Breaking out of the cycle

Breaking the Cycle: Why Cutting Back on TV Binges & Doomscrolling Can Help You Take Back Your Power

You tell yourself you’ll watch just one more episode. Or scroll for just five more minutes. And suddenly, it’s midnight, and you’re still sitting on the couch, phone in hand, brain somewhere between numb and buzzing.

What happened?

You were just trying to relax, unwind, and maybe escape for a bit. And that makes sense. Life is exhausting. But let’s be honest—does that binge-watching session or endless scroll really leave you feeling better?

Or do you feel more drained, more checked out, and, if we’re being really real, more resentful that the same damn problems you started with are still right there, waiting for you?

Dissociation Isn’t the Problem—It’s the Symptom

Listen, there’s no judgment here. Tuning out is survival. When your brain decides to dissociate (whether through Netflix, TikTok, or zoning out while folding laundry), it’s trying to protect you. Maybe you’re overwhelmed, burned out, or just fucking exhausted from carrying the weight of a household that no one else seems to notice. Maybe you’re so used to pushing down your own needs that sitting with your actual emotions feels unbearable.

Dissociation is a coping mechanism, not a personal failure. But the problem is that when we rely on it too much, we get stuck. We become spectators in our own lives rather than active participants. And the longer we stay in that space, the harder it is to break free and actually do something about what’s making us feel this way in the first place.

When You Numb Out, You Lose Touch With Yourself

If you’re constantly zoning out, you’re missing crucial information: what your body is feeling, what your emotions are telling you, and what you actually need.

Think of your emotions like a GPS system. They tell you where you are and where you need to go. Anger? It’s pointing to a boundary that’s been crossed. Resentment? It’s a sign that you’re doing more than your fair share and not feeling appreciated. Exhaustion? You’re carrying too much.

But if you’re checked out on autopilot, you never get those signals. And if you don’t know what’s wrong, how the hell are you supposed to fix it?

Feeling Your Feelings Is Hard—But It’s the Key to Change

I won’t sugarcoat this: getting in touch with your emotions after years of numbing is deeply uncomfortable. You might feel restless, irritated, or even downright panicked when you start to cut back on the distractions. That’s because those feelings you’ve been avoiding? They don’t just disappear. They’ve been waiting for you.

But here’s the thing: those feelings are your power.

When you allow yourself to actually feel them, you gain clarity. You start to see patterns. You start to recognize, “Oh shit, I’m not just randomly pissed off—I’m actually feeling invisible and unappreciated.” Or, “Wow, I’m not lazy; I’m running on fumes because I’m carrying all the mental load alone.”

And when you have that clarity? That’s when you can start making different choices.

Less Dissociation = More Awareness = More Power

When you stop dissociating so much, you become more present in your own life. And that presence is what allows you to finally advocate for what you need. To set boundaries. To say no. To stop settling for being the household manager while everyone else coasts.

Does it mean everything magically gets better overnight? Of course not. But it means you’re finally in a position to do something about it. And that’s everything.

Okay, But How Do You Actually Do This?

Cutting back on dissociation doesn’t mean quitting cold turkey. (That would just leave you overwhelmed and running right back to your phone.) Instead, try these small shifts:

• Notice when you check out. Next time you reach for your phone or the remote, pause. Ask yourself: What am I feeling right now? What am I trying to escape?

• Create space for your feelings. Even five minutes of sitting with your emotions—without a screen—can be powerful. Journal, take a walk, or just stare out the window and let yourself feel.

• Choose different forms of comfort. If you’re exhausted and need a break, swap doomscrolling for a bath, stretching, music, or an actual conversation with a friend.

• Set intentional limits. Try a timer for scrolling or an end point for your TV show (yes, even if Netflix auto-plays the next episode).

• Ask yourself what you actually need. Is it rest? Help? A hard conversation? Identifying the real need beneath the dissociation is how you start changing things.

You Deserve to Be Fully Present in Your Own Life

Look, the world makes it easy to check out. It’s not your fault that you’ve been relying on dissociation to cope. But the more you stay in that cycle, the more you reinforce the idea that you don’t have any control. And that’s not true.

You are allowed to feel what you feel. You are allowed to take up space. And you are capable of making changes that create a life where you don’t need to escape all the time.

So, what’s one small way you can choose presence today?