Scroll Brain: Why I Couldn’t Focus, Create, or Think Clearly

Who would you be if there were no barriers to your growth?

That question stopped me in my tracks last week.

I sat with it.

And one of the answers surprised me:

Scrolling.

Yep—me, the blogger, podcaster, and content creator!

Scrolling has inspired, taught, and connected me to new voices.

But it’s also

distracts me,

drains me,

and sometimes leaves me creatively paralyzed.

It became noise instead of nourishment—

a barrier I didn’t even realize I had.

Here’s the truth I’m wrestling with:

The same tool that feeds us can also deplete us.

And it's a slow kill.

I reach for my phone …

Then my brain switches to autopilot, and I become some sort of scrolling zombie.

Ten seconds becomes ten minutes.

Ten minutes becomes an hour.

It got really scary when scrolling started to manifest physically and evolved into a version of brain fog that looked like this:

*Inability to focus

*Difficulty retaining or recalling information

*Feeling uncomfortable simply sitting still without stimulation

Any of this sound familiar?

I tried to blame the symptoms on a vitamin deficiency… or perimenopause. But there’s too much research supporting a direct connection between what I was experiencing and excessive scrolling.

I know scrolling isn’t inherently bad—sometimes it is the getaway, laugh, or point of connection we need. But when it starts replacing our ability to be present, think clearly, or exist without it—that’s when it becomes a barrier.

When was the last time you went 2, 4, 8, 24, or even 48 hours without scrolling?

I’m learning:

**To pause and become more aware of my personal defaults.

**To pick up a book instead of my phone.

**To scroll with intention—not out of habit.

Not everything we take in is helping us grow.

Some of it is keeping us stuck.

This is no longer just a trend—

It’s become a generational cycle.

And the only way I know how to interrupt it

is to do what I always do:

1. Bring awareness to it.

2. Initiate positive, safe conversations around it.

3. Develop realistic tools to support change.

I hope this one helps you as much as it's helping me.

Let’s grow together.

Control the Scroll: 3 Ways to Scroll with Intention

1. Set a Time Limit – Don’t scroll mindlessly. Try setting a 10-minute timer and honor it.

2. Curate Your Feed – Follow accounts that inspire action, not comparison. Mute or unfollow anything that drains you.

3. Ask Before You Scroll – “What am I looking for right now?” If you don’t have an answer, try journaling instead.

Growth requires intention.

I’m choosing less noise… and more becoming.

What’s one barrier you’ve identified lately?

And how are you working to remove it?

With love,

Gwen

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 With Love, Gwen Podcast is available on YouTube, Audible, and everywhere you love to listen. Just search the name—and come join the conversation.

www.gwendolynjjones.com