Taijiquan vs doomscrolling: small choices make a difference

When I stand at the bus stop, I see everyone staring at their phone. And yes, I am one of everyone. I know everyone says “spend less time with your phone”, but then I find myself doomscrolling again.

I find that general advice of “just scroll less” is not useful. But lately I’ve added one small step before I scroll. I check in with my body first.

So instead of pulling out my phone immediately at the bus stop, I just stand. Feet hip-width apart, arms loose at my sides. I let my shoulders drop, feel my weight sink, and lift slightly at the crown of my head, as if a string were pulling me up from above. It’s almost like a little bit of Zhàn Zhuāng. Not a full practice, just a hint of it.

Consuming someone else’s thoughts, or coming back into my own body

What motivates me in that minute of standing is that it sets me up for a different perspective. My perspective. Doomscrolling means taking in other people’s thoughts, opinions, creations. Standing means being me, being in my own body.

Scrolling pulls me outwards, standing roots me.

To be clear: I’m not anti-tech. I write this very blog online. So I am not talking about rejecting tech or social media. I try to find balance, I try to find Yīn and Yáng in everyday life.

I am going inside, while still living in an outside world.

I think there are many people who are so black and white about life and Taijiquan. All or nothing. Practising for hours every day, or not being a “real” practitioner at all. But Yīn and Yáng is not about the extremes, there is also everything in between. The little choices, the little pockets of time.

I once saw a video about those little choices. How little choices ripple through the rest of the day, the week, the month, maybe even years. Not because of some big resolution, but because of what you do in the in-between moments.

I find it reassuring that I can make a little choice anytime. That’s the thing about the bus stop mini-Zhàn Zhuāng. It’s such a small moment, barely worth mentioning. But it’s also a choice. Doomscrolling or standing. Outward or rooted. Overstimulation or relaxing. And if enough of those small choices point the same direction, they start to add up to something that looks more like the life I want to live.

How do you feel about that? You don’t need to throw out your phone. Be kind to yourself and improve the small choices. Maybe next time you’re standing at a bus stop, root first before you scroll.