What I’m Doing Instead of Doomscrolling

A weekly experiment to feel less numb and more me.

Photo by Kenrick Mills on Unsplash

I didn’t mean to get so disconnected.

But somewhere between all the scrolling, surviving, and overthinking—I slipped away from myself.
I stopped noticing. I stopped creating. I stopped feeling lit up by my own life.

I kept calling it “gathering inspiration,” but really, I was just zoning out. Consuming more than I could process. Waiting for something to spark.
But the more I consumed, the more numb I felt. The more ideas I saved, the less I acted on any of them.

Eventually, I wrote it down in my morning pages: I’m uninspired.
Not just creatively blocked—disconnected. From wonder. From energy. From myself.

But naming it made something shift.
Almost instantly, the ideas came rushing in—tiny sparks, gentle nudges, things I might try just to feel again. A list started forming. A rhythm. A way back.

So I made this:
Not a challenge. Not a checklist. Just a simple weekly prompt. A soft invitation to notice more. To try something different. To remember who I am when I’m paying attention.

I’m calling it Inspire Me Weekly.
It’s a guide, a rhythm, a loose structure to help me follow curiosity instead of algorithms.

I’m turning it into a series on TikTok and Instagram—not to be fancy, just to be honest. Little glimpses of what it looks like to actually try these things in real life. I’m also sharing the full list here, in case you want to join me.

Pick a theme each week. Follow a spark. Try something small or bold or new.
There’s no pressure, no gold stars—just a rhythm to return to whenever you’re ready.

Let’s see where it takes us.

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🔮Inspire Me Weekly— The Guideline:

This is the simple rhythm I came up with—something soft, flexible, and doable. Not a challenge. Not a checklist. Just a weekly invitation to notice more, try something new, and maybe feel a little more like yourself along the way.

🗖 Flexible Week Start

Choose a theme intuitively each week—whatever day your new rhythm begins. For some, that’s Sunday or Monday. For others, it might be a random Wednesday when life opens up again.

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🎲 Draw at Random

Make two jars: – One with category sticks (Outdoor, Creative, Reflective, Everyday Magic, Community) – One with numbers (1–12, or however many prompts you’ve made per section) Each week, draw one of each to find your theme. Let chance surprise you.

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💡 Notice What Comes Up First

When you see the theme, what pops into your head? A memory? An image? A “that sounds fun” idea? It doesn’t have to be deep—just pay attention to your first spark of inspiration and write it down. That’s your starting point.

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📍 Pick Three Ways to Engage

Think of it like planning your week in layers:

• Small – An easy, everyday action (like a ten-minute walk, a journal entry, or brewing a cup of tea outside)

• Medium – Something that takes intention and time (like planning an afternoon activity or making something by hand)

• Bold – A stretch: something new, brave, or out of your usual rhythm (like going swimming at the dam, trying an open mic, or hosting a small gathering)

Write them down. You don’t have to do them all right away—just have a few ideas ready so it’s easier to follow through.

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🎥 Capture Something

Document your week as you go: Take a video, snap a photo, record a voice memo, or jot down a few words. These aren’t for social media (unless you want them to be). They’re little moments of proof and inspiration—something you can look back on and feel proud of.

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⏳ Check In Midweek

Pause and ask: – Have I done anything yet? – What’s working? – What else sounds doable or exciting?

This is flexible—you’re never “behind.”

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🔁 Look Back at the End

Reflect on your week: – What did you actually end up doing? – Was it what you expected? – How did it shift your energy, your routine, or your mindset?

No big journal entry needed—just take a breath and notice.

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🌐 Community Option (totally optional)

Want to share your journey? Use #HBFInspireMeWeekly and see how others are engaging with their themes.

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✨ Ready to Begin?

You’ve got the guide, now here’s where it gets fun. Below are the themes—organized by vibe (Outdoor, Creative, Reflective, Everyday Magic, Connection & Community)—each one waiting to spark something.

You don’t have to do them all. You don’t have to do them perfectly. Just pull one, follow what feels good, and let the week unfold.

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🏞️ Outdoor & Adventurous

1. 🌱 Plant Something

   Tuck a seed into the earth, repot a houseplant, or start a tiny herb garden. Let something grow because of your care.

2. 💦 Get Wet

   Swim, take a cold plunge, run through sprinklers, or dance in the rain. Let water wake something up in you.

3. 🏕 Go Camping

   Pack up and head into the wild—even if it’s just a local site. Pitch a tent, cook over a fire, and sleep under the stars.

4. 🌼 Backyard Adventure Day

   Turn your yard into something magical: pitch a tent, play yard games, make s’mores, set up a sprinkler obstacle course, or stargaze on a blanket.

5. 🐾 One Wild Thing a Day

   Say yes to something spontaneous every day this week. A new trail, bold outfit, open mic—whatever breaks the pattern.

6. 🌙 Play After Dark
   See the world by moonlight. Take a twilight walk, play flashlight tag, chase fireflies, or host a spontaneous backyard game night. Let the night invite wonder, nostalgia, and just a little mischief.

7. 🧳 Get Lost

   Wander with no goal—through a city, trail, museum, or flea market. Let surprise be your compass.

8. 🌄 Go Somewhere Solo
   Head out on your own—no plus-one, no distractions. Take yourself to a trail, a café, a bookstore, or a new corner of your city. Let it be an act of trust, curiosity, and presence. You’re the adventure.

9. 🐕 Wherever the Dog Takes You

   Let your dog—or curiosity—lead the way. Wander your neighborhood, take a new path, pause often, and explore.

10. 🧭 Follow a Random Sign

    Let a literal or symbolic sign guide your day. A billboard, a street name, a song lyric—see where it leads.

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🎨 Creative & Hands-On

1. 🖌 Art Without Outcome

   Make something without rules or expectations. No perfectionism, no need to get it “right.” Just follow the process and see where it takes you.

2. 🧶 Make Something With Your Hands

   Knit, stitch, bake, sculpt, braid—anything tactile that pulls you into the present.

3. 🧻 Make Something From Nothing

   Use scraps, leftovers, or found objects. Let limitation fuel your creativity.

4. 🎨 Make Something Big

   Think large scale—paint a mural, build a giant collage, write a long-form poem. Take up physical or creative space in a bold way.

5. 📓 Create a Visual Journal

   Capture your week through photos, sketches, collage, or color—no words required.

6. 📎 Teach Something Small

   Share a skill that feels second nature to you. A mini tutorial, a tip, a lesson passed down.

7. 🧒 Do Something for Your Inner

   Child Blow bubbles, draw with sidewalk chalk, make fairy houses. Play like no one’s watching.

8. 🛍️ Go Thrifting for One Weird Treasure

   Find something unexpected at a thrift store or yard sale—and give it new meaning.

9. 🎁 Make a Gift With No Reason

   Create something thoughtful just because. A note, a mix CD, a handmade token and then give to a friend.

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🪞 Reflective & Inner Work

1. 💌 Letter to the Girl I Was

   Write to your younger self. Tell her what you’ve learned, what she never deserved, what she still carries in you.

2. 🧘 Ritual Over Routine

   Turn a daily task into something sacred. Light a candle while journaling. Breathe deeper while washing dishes. Make the moment matter.

3. 📚 Read an Hour a Day

   Set aside one uninterrupted hour. A novel, poems, essays—anything that feeds your brain and heart.

4. 📵 Unplug Entirely

   No screens for a whole day. Just your life, your people, your senses. Let the silence stir something awake.

5. 💖 Start a Love Letter Collection

   Write love letters to people, memories, places, even objects. Let affection spill without needing to be received.

6. 🎯 The Thing You Swore You’d Do Someday

   That project, plan, or promise you keep saving for “later”? This is your week to start—just one small step.

7. 🎨 Revisit a Forgotten Hobby

   Pick up something you used to love. Paint, dance, roller skate, code, collage—return to the thing that made you feel like you.

8. 📸 Capture the Little Things

   Notice the light on your floor. The way your kid holds their fork. A funny-shaped cloud. Use your phone, a journal, or your memory—just slow down and look closer.

9. 🏘 Visit a Place From Your Past

   Walk through old neighborhoods, schools, or parks. Let memory and presence blur for a moment.

10. 🧹 Unseen Corners

    Clean out that drawer, inbox, or emotional pocket you’ve been ignoring. Tend to what no one else sees.

11. 🔄 Reverse Your Routine

    Do things in a different order—eat dinner for breakfast, walk before coffee, drive a new route. Disrupt the autopilot and notice what shifts when you move through your day differently.

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✨ Everyday Magic

1. 💐 Romanticize Your Life

   Turn everyday moments into soft rituals. Put on music while you cook. Light a candle with dinner. Wear the outfit/perfume just because. Let your daily life feel like something worth swooning over.

2. ☀️ Reclaim Your Mornings

   Wake up ten minutes earlier and sit in silence. Journal with your coffee. Stretch on the porch. Let the start of your day be yours before the world gets loud. It’s not about doing more—it’s about doing you, first.

3. 💄 Get Ready Every Day

   Get out of your pajamas and into something that makes you feel alive. Add jewelry, do your hair, swipe on lipstick—whatever makes you feel like you showed up for yourself.

4. 🎬 Have an At-Home Film Festival

   Pick a theme, make popcorn, and let each person choose a film. Create tickets, dim the lights, and turn your living room into a one-night-only cinema.

5. 🛵 Create a Mini Adventure

   Take the scenic route to a nearby town. Spend the afternoon like a tourist in your own city. Find a new trail, a hidden café, or a museum you’ve never been to. No suitcase needed—just leave the house with adventure in mind.

6. 🍲 Comfort Meals from Mom’s Recipe Book

   Make the dish that tastes like childhood—the one she made on tired nights or special Sundays. Maybe it starts with a can of soup, maybe it’s scribbled on a recipe card in her handwriting. Let the smell fill your kitchen and take you back.

7. 🥕 Eat From the Earth

   Choose ingredients that are fresh, local, or homegrown. Cook something seasonal. Visit a farmers market or pick herbs from your own garden.

8. 🧪 Cook the Thing You’ve Never Tried

   That recipe you’ve saved and never made? This is the week. Get out of your comfort zone and into the kitchen.

9. 🖼 Change One Thing You See Every Day

   Move your furniture. Repaint a wall. Add a mirror. Refresh your view and notice how your space shifts your mood.

10. 🧂 Eat Something You’ve Never Tasted

    Try a dish from a cuisine you’ve never explored. Visit that restaurant you always pass but never enter—or find a fruit or spice you’ve never even heard of.

11. 💭 Do Something That Feels Useless (But Isn’t)
    Stare at the ceiling. Scribble for no reason. Rearrange your books by color. Let yourself be unproductive in the name of wonder.

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🤝 Connection & Community

1. 🥂 Host Something

   Host a wine-and-paint night. Cook a three-course meal. Plan a simple themed evening with a friend or two. Keep it intentional, a little indulgent, and full of whatever makes it feel worth remembering.

2. 🫱 Reach Out First

   Send the text. Make the call. Be the one who asks to hang out, checks in, or says “I miss you.” Lead with openness and see what comes back.

3. 👨‍👩‍👧 Try a New Skill Together – Family Edition

   Learn something as a team—make pasta, build a birdhouse, start a dance challenge. Laugh, mess up, and figure it out side by side.

4. 🧭 Let the Kids Plan the Day

   Let them lead. From breakfast to bedtime, follow their ideas and pace. You’ll be surprised by their creativity (and maybe a little scared).

5. 📣 Let Your Followers Recommend Something

   Ask your community what you should do, read, cook, or try. Pick one and report back—it’s about showing up, not showing off.

📝 Make Your Own Your life, your themes.

This is your space to write in prompts that come to you in the wild—through conversation, dreams, books, or just something your soul says yes to. Leave space in your jar (or list!) for the ones that haven’t been written yet.

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

1. 💡 Something I’ve Always Wanted to Try

2. 🌍 A Place I’ve Never Been—Even If It’s Nearby

3. 🎧 A Song That Changes the Mood—Now Build a Day Around It

4. 🧭 Follow What Feels Aligned Right Now

Use these as a springboard—or ignore them completely. You’re invited to be the author here too.

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So that’s it. A jar, a spark, a little follow-through.

You don’t have to do it all. You don’t have to do it perfectly. You just have to begin—where you are, how you are, with whatever you’ve got.

Start messy. Start curious. And if you fall off one week? No big deal. Pick a new one when you’re ready. No guilt, no gold stars—just a soft place to return to.

Here’s to paying attention again. To trying things. To small shifts that might just turn into something bigger.

I’m starting now. And if this feels like something you need too, I’d love to have you join me. Leave a comment if you're in—or even if you're just thinking about it.

Let’s see what unfolds.

Much Love,

Audrey