Devyn Poynter’s Reviews > The Unplugged Hours: Cultivating a Life of Presence in a Digitally Connected World > Status Update

Hygge: creating a relaxing, cozy space.

It made me think about dating. Someone is always checking their phone or watch without being fully present. Moving forward, I want to create more hygge in my mornings, meals, and dates! I want to be intentional about listening and getting to know someone instead of waiting for the rescue text…or being the one to send the code word for rescue! 😂

352…still sinking in. In 2019, people picked up their phones 352 times a day. Now we have apps, messengers and social media for everything, and it’s like our phones are glued to our hands. We rarely put them down.

Especially now that I have two adorable kids who call me Aunt, I don’t want them to think my phone is more important than they are. That’s time I could be spending reading with them or playing!

Finding the motive behind why we share…
This chapter shows how often we aren’t truly in the moment. Take me back to my New Orleans trip! I took a few photos, but for most of the trip my phone stayed in my bag.
I think our phones have become a safety net, an anxiety blocker, or a way to avoid feeling alone. But we aren’t alone. Sometimes we just need to put our phones away, look around, and be present.

I forgot to share my thoughts last time, so here’s a two-for-one!

I loved the slowing down with the mushrooms. It reminded me that God is present in our everyday moments, not just on Sundays.

The next chapter made me think of my grandpa. He always got onto me for texting and would say, “At least call them or make plans to see them.”

God never intended for us to build our relationships through a screen.

The last two chapters go into living a life of not living.
The opening up the apps & finding things to do on the phone to disassociate. Or the one lady - we see people and their relationships/life on social media and real life. Instead of comparing ourselves to them, looking into our relationships & working on it. We were happy before social media and smart phones. Why can’t we be now?

During this chapter, it talks about going into the discomfort and not zoning out or finding ways to numb ourselves.
I find myself doing that when I’m in situations where I don’t want to be there, conversations that get uncomfortable, or forgetting I opened my phone for the authenticator app.
Being able to find the comfort in discomfort is needed! God is working in us when we get to that place.

In the process of re-reading, I found it to be an excellent way to disconnect from distractions like Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok, and other platforms that diverted my attention from real-life events. Now, I’m actively working on eliminating my phone as a source of distraction in my daily life.