📱 Reclaiming Control: 7 Tips to Integrate Technology Without Losing Yourself
By Hunter Grimm
“It’s not about quitting the world—it’s about choosing how we engage with it.”
We live in a time where our phones feel more like extensions of our nervous systems than tools in our pockets. And I’ve felt it. The scrolling, the late-night doom dives, the notifications that hijack focus before I even get to breathe.
But I’m not interested in demonizing tech. I’m interested in liberating us from the unconscious ways we use it. Here’s how I’m learning to win back my peace—without ghosting the digital world.
1. Morning Mind, Not Morning Screen
Why it matters:
The first 10–30 minutes after waking set the tone for your brain’s emotional regulation and dopamine levels. Don’t pick up your phone. Hone your focus, and control your day with intentionality.
What I do instead:
Ground myself with breath, prayer, or silence
Drink water before caffeine (even though, it’s best to avoid caffeine even though Western civilization considers it “normal”. It’s just another substance, like sugar, that can be addicting and you become dependent on it. Try to live life without being dependent on anything, but healthy food, hydration, electrolytes, your role (purpose: job, parent, passion project), and healthy exercise to take care of your mind, body and spirit.
Write before I scroll (or don’t scroll at all). Be a creator, not a consumer. You are more powerful than you know, your focus is just divided
Try not to multi-task. Multi-tasking can leave you feeling burnt out, wasting your energy, and just motioning through life. Movement and intentional focus will bring you closes to your goals and the life that you dream of living.
2. Choose Creation Over Consumption
Scrolling is easy. Creating is electric.
Every time I make something—write, film, post—I feel more connected. Less hollow. Tech becomes a bridge, not a cage.
Set a rule: create something before consuming anything
Batch create content or journal to channel that mental energy
3. Curate Your Digital Space Like a Sacred One
Don’t just detox—design.
I unfollowed accounts that made me compare and curated feeds that inspire me to grow.
Mute, unfollow, or delete apps that drain you
Constant notifications are just distractions, keeping you from reaching your potential
Follow pages that uplift, educate, or make you laugh for real
4. Use Tech to Track, Not Trap
I use my phone for:
Sleep sounds (Endel)
Daily logs for dopamine recovery
Creating instead of mindlessly consuming
Daily Neurochemical Updates for Recovery and understanding my own body and brain
Make it your assistant—not your master.
5. Designate Time for Presence
Don’t just wait until burnout to unplug.
I started scheduling digital sabbaths—short ones. Even 30 minutes outside with my phone off gives my brain a full reset.
Try:
1 hour of no screens before bed
Phone-free walks or meals
Leaving your phone behind on purpose (scary—but freeing)
6. Practice Dopamine Awareness
Tech spikes our dopamine. But real life sustains it.
I focus on “slow” rewards—working out, writing, meaningful convos
Supplement stack supports natural dopamine cycles (L-Tyrosine, NAC, etc.)
I no longer chase the “ping”—I track my state instead
7. Redefine Your ‘Why’ with Tech
I had to ask myself: Is this tech use expanding my purpose or numbing my pain?
The truth is, our phones aren’t evil. But using them without intention can erode the very connection we’re trying to find. When I let technology serve my healing, my mission, my message—that’s when everything started shifting.
