Under the weather
January 25, 2026
Hi, I’m Mapu, the writer behind the Substack publication Instead of Doomscrolling—a corner of the internet where you can join me on my journey of mindful media consumption. Over there, I share media roundups and curated media guides, but over here, I’ll be sharing the little things that bring comfort, purpose, and whimsy back into my life every single week. I hope you find some inspiration that sparks the curiosity to experience life beyond the algorithmic ways of the internet :)**
I have been sick for a couple of weeks now, and whenever this happens, I know I’m particularly prone to spending hours mindlessly scrolling in the darkness of my room. Losing a sense of normalcy can be distressing—especially as a result of our bodies not being able to keep up with the speed at which the world is spinning. In the process of recovery, I know the last thing I should do is put too much pressure on myself to do the most, so this week, I’ll share with you a few fun things I’ve been doing to take my mind off things and feel a little better.
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As I was bouncing between apps during a painfully long doomscrolling session, I noticed that there were far too many apps I don’t use anymore. Not only that, but I had let my beautifully organized homescreen become flooded by offloaded apps with ugly icons. Being annoyed at myself for spending so much time on my phone that day, I decided to delete all of those useless apps and make my digital space more beautiful. I find that—maybe problematically—my phone is an essential extension of how I navigate the world. Because of this, the more disorganized it is, the more disorganized my life looks. I try to organize it in a way that it’s the most efficient for me, also given the fact that I incorporate so many guardrails to keep my digital experience as mindful as possible. On top of that, I am someone fundamentally driven by visuals and design, so taking the time to add widgets, change the icon images, and create folders is not only fun but genuinely practical.