I noticed a big shift in my Sunday afternoons after ditching the phone

About six months ago I started leaving my phone in the kitchen drawer on Sundays. I used to spend those afternoons scrolling through news feeds and social media, feeling like I'd blinked and the whole day was gone. Without the phone, I started actually paying attention to how the light moved through my living room windows as the day went on. The first few weeks felt weirdly empty, like I was missing something important. But after a month I found myself picking up a book I'd owned for three years and never finished. Now I get through about 80 pages each Sunday and I've started baking bread again, which I hadn't done since college. Has anyone else tried setting aside one full day a week for no screens?

2 comments

2 Comments

beth_hunt4d ago

Know exactly what you mean, it feels like you reclaim something you didn't even know was missing.

foster.ruby3d ago

Three years ago I found my old Gameboy Color at my mom's house and booted up Pokemon Crystal. The save file was still there from when I was like ten years old and I just sat there staring at the screen for a good five minutes. It was like finding a time capsule of who I used to be before I started worrying about bills and adult stuff. That feeling hits different when it's something you made or collected back then, not just something you bought last week. I think there's something really special about rediscovering parts of yourself through old hobbies or stuff you forgot you even had.