How many times a day do you set out to finish or work on something, find your mind wandering, get sidetracked on a less important task, or scroll through social media for hours? For many of us, this is our daily unintentional routine. One that is rooted in anxiety, overwhelm, boredom, avoidance, and or low motivation. It’s like we are on autopilot. Sadly, life and recent events may make it harder on your nervous system to cope and lead to procrastination and dissociation for anyone.
If your nervous system is neurodivergent, like with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), you may be more prone to hyperfixation, procrastination, and use your phone for a quick and easily accessible way to deal with these feelings and sensations. ADHD is a condition that impacts one’s executive functioning. ADHD brains are highly stimulus-seeking. So activities like doom scrolling on a phone can trap ADHDers because of the novelty, emotional charge, and not needing any energy to initiate.
Anxiety is another condition that impacts someone’s nervous system and thrives on catastrophic thinking, asking “What if?”, and mentally time-traveling. Doomscrolling often serves as emotional numbing and a way to escape discomfort and value-based action when we are overwhelmed or worried.
Although sleep hygiene, hydration, exercise, nutrition, and, if needed, medication can help. A powerful tool to consider is something called “Dropping an Anchor.” During a moment of avoidance or distraction, we can use this tool to help ground us to consider what is occurring and what to do about it.
This intervention is from the therapeutic theory called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). It teaches “mindfulness skills to help individuals live and behave in ways consistent with personal values while developing psychological flexibility” (GoodTherapy, n.d.). To drop an anchor, it is best to remember the acronym “A-C-E.”:
A- Acknowledge means noticing and naming what is happening internally. This is to defuse thoughts and feelings, rather than judge or analyze them. You can say or notice things like:
- “I’m noticing anxiety.”
- “My mind is racing.”
- “There’s an urge to scroll.”
When we make these observations of the internal world, we are defusing the situation and not analyzing or judging it.
C- Come back to the body. Here, we want to shift your attention to physical sensations in the body. Noticing things like:
- Feet on the floor
- Breath moving in and out
- Hands pressing together
- Feeling the chair supporting you
This helps anchor our attention and awareness outside the mind and our thoughts.
E- Engage in what you’re doing. Here, the idea is to return to the present task or choose the next small action. Ask yourself things like:
- “What’s one thing I can do right now?”
- “What matters at this moment?”
The idea is to reconnect you with your values and take actions based on them. It’s important to note that dropping an anchor will not automatically mean everything feels better. Success lies in just staying present.
This intervention helps more than relying on willpower, shaming yourself, or demanding motivation. Instead, it helps to anchor, pivot, and ask:
- “What matters right now?”
- “What’s one tiny step in the direction you care about?”
- “What would be a kind next action?”
It may not fix the situation, and you may continue to scroll, but at least you paused for a moment to consider your actions and, with intention, choose your next action.
References:
GoodTherapy. (n.d.). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Benefits, techniques & how it works. GoodTherapy.org. https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/types/acceptance-commitment-therapy
Ostacher, L., LCSW. (n.d.). Dropping Anchor Practice. Stanford Health Care. Retrieved February 9, 2026, from https://stanfordhealthcare.org/content/shc/en-tools/modals-for-marketing/dropping-anchor-practice.html
