Oh, I love this and I love your honesty. I'd love to go totally screen free and quit the scroll but I also love chatting to folks online, it's my social life for a lot of the time.
Breaks and balance though are all important, as are recognising when your brain has had enough and you need to disconnect - definitely a work in progress for me.
I agree! I find that if I constantly try to have an ongoing "good" relationship with my phone, I just fail by my standards. Doing notable breaks has been good for me. I also think that sometimes we need that swing in one direction to naturally let us swing in the other direction. Embrace your work in progress! It's something!
I love your observations from your screen free month. And I'm with you on the 2 steps forward 2 steps backward thing. I often find myself in an all or nothing mode - it's harder for me to find that middle balance.
I'm really trying to release the guilt with reaching for my phone. I used to beat myself up for it but I know I'm actively trying a lot of the time and it's ok if I slack off too. The awareness is one step in the right direction.
Had to put my coffee down for this one, lest I spit take into my own lap. Your humor tho, Stephanie—I covet. 😆
Big stuff too, this albatross we all wear!! Full of shame and seemingly impossible to ditch. I’m heartened by the waves of intentionality around these parts, and others; you’re making careful and hard decisions, and writing/talking about it sure strengthens those waves.
Enjoyed this and feel very much seen as I've been trying to get off my devices more too. It's hard because culturally we have become such a screen-based culture! Thanks for all the good links too. I want to read Jonathan Haidt's book but for now the podcast interview you shared will be a good start. Is Lessons in Chemistry one of the books from your photo that you finished reading? I read it earlier this year and absolutely loved it. There is so much good fiction right now.
Hi Marie! I can see how incredibly hard it is to run your own service-based business and have strong parameters! It's hard when your job is tied to your phone! Yes, do listen to the podcast, I think you'll enjoy it. It's long but I found it fascinating throughout, lots of things we know already but lots of other perspectives and reasonings and research that are very compelling.
I did read Lessons in Chemistry! It was so fun to read. It was like reading a soap opera and I ate it all up!
Bravo! to you for being the police AND making the effort yourself. I have to check my phone because of my business (an AIRBNB) but gardening and hiking and reading are my NO PHONE ZONES and I'm pretty strict about my own rules. I found if I look at something on social media just minutes before I have to go somewhere it's like a mini binge and it's over. Time to join the real life.
Thanks, Dona! It's hard policing everyone! You said it right, the binge is real. We get sucked in so easily! I'm just glad I at least took instagram off my app interests, it was really becoming a problem for me pyschologically.
I can definitely relate to number 4. It's wild to think about how a tiny pocket computer has replaced honest connection with humans. Thanks for the refreshing take on offline time, Stephanie!
The #4 is the most real thing I can say. I KNOW it's not good for me when I feel really bad but that's the only thing I actually want to do, which is sad.
Oh, I love this and I love your honesty. I'd love to go totally screen free and quit the scroll but I also love chatting to folks online, it's my social life for a lot of the time.
Breaks and balance though are all important, as are recognising when your brain has had enough and you need to disconnect - definitely a work in progress for me.
I agree! I find that if I constantly try to have an ongoing "good" relationship with my phone, I just fail by my standards. Doing notable breaks has been good for me. I also think that sometimes we need that swing in one direction to naturally let us swing in the other direction. Embrace your work in progress! It's something!
I love your observations from your screen free month. And I'm with you on the 2 steps forward 2 steps backward thing. I often find myself in an all or nothing mode - it's harder for me to find that middle balance.
This is me too. I'm working on more of a happy medium but at times of high stress I know I reach for my phone way more than is good for me.
I'm really trying to release the guilt with reaching for my phone. I used to beat myself up for it but I know I'm actively trying a lot of the time and it's ok if I slack off too. The awareness is one step in the right direction.
Had to put my coffee down for this one, lest I spit take into my own lap. Your humor tho, Stephanie—I covet. 😆
Big stuff too, this albatross we all wear!! Full of shame and seemingly impossible to ditch. I’m heartened by the waves of intentionality around these parts, and others; you’re making careful and hard decisions, and writing/talking about it sure strengthens those waves.
Ha, I'm glad you enjoyed my little humor! Bree, I'm grateful you read my work and value the topics I write about. Thank you for your support!
‘… La-di-dah, good for you. I’m sure those people are basically monks now.’
*Time to bring the La-di-dahs back into regular rotation.*
Humor and depth, Stephanie, my fave combo. 🙏🏻✨
Enjoyed this and feel very much seen as I've been trying to get off my devices more too. It's hard because culturally we have become such a screen-based culture! Thanks for all the good links too. I want to read Jonathan Haidt's book but for now the podcast interview you shared will be a good start. Is Lessons in Chemistry one of the books from your photo that you finished reading? I read it earlier this year and absolutely loved it. There is so much good fiction right now.
Hi Marie! I can see how incredibly hard it is to run your own service-based business and have strong parameters! It's hard when your job is tied to your phone! Yes, do listen to the podcast, I think you'll enjoy it. It's long but I found it fascinating throughout, lots of things we know already but lots of other perspectives and reasonings and research that are very compelling.
I did read Lessons in Chemistry! It was so fun to read. It was like reading a soap opera and I ate it all up!
Bravo! to you for being the police AND making the effort yourself. I have to check my phone because of my business (an AIRBNB) but gardening and hiking and reading are my NO PHONE ZONES and I'm pretty strict about my own rules. I found if I look at something on social media just minutes before I have to go somewhere it's like a mini binge and it's over. Time to join the real life.
Thanks, Dona! It's hard policing everyone! You said it right, the binge is real. We get sucked in so easily! I'm just glad I at least took instagram off my app interests, it was really becoming a problem for me pyschologically.
I can definitely relate to number 4. It's wild to think about how a tiny pocket computer has replaced honest connection with humans. Thanks for the refreshing take on offline time, Stephanie!
The #4 is the most real thing I can say. I KNOW it's not good for me when I feel really bad but that's the only thing I actually want to do, which is sad.