😬 This book made me understand my phone anxiety

Hi friends,

I just finished a book that I can’t stop thinking about.

It’s called The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt, and although it’s technically about kids and how we’re raising them in a world of smartphones, it hit me right in the gut.

Because here’s the truth:

Even though I’m not a parent yet, I am part of the generation this book is talking about.

The first generation to go through puberty with a phone in our hands.
The first to grow up curating ourselves online before we even knew who we were offline.
The first to be constantly connected… and constantly anxious.

Reading it made me reflect so deeply, not just on my childhood, but on how I live today.

And how often I feel scattered, overstimulated, behind. How I use my phone to escape, numb out, or chase validation. And how that tiny screen has become the biggest source of my disconnection.

One line that really stayed with me:

“We’re overprotecting kids in the real world… and underprotecting them in the virtual one.”

That one made me pause.

Because I realized: we never really learned how to self-regulate.

We didn’t get enough unstructured play, slow boredom, face-to-face conflict resolution, or emotional discomfort without a screen to soften it.

And maybe that’s why so many of us struggle to focus. To feel at home in silence. To be fully present, with others, or even with ourselves.

This book reminded me that children aren’t the only ones who need less screen time and more free play. We do too.

More nature walks with no AirPods. More time offline with real friends. More moments of stillness. Less constant stimulation. Less pressure to be seen all the time.

I don’t have a perfect solution, I still work online and love parts of the digital world. But this book gave me language for things I’ve been feeling for years. And that alone felt healing.

If your brain has felt a little anxious, overstimulated, or disconnected lately… this might be the book to help you understand why.

By the way, if you’re someone who loves reflecting on what you read, I created a Notion Bookshelf Tracker that helps you rate your books, save your favorite quotes, and jot down the lessons you want to keep. You can get it here.

Talk soon,
Veronika 🤍

P.S. I’d love to know: Do you remember the first time you got a smartphone? What do you think changed after that?

P.P.S. This part below contains an ad but only because I think it might genuinely help you too.

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