Doomscrolling, the incredibly easy and draining habit that just about everyone has picked up. When it’s time to take a little brain break from schoolwork or chores, it’s what I overfill my time with. My five minute break then becomes fifteen. My head foggy, my energy drained, and my reluctance to start being productive worse off.
But what am I supposed to fill what should be a five minute break with? Well I’ve been rummaging through all the Instagram posts I’ve been seeing about whimsical websites to try out and found some that I think are perfect for this dilemma. So in no particular order, here are the five websites I’d recommend to check out instead of doomscrolling.
1. Fridge Poem
It’s actually so entertaining. Like the name suggests, this website is a vast and infinite fridge space with magnetic words you can rearrange into whatever. Poems, lyrics, cryptic messages. You don’t have to be good at writing poetry to enjoy this site. You’re given words to work with and all you have to do is have fun with it. Your progress isn’t saved, rather your work is lost to an anonymous void.
But my favorite part about this site is reading other people’s poems. Some are hilarious, others very deep and beautiful. I’m able to feel connected with people I don’t even know. I find it very calming, something that allows me to slow down. It’s easy to pull away from it when my allotted time is up, unlike something else l know that can be very addictive.
2. Wiki Eye Spy
I just love the aesthetic of this site, cluttered and on the minimalist side. You can even color coordinate with the search bar if you so choose. It’s fun to see the rabbit hole you can go down, clicking on one image leads to others related to it, and repeatedly until you end up in another world entirely.
It feels like a void of goodies, perfect for getting lost in without dooming your attention span. This site could even be argued as productive! Being a product of wikipedia, all the images provide links to the wikipedia pages they’re pulled from. If you’re intrigued enough to follow the link, you could learn some pretty cool trivia.
3. Peanutize!
I’m not sure how many people know what Picrew character marker is, but for those who don’t, it’s a customizable character maker. There’s dozens of different artists you can choose from, many are also partly dress-up based. It’s really fun as someone who can’t draw but is super into book fandoms. I get to see my favorite characters spring to life how I envisioned them.
Well Peanutize is this but within the world and 3-D animation style of Charlie Brown. As a huge snoopy fan, this was a gem to stumble on. It’s quick, it’s endearing, and plain enjoyable. There’s the peanuts music playing in the background, and once you’re done making a mini-me or other character, you can download it to keep!
4. Pixel Thoughts
This one is very sweet. Essentially you write out whatever may be bothering or stressing you out, then you watch it disappear as a star into a space with thousands of other stars. The music is calming, though not particularly favored by me, and the words that appear on the screen are very endearing.
It’s essentially reminding you of how tiny and insignificant we are in comparison to the entirety of space, not just our galaxy. I took Astronomy C10 here at UC Berkeley, so I understood the angle immediately.
Either way, I think it’s a great opportunity to center yourself, to relieve stress before diving back into an endless to-do list, or to rant and get whatever it is off your chest. Rather than ignore something that’s bothering you by getting dopamine hits over and over for much too long, you can begin to think through.
5. Consult Your Guardian Angel
This website is probably my favorite. I love the artstyle, the vibes, the aesthetic, just everything. There’s six different illustrations you can choose from, all with their own names, things like “The Reader” or “The Lone Star” that match their vibe.
It reminds me of tarot cards where you just pick whichever guardian angel you’re most drawn to and read the message it holds. More specific than fortune cookies and much easier to access than a tarot card reading, I’d say it’s a win.
You get to slow down for a moment, have a prompt to reflect on, and enjoy the visuals. Every week the illustrations change, and since there’s 6 to choose from, you can check a new one out each day if you really want to. I was too curious and looked at all of them in one go after picking the one I was most drawn to, but next time I’ll restrain myself.
There are so many more niche websites out there, and many other ways you can fill your time rather than doomscrolling or what I just suggested. Ways that can fuel creativity or lift your spirits, that don’t feel draining nor require much brain power. It’s nice to come out of a break feeling recharged and ready to tackle what’s next!