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two weeks ago my iPhone decided she would no longer turn on, and as the broke young adult I am I said fuck it what if I went off the grid? Mind you I have been ADDICTED to short-form content and social media for years. I tried the time limits thingy but like any addict I just completely ignored it.
there was a withdrawal period, sure, but my god. I have so many thoughts. So many ideas. So much more patience. I have read more, created more art, and spent some of the best times with my friends. I have sent letters and receive emails. We are not meant to be reached 24/7. I am intentional with my news intake, and I am even more informed because I make an active decision to read and watch the news when my nervous system is regulated and with all this free time I have the space to process what I am consuming.
I truly do not see myself ever going back. With no google maps to rely on I am experiencing my surroundings - paying attention to the small stuff. I live in a fucking beautiful place. I am surrounded by beautiful people. I have an interesting mind capable of beautiful thoughts.
mom was right!!! it is the damn phone!!!!
Related Recs
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recent mental health booster I stumbled onto when my phone ended up dead one morning, so I went to a cafe near me to journal/read for a couple hours without it. there were so many times I phantom reached for my it like the addict I am, very glad I couldn’t that day or else stupid things would have been done. I was forced to sit in the moment and process my thoughts without being able to actively do anything or contact anyone. did it the next day purposely and I had such a good day.
leave your phone at home sometimes when you’re bumming around your area doing small errands! also forces you to learn your surroundings rather than relying on google maps.
Jan 30, 2025
i have been on a journey to untangle my tasks from my iPhone.
i'd be out in the world someplace, pull out my phone for something as menial as checking the time, or as well intentioned as capturing the moment in a pic, and immediately get sucked into texts and instagram™️ and all the virtual things happening in this tiny lil demon light box.
the goal: pull my phone out of my bag ONLY for phone things. that's texting, calling, and apps that can't be replaced
the solutions so far:
🕰️ i started with a watch (shoutout Casio) and i wear it every day. once I broke the habit of checking my phone for the time, I felt legitimately freed from something Major
📷 I bought a small digital camera to leave in my bag. the pics look better and I don’t get distracted by the virtual world when I'm trying to capture something in the now
📚 I bought a kindle. It fits in my jacket pocket (literally) and gives me something to do when I'm on the train or waiting for an appointment that isn't scrolling
I just realized so much of the time I spent on my phone was not intentional. It was a thing I was doing in between Other intentional moments. my screen time is still several hours a day (don’t get me wrong) but I think my brain has healed at least 3%.
welcoming other ideas as well💡
Sep 24, 2024
I've been rocking the flip phone since March - went through a few different models till I landed on this utilitarian workhorse; the Sonim XP3800. This thing feels like it can stop a bullet. The battery lasts for 3 days. Service is 5 bucks a month.
remixed my brain:
-got lost a few times (feels amazing + found my way back)
-bought an iPod mini (eBay, refurb 256gb)
-forgot about 1 million people that I didn't need to remember
-missed brat summer entirely (found out in late September, loved the album)
-learned how to wait and do nothing
-minimized unnecessary / instantaneous communication
-started taking photos with real cameras again
-started reading again
-stopped impulsively buying instagram shirts
-phone can be turned off during the charging cycle (not possible with iPhone)
-regained control over the flow of information into my brain
-restored my relationship with the computer as an appliance bound to one physical location
Am I a better person for this? Probably not. Is this all of this a bit loaded and pretentious and boomer esque? Definitely. But it feels good to know that I have the freedom to say no to smart phone tech that has been foisted on us as an essential to living for the sake of convenience - convenience which has a cost. I could go on and on and on about this but I would highly recommend that everyone gives this a shot for while even if it's just an experiment. You will be surprised by how you feel after a few weeks.
Dec 11, 2024
Top Recs from @crabbyblabbyabby
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I am making a zine about the art of performing, producing and affirming our gender.
A few weeks ago I was struck by a video of a piercer talking about gender-affirming piercings that exposed my bias. I, (a nonbinary hyper-femme glittery diva, obsessed with exploring, manipulating, and playing with expression, using my face, body, and essence as a canvas), realized I assume that "gender-affirming" actions, such as getting a piercing, would only refer to trans folks. There was this unconscious part of me that still gripped to the narrative that "gender" was somehow real... that cis people did not need to perform, produce, or affirm their own identity... that gender was static. This piercer exposed a hideous blind spot. They opened with a story of little girls getting their lobes pierced. This beautiful ushering into womanhood, this ritual of adorning similar style jewels to the brave and courageous women in your life. And then mothers. When mothers get their nose pierced to reclaim their bodies, to reclaim their autonomy after literally sharing, giving, everything to bring a child into the world. We all use art express our gender. We all everyday wake up and perform gender - yes sometimes in the theatrical sense, gender is drag of course - but also in the Judith Butler sense, that with every act we create a new reality.
I don't know. The whole thing has just got me thinking. Especially with the state of the world today, authoritarianism on the rise globally, transgender history literally being deleted from government websites... a joyful celebration of gender, a leaning into the playful aspects of what gender can, of what it should be... is at least what I need.
If you, cis, trans, unsure, whatever, have a story of a gender-affirming moment in your life, please share:) And if anyone wants to be a part of this project .... eeeeee that would be sick!
Feb 19, 2025
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Okay I love interesting verbs, like anyone can use a fancy adjective, but a unique verb??? Now that is class.
my current faves:
- galvanize
- scamper
- bungle
- envisage
give me more recs!
1d ago
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I am in my childhood home for the week babysitting my dad's dog. Gravy, is a big bellied little legged butt shaking corgi who is as cute as he is vicious. I take him out for loop around the neighborhood, once around 7pm, and again at 9pm. Apparently the golden doodle across the street has the same schedule. Their rivalry has clearly been unrelenting dating back millennia, the very feud baked into their DNA. Before even catching a glimpse of each other, the (assumingly) putrid scent of the doodle, launches my Gravy into a snarling diatribe, unfettered until I bribe him with a treat and empty promises.
At first, I was frustrated. Like shut up Gravy you're ruining my mellow high. But tonight I found myself looking forward to the neighborly small talk with the doodle's mom. Nothing like masquerading as a home owner and responsible, yet apologetic dog parent to silence the incessant rumination cycle of what my purpose is now that I graduated college. And apparently, I fuck with routine. Who knew?
Feb 25, 2025