really gonna walk. You don't have to do that. Go for a stroll. Go for a light stroll and listen to the album. And while you're listening to it, listen to it like you're a music critic. I really enjoy doing this. I find watching movies, listening to music, in thinking critically about it, makes it even more fun for me and even more riveting for me. So maybe give it a try. Pretend that you're a music critic, analyze it deeply, inform a real opinion on it, and then perhaps you could send this album to other people in your life and you could discuss it with them, too. It's fun to listen to music with intention. It's one thing to enjoy music just kind of peripherally, like, relax, chill, it's in the background, whatever. But it can be really fun to really think about it, and it can be a good distraction. Okay, next, another thing you could do is go on a walk, a stroll, perhaps, and bring a camera if you have one. Or if you don't, just bring your phone and try to take genuinely good images. And good is what even is good, you know what I mean? But, like, walk around and try to see interesting things in the world around you. Do you know what I'm saying? Like, try to find interesting stuff and then take a photo of it. Like, if there's a really beautiful shadow on the roof of someone's house, zoom in, take a photo of that. If you see a really beautiful flower and there's like, two bugs having sex on the flower, take a photo of that. If there's dog poop and it's shaped kind of like the Queen of England a little bit, take a photo of it. Like, just find things that are interesting and intriguing to you and take a photo of it. Do you know what I mean? Either try to compose beautiful images that have thoughtful composition and, you know, good lighting, or take photos of things in a way that's funny. Like, find a bunch of things that look phallic. It doesn't matter. Just take a bunch of photos. There's something really, like, I feel like we're at a point now where we're all photographers. Do you know what I mean? Because, well, we're not all photographers. Because I don't want to take away from the expertise that it takes to be a photographer, because let me. Let me tell you, that is not an easy job to make things look good, especially, like, in a photo studio. You get what I'm saying? But everyone has access to a really good camera on their phone. Anyone can take good photos. You know, it's the same thing with, like, everyone's an entertainer, everyone's a photographer, everyone's a singer, everyone's everything. Everyone can be anything now because we all have access to the Internet and we all, for the most part, have phones and we can do almost everything on our phone. Do you see what I'm saying? Due to the phone, even though it is the source of all evil, it is also the source of a lot of creativity as well. Can't deny that, you know, So I don't know, could be fun to. To go on a walk and take cool photos. Ideally with a camera though, because then you know you're not on your phone. Ideally to stop doom scrolling, you put your phone in your back pocket and you don't look at it again. But there's an exception in this one if you don't have a camera, but chances are you have some camera laying around in the house, maybe. Okay, next, sit outside somewhere, perhaps in your backyard, perhaps at a park, wherever. Sit in the shade, under a tree, under the roof, overhang thing at your house. If you have that, I don't know, sit outside in the shade somewhere and clean up your playlists and make new ones. Basically what I'm saying is perfect your music collection, okay? Re examine the old playlists, move things around, reorder songs, rename them, add a new cover image, add new music to certain playlists, delete songs that are starting to annoy you, perfect the existing playlists, and then when you're done with that, start making new ones. And take this seriously. This should be looked at as an art form for you.

[Guest Voice]

Okay?

[Emma Chamberlain]

Really, really dig into this. Come up with a really potent theme for the playlist, like it might be. Maybe you want to name the playlist Summertime Sadness. Fuck yes. Tap into that emotion. All right, Maybe you want to name the playlist Happy and Sad at the same time. Casey Musgraves inspired, and the first one was Lana Del Rey. Tap into a very specific emotion and make a super curated playlist.

[Guest Voice]

Okay?

[Emma Chamberlain]

Clean up your public music profile. Clean it up. Honestly, I'm long overdue to do this. I really need to get in there and mainly perfect my old playlist. Add new music, delete some stuff, really get in there. The reason why this is a fun thing to do is because it's something that you get to enjoy later, right? Like next time you're driving around in the car. Great. Now you have a perfectly curated playlist that's up to date, no skips. You know what I mean? It's kind of awesome. Next time you have people over, you know exactly what playlist to put on because you have the perfect playlist for everything now, because you spent an afternoon a few weeks ago not doom scrolling, but instead perfecting your playlists, and now you get to reap the benefits. Another fun thing you could do sitting outside in the shade somewhere is read book and movie reviews.

[Guest Voice]

Okay?

[Emma Chamberlain]

If you've never done this, it's quite fun. I did this somewhat recently and there are many different websites and places where you can do this. So, you know, find your preferred option. But like, I know, for example, for books, right? I use Goodreads to read reviews on books. And you know, I've looked up books that I've been recommended on there. I've looked at like curated lists that are made already automatically on, on the app. And from there I've made lists of books I want to read one day based on the reviews, based on what the app suggests for me, et cetera, or not maybe what the app suggests for me, but what I found through sort of searching through the app and what kinds of curated lists they have. And I've made lists. And it's fun because even though I'm not a huge reader, like, I love reading. I actually just got kind of back into reading recently because a book really intrigued me, which just hasn't happened in a while, and I got really sucked in immediately. And, you know, it's been wonderful, but that's not always the case. But I have these moments where I'm really craving reading and those moments are really fleeting for me. So if I don't hop on it and get a book quickly when I'm in the mood to read, the moment will pass and I will not read a book. You know what I mean? So when I feel it, I need to figure it out quick. And that's why it's so nice to have a list. Because when I'm in the mood, I have a list to refer to and it, I think, naturally just makes me want to read more. But you could do the same exact thing with movies. I actually haven't done this with movies yet, but you could. And it's a whole lot better than doom scrolling, that's for sure. That could be a really fun little outdoor activity. Sitting outdoors and making book and movie lists. Come on, doesn't that sound nice? Another thing you could do is lay out in the sun with sunscreen on. Let's be responsible here, okay? With sunscreen on and listen to a how to podcast on a hobby or craft you want to try or an educational podcast episode about something that you've been wanting to learn about that might be beneficial to your life in some way. I found that learning casually like this can be very inspiring and empowering, especially if you're someone who struggles with starting hobbies or struggle with digging into interests. I have really struggled with that in the past and I found that one of the best ways to get into it is to start really slow by just listening to people talk about it, because inevitably you'll start learning about it. Like, I really love cooking and baking. I really enjoy it, I think because I've spent so many years watching cooking shows and cooking videos to the point where I actually slowly but surely accumulated enough knowledge, where now it's actually something I feel really confident in. Like, even though I'm not super good at it. And I definitely don't like bake very often, I cook. I mean, I cook a lot, but it's not like complicated stuff. But I do cook every day. But I really enjoy doing it and I feel like I got to a place where I felt like, oh, I feel empowered to do this and I feel like I know enough to do this, all because I enjoyed watching people do it. So if you have been wanting to get into painting, for example, listen to a podcast interview with a painter. You know, if you have been wanting to get into playing instruments, listen to a podcast interview with somebody who plays instruments. If you've been wanting to learn about biology, listen to five part series on biology podcast. You see what I'm saying? Like, just start exposing yourself very casually to information about the topic or the hobby or the subject, and you'll start to become more and more familiar with it and it'll make trying it less scary and much easier because you actually have information now. Do you know what I'm saying? And I think this type of content is overall net positive and relaxing, but also it is mindless. You know, you get to kind of disappear into it. But there is a net positive impact on your life and perhaps it'll inspire you to actually participate in the hobby or the craft or the subject that you're interested in. Maybe it'll inspire you to dig deeper into it more actively after you listen to it. Like if you listen to a tutorial on how to watercolor, maybe once you're done laying in the sun, listening to the episode, you go to an art store and pick out some stuff and then come home and open all the windows again because it's the summertime and the windows should be open and you do a watercolor. You Know what I'm saying? Like, who knows what this could spark for you.

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[Emma Chamberlain]

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[Emma Chamberlain]

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[Emma Chamberlain]

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[Emma Chamberlain]

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[Emma Chamberlain]

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[Emma Chamberlain]

Another thing you could do is look up a 10 minute yoga flow video on YouTube, find a nice place in the shade or in your home with the windows open because it's the summer. So open the windows and do a little ten minute yoga.

[Guest Voice]

Okay.

[Emma Chamberlain]

I'm fully into yoga. Although the yoga that I do is like a yoga class and it's not fully yoga. It's like yoga sculpt, you know, as they call it. So it's kind of like yoga Pilates fusion. But there's a lot of yoga elements in it and I absolutely love it. Like, I really love the yoga element of it. And sometimes when, I don't know, I feel like it, I'll just pop down randomly, anywhere and like do a little yoga, you know what I mean? Just for funsies. Like sometimes if I'm just feeling sore or I've been sitting all day, I'll just find the nearest carpet in my house and like do yoga for a few minutes, you know, it feels really good. What it really is, it's like, it's like giving a massage to yourself. That's really what it feels like. And let me tell you, yoga is so relaxing that if you turn on like a quick little 10 minute yoga tutorial, by the end of it, you won't be thinking about your phone anymore. You're going to be thinking about how peaceful you feel. So do that instead of doom scrolling.

[Guest Voice]

Okay?

[Emma Chamberlain]

Another thing you could do is do a handstand. And even better, you could try to do it for a long time. Then Google how to do a handstand for a long time and listen to the tips they give and attempt them. Keep trying until you get so exhausted and hungry that you barely remember that your phone exists. I actually love doing a handstand randomly. I mean, I was a cheerleader and a gymnast. I was a gymnast when I was very young though, so I don't really count that as much. I was really a competitive cheerleader, so I had to do a lot of handstands in my life, but that doesn't mean I'm good at them because I'm not. That was actually one of my weak points. Like a lot of the Girls on my cheer team could do like a 10 minute handstand and I could barely do 10 seconds. I don't know what it is about me. I cannot do a long handstand. But every once in a while I'll try and I'll like, I'll just be walking around my house and all of a sudden I'll be like, fuck it, handstand right now. Fuck it. And I'll do a handstand and then next thing I know, it's been 20 minutes and I've been trying to do a handstand for as long as I can. If you're doom scrolling on your phone right now, put the phone down and do a handstand and try to be good at it. And I can promise you it'll make you forget about your phone and you'll be exhausted by the end of it. And you might even be hungry. And if you are hungry, well, have no fear because I have another thing that you could do instead of doom scrolling after you've done your handstands and you're exhausted. Listen to this. Look online for an elaborate erewhon level smoothie recipe.

[Guest Voice]

Okay?

[Emma Chamberlain]

I'm talking Hailey Bieber, smoothie level. I'm talking. There's avocado in it, there's coconut, there's blueberry, there's boysenberry, there's rhubarb. It's like a crate. Like look up like an elaborate smoothie recipe that's like a delicacy, like a smoothie delicacy recipe. Now go to the store, buy the ingredients, come home, make that fancy ass erewhon bougie smoothie yourself and make it cute. Put it in your favorite cup, smear some like strawberry jam on the side of your cup. Like sprinkle cacao nibs on the top.

[Guest Voice]

Okay?

[Emma Chamberlain]

Make that thing look pretty and then sit outside and drink it. And I know what you're thinking, Emma. You didn't mention taking a photo of the smoothie. I know that. Here's the thing, you're allowed to take a photo. But after you take a photo, you close the phone, put it face down on your bed or somewhere and walk outside, no phone. And drink the smoothie in silence. No phone, no sounds. That's my opinion.

[Guest Voice]

Okay?

[Emma Chamberlain]

That's what I think you should do. You can post a picture of it later. When you are in a place where you're not going to doom scroll. When you're at, you know, like mentally. When you're at a place where you know I'm not going to doom Scroll. I can post something on my Instagram right now and not get sucked in. Then you can maybe post it, but later, because right now you're fighting the urge. So don't get sucked back in because you want to pose a picture of your erewhon looking smoothie. I know you're proud of it, but you can wait until you've had discipline for long enough where you're like, okay, I can handle this. I can post this on Instagram and not go and stalk my ex again. No, don't do that. Okay. Another thing you could do is start a puzzle. I think there is nothing more summer vibes than a puzzle. I love a summer puzzle. Again, there's something about windows open, breeze flowing through the home, and a puzzle going on a table somewhere. To me, that summer, like, during the summers when I was a kid, I would go to Maine. Well, not for the whole summer, but for like two weeks. And my dad was there, my grandma, my grandpa, sometimes some cousins, and we would always have a puzzle going. And it would be like one of those things where like, after breakfast, oh, fuck it. Spend an hour on the puzzle before dinner, fuck it. Spend an hour on the puzzle at 11pm, can't sleep, fuck it. An hour on the puzzle. You know what I mean? And it's this thing that during a slow summer, can kind of kill some time in between activity in such a beautiful way. And, you know, listen, puzzles. What are you really getting done, right? Nothing. But you're strengthening the brain, and you're ultimately experiencing a level of tranquility that can only be found through doing a puzzle. There's something about a puzzle that seems sort of dreadful before you start it. And listen, some. Some puzzles are dreadful. It depends. Ideally, for this to work, get a good puzzle that's not impossible to complete, okay? But I think a lot of times we dread a puzzle because it's like, oh, my God, it's so boring. It's like you're just trying to put the pieces together. Like, ugh. It just sounds boring, right? Like, I love puzzles. And even I sometimes think of a puzzle, puzzle, and I'm like, ew, I don't want to do a puzzle. But every time I do a puzzle, I'm like, wow, this is one of the most peaceful, relaxing things I've ever done. And it is sort of a subtle brain workout. But I think it's nice to have a puzzle out during the summer because there are a lot of slow moments. Actually, it's nice to have a puzzle out during the winter too, because there are also a lot of slow moments. Maybe puzzles are year round activities, but they're really good during the summer. And maybe if you have a puzzle going every time you want to doom scroll, you have to put one piece in the puzzle, you know what I'm saying? Like come up with your own little puzzle strategy to get you to not doom scroll. But I think puzzles could be a tool. Another thing you could do. Now this is fun.

[Guest Voice]

Okay?

[Emma Chamberlain]

Plan a dinner party for just yourself or for you and your loved ones, or for you and a hundred people. I don't care. Plan a dinner party of any size based on your dream summer vacation destination. Okay? If you want to go to Italy, if that's your dream, well then you need to curate an Italian summer dinner. Let's say you want to go to Cabo, okay, Cabo summer dinner. And do all the planning. Now the good thing about this activity is that this is a time consuming project. Planning a dinner party for even just yourself is like a whole ordeal, right? And this is a great thing because this can actually prevent you from doom scrolling from multiple days. So really indulge in this. You have to determine your theme. You have to plan it all out. You have to invite everyone. If you're going to be inviting multiple people, you know, figure out their availability. You have to find recipes, you have to shop for maybe a little bit of decor if you want, or for all the groceries that you're going to need. You have to set up your home for the party. This is a process. And listen, you might end up starting this process of planning this dinner party and then realize, I'm not going to fucking do this. And guess what? It doesn't even matter if you end up doing it because at least you're not doom scrolling anymore. At least now you're thinking about how to curate the perfect Italian dinner menu. You know, you're trying to decide if you want to do bruschetta or you want to do. Did I just say that Italian accent? The bruschetta. Or you know, you're figuring out like, do I want to do that or do I want to do like what's another Italian appetizer? Or you're figuring out if you want to do focaccia or you're figuring out if you want to do kaggio e pepe versus a rigatoni. Like you're just figuring it out. Oh, wait, I guess kajo e pepe could probably be done with rigatoni, although it usually isn't. Listen, I'M not the person to ask about this, but even if you end up like starting to plan it, whatever, and you don't end up doing it, it doesn't matter. The whole point is that you're not on your phone anymore. But also, I think dinner parties are so fun. And it's funny because my friends and I have been talking about hosting dinner parties for like months now. We're constantly like, wait, the new thing, Dinner parties. This is the new thing because we don't really like going out as much anymore, but we want social interaction. So we've been discussing the concept of dinner parties. We have yet to host one. It has been months. But just the idea of it in talking about it and conceptualizing it is really fun. And one day maybe we'll do it.

[Guest Voice]

But.

[Emma Chamberlain]

It is a lot of work and everybody's always busy. But you could even plan a themed dinner for like you and your best friend, or like you and your parents, or like you and your significant other, you. It doesn't need to be a dinner party. It could just be like a themed evening for funsies with you and a loved one. Like it doesn't need to be that big. But also it could be if you want. But that's a fun thing. That'll get you off your phone. And last but not least, this is obvious. This is obvious. And that's why I saved it for last. But I have to say it because during the summer this is always the best thing to do to get you off your phone. Call a friend. If they answer and they're down to hang, great. If not, okay, you're doing this a solo mission. This is a solo mission. But it is fun to invite a friend. Invite a friend and if they're down, hop in the car, pick them up, roll the windows down, play music particularly that has a summer vibe to it, particularly from the summer playlist you made earlier, perhaps when you were avoiding doom scrolling earlier. And drive to the nearest body of water you can swim in. I don't care what it is, I don't care. As long as it's not going to give give you some sort of like flesh eating bacteria from swimming in it. Swim in the body of water. Listen, it could be the public pool, the nearby public pool, community pool, but it could also be the Pacific Ocean. I don't care. Could be a lake, could be a quarry. Ever heard of those? I don't even know exactly what a quarry is, but I have swam in one. But I don't, I still don't really Know what it is? It's like a lake, but there's a lot of rocks. I think. Look into that.

[Guest Voice]

Okay.

[Emma Chamberlain]

If there is no community pool near you and no natural body of water, go to the store and buy an inflatable kiddie pool. I don't care. Get in the water. Get in water somehow.

[Guest Voice]

Outside.

[Emma Chamberlain]

Get in the water. Find a way. It feels so good. You need to be in water. I. I think humans during the summer need to be in the water. And it doesn't matter what type. It literally doesn't. As long as the water is outside, it doesn't matter if it means. Honestly, if nothing else, open all the windows in your bathroom and fill your tub to being like a little bit less hot than normal so it doesn't feel like you're not scorching in the tub and just lay in it. Water, you know, just get into some sort of body of water. Find one. Find one and get in. And if you're with a friend, great. If not, fuck it. Who cares? You can do it on your own. But get into water. That is it. That's all I got for today. Those are all of my ideas. Hopefully the next time you're tempted to doom scroll, you either think of one of these things or maybe you're just more inspired to come up with something that works for you to do instead. But I do think that one of the most important skills to learn when it comes to fighting the urge to doom scroll is to learn to pivot and do something else and to not judge yourself for what you choose to do. Like, if you choose to do a fucking handstand for 10 minutes, that's not even weird. It's actually not like I've done that. You know what I mean? Like, I've been like, fuck it, I'm home alone. Let me just do a handstand, do you know what I mean? Or like fuck it. Like I'm gonna make a mood board for like my dream dinner party with recipes and all that. Like, there's no. As long as you're not. Anything is better than doom scrolling for the most part. So I encourage you to learn to pivot. It takes time. It's a process. But having ideas of what to do instead I think is really helpful. And so hopefully this, this helped a little bit in some ways at least inspire you. I wish you luck on your journey to fighting doom scrolling. Hey, maybe you've already fought the battle and if you have, good on you. But I don't think the battle ever ends. So anywho thank you all for listening and hanging out. It's always a pleasure and it's always so much fun. And if you enjoyed it, New episodes of every Everything Goes. Oh my God, I almost said Everything Goes. Wait, that's actually like a fire podcast name. Actually, Anything Goes is like more predictable. Everything Goes. It's kind of sick. Maybe I do a rebrand. 2026. If you enjoyed this episode New episode of Anything Goes. Every Thursday and Sunday, we can hang out. I'm here. You can find Anything Goes on the Internet and on social media at Anything Goes. Although don't doom scroll to find me. I'm on the Internet at Emma Chamberlain as well and my coffee company is on the Internet and in the world as Chamberlain Coffee. I'm going to go do a handstand. That sounds really appealing to me. So I think I'm just going to go do a handstand for the next 20 minutes and I will talk to you all in a few days. I love you all, I appreciate you all and I hope that you have a wonderful summer with your phone turned face down on the table while you're outside drinking the Erewhon smoothie that you made. You know what I mean? I want that for you. Okay, I love you all and I will talk to you very soon and goodbye.