I Keep Checking Social Media Even Though It Makes Me Anxious or Low

It can be confusing to keep opening something that you already know may make you feel worse.

You check while waiting for the kettle, between tasks, during television, in bed or seconds after closing the same app. Sometimes there is not even a conscious decision; your hand seems to have arrived there first.

That does not automatically mean you have an addiction. Repeated checking can be a habit shaped by boredom, uncertainty, notifications, reassurance, fear of missing something and the design of online services.

Find the moment before the check

Instead of counting every time you open an app, notice what happens immediately beforehand.

Were you bored? Anxious? Avoiding a task? Hoping somebody had replied? Feeling lonely? Waiting for an update?

The trigger matters because different triggers need different alternatives. A person checking for reassurance has a different problem from somebody automatically filling every thirty-second pause.

Make the automatic action slightly less automatic

Small amounts of friction can expose the habit.

Turn off alerts you do not need. Move the app away from your home screen. Log out if appropriate. Decide that certain short activities, making coffee, walking to the car, eating lunch, will happen without checking.

Ofcom’s behavioural research shows that platform design and default settings can influence user choices. Your environment therefore matters; you do not have to treat every repeated check as a personal failure of discipline.

Ask what you actually received from the check

After checking, pause for a few seconds.

Did you get useful information, genuine connection or enjoyment? Or did you mainly receive another urge to check again?

This helps separate intentional use from reflexive use. The goal is not to make every minute online productive. It is to notice when checking no longer delivers what you are seeking.

Do not replace checking with constant self-monitoring

A healthier relationship with social media does not require turning your phone use into another source of guilt.

You do not need a perfect streak or a rigid rule.

Choose one change that makes the biggest difference, fewer notifications, no phone during one meal, a later first check in the morning, or leaving the phone away from the bed. See what happens to your mood and attention.

If checking is tied to anxiety or low mood

Sometimes the phone is being used to manage a feeling that needs attention in its own right.

If you repeatedly check because you are anxious about relationships, need reassurance, feel lonely or are struggling with persistent low mood, reducing screen time may only address part of the problem.

Consider speaking to your GP, counsellor or another appropriately qualified professional about the underlying difficulty.

Last reviewed

6 September 2026

General information only. This is not a diagnosis or a substitute for professional healthcare advice. If social media or online experiences are having a persistent or significant effect on your mood, anxiety, sleep, confidence or everyday life, consider speaking to your GP, counsellor or another appropriately qualified healthcare professional.