My Analog “Bag” Lifestyle Shift
I’m tired of feeding the beast.
Is it just me… or are you feeling this too?
Like this real urge to get rid of all the phones and tablets… have one computer, one TV, one landline, and give the kids flip phones.
To get off social media completely.
To stop YouTube.
To stop the constant noise.
And yes—part of me is like, “Caitlyn… this might literally bankrupt your business,” because social media is how I connect with so many of you.
But I can't ignore what my nervous system has been screaming at me: I'm rushed. I'm overstimulated. I'm distracted. And it's not because my business is so busy. It's because I'm choosing to spend too much time on these platforms… and I get sucked in just like everybody else.
And my kids do too.
I'm not perfect as a parent. I'm learning in real time. But I've been feeling convicted that I don't want to be part of the problem anymore.
I don't want to keep feeding the beast while preaching “slow down” and “take care of your health,” because if I'm being honest… a lot of what's happening online is making us sicker.
These apps are designed to keep us scrolling. And the data backs up what we feel: The “typical” social media user spends around 2 hours and 23 minutes per day on social platforms. Nearly half of U.S. teens say they're online “almost constantly.”
Research reviews have found small but real links between heavier social media use and depression/anxiety (it's not the whole story, but it's not harmless). Screen/electronic media use is linked with worse sleep quality, and sleep is a cornerstone for hormones, cravings, mood, and gut health. Chronic stress affects the gut–brain axis too, which is why this constant stimulation can show up as digestive issues, bloating, and “wired but tired.”
So I'm making changes—imperfectly, but intentionally.
My “Analog Lifestyle” Shift (what I'm doing right now)
📵 No phone for at least the first hour after I wake up.
☕️ I'm romanticizing my mornings again: quiet coffee, slower pace, presence.
📕 I read on my Kindle, and yes—I'm using my Bible app in the morning because I can't exactly hold my Bible during coffee enemas 😅 (real life). But besides that, I'm not getting on my phone.
📝 I'm practicing handwriting + cursive—slowing down my writing instead of rushing it.
🔍 I'm doing word searches (I LOVE them), a puzzle book, and I grabbed a coloring book and steal my kids' fabulous markers.
🥱 No phone the last hour before bed. My phone literally tells me “time to wind down,” and I listen.
🛌 In bed by 9 pm, up around 5 am, with a slower start to the day.
The “Analog Bag”
This week I'm also sharing something that's been helping me a ton: my analog bag—the thing I reach for instead of my phone.
Mine has:
It's simple… but it's powerful. Because it gives my hands (and brain) something to do that doesn't hijack my nervous system. In this extremely lonely, fast-paced digital age, we are being called to slow down and our bodies and families are screaming for it.
And if you're a Christian, I'm going to say this plainly: I believe there's a spiritual battle for our attention and our homes. If the enemy can keep us distracted, anxious, sleep-deprived, overstimulated, and constantly comparing… he wins ground in our peace, our parenting, our marriages, and our health.
I'm done handing that over.
So I'm fighting for my family—and I'm fighting for yours too. Not with shame. With practical steps, boundaries, and a return to what's real.
This week I'll share my morning routine and nighttime routine in more detail. But for today, let's start here:
Pick ONE boundary you'll try for the next 7 days.
Comment below and tell me which one:
No phone for the first hour after waking?
No phone for the last hour before bed?
Build an “analog bag” (tell me what you'll put in it)?
Set a daily screen-time limit and stick to it?
If you're burnt out—tired even though you work out and eat “clean,” sleeping terribly, mind racing, and dealing with bloating + constipation/diarrhea—slowing down is a huge piece, but we also have to heal the gut and nervous system together. If that's you, I have a couple 1:1 spots open right now—just click the GET STARTED button below if you are curious or you can DM me on Instagram/Facebook and we'll start the conversation. I've been there, I get it, and I'd love to help you feel like you again.