“I didn’t know how to sit still with myself. I didn’t want to be alone with myself.”

That’s what Hannah Brencher realized when she was finally able to admit she was an addict. But she wasn't addicted to any substance. Instead, she suffered from an addiction much more common, much more acceptable: her phone. And so many of us share that addiction.

Hannah, one of my favorite writers and the author of The Unplugged Hours, opens up about what it took to finally put her phone down, how grief and boredom became her greatest teachers, and why building an inner life is the work we can’t outsource to our screens. We also dive into what happens when distraction becomes dependence, when we build our identity on productivity, and when silence feels like the scariest place in the world.

This is a conversation about learning to pay attention again, about how to listen to the still, small voice that says enough is enough, and especially about understanding how to be present. If your addiction is to technology, especially to your phone, this episode is important.

We explore: 

— How phone addiction mirrors other forms of addiction
— Why we can’t heal if we won’t be still
— The illusion of productivity and why our worth isn’t in our output
— How the phone amplifies anxiety, loneliness, and shame
— The spiritual discipline of paying attention
— How boredom becomes the birthplace of creativity
— What it means to build an “inner life” instead of curating an online one
— Why grace, not guilt, has to lead this journey
— The difference between honesty and vulnerability
— What “enough is enough” sounds like in everyday life

Follow Hannah: @hannahbrencher

Book: The Unplugged Hours

Hannah's website: hannahbrenchercreative.com

Get Hannah's emails here.

Free "unplugged hours" tracker.

Follow Jon: @jonseidl

Order the new book, Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic: www.christianalcoholic.com.

Watch this episode and get daily motivation: www.theveritasdaily.com

&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t know how to sit still with myself. I didn&rsquo;t want to be alone with myself.&rdquo;
That&rsquo;s what Hannah Brencher realized when she was finally able to admit she was an addict. But she wasn't addicted to any substance. Instead, she suffered from an addiction much more common, much more acceptable: her phone. And so many of us share that addiction.
Hannah, one of my favorite writers and the author of The Unplugged Hours, opens up about what it took to finally put her phone down, how grief and boredom became her greatest teachers, and why building an inner life is the work we can&rsquo;t outsource to our screens. We also dive into what happens when distraction becomes dependence, when we build our identity on productivity, and when silence feels like the scariest place in the world.
This is a conversation about learning to pay attention again, about how to listen to the still, small voice that says enough is enough, and especially about understanding how to be present. If your addiction is to technology, especially to your phone, this episode is important.
We explore:&nbsp;
&mdash; How phone addiction mirrors other forms of addiction &mdash; Why we can&rsquo;t heal if we won&rsquo;t be still &mdash; The illusion of productivity and why our worth isn&rsquo;t in our output &mdash; How the phone amplifies anxiety, loneliness, and shame &mdash; The spiritual discipline of paying attention &mdash; How boredom becomes the birthplace of creativity &mdash; What it means to build an &ldquo;inner life&rdquo; instead of curating an online one &mdash; Why grace, not guilt, has to lead this journey &mdash; The difference between honesty and vulnerability &mdash; What &ldquo;enough is enough&rdquo; sounds like in everyday life
Follow Hannah: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/hannahbrencher/">@hannahbrencher</a>
Book: <a href="https://amzn.to/47edos3">The Unplugged Hours</a>
Hannah's website: <a href="https://hannahbrenchercreative.com">hannahbrenchercreative.com</a>
Get Hannah's emails <a href="https://hannahb.myflodesk.com/links?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaeGEkr1wq21ZneWjhzk67-QgIDSGnF9wZZHhD7WahRJDJOnfi407nl-f9-ZtQ_aem_3WOmqC4k6yRWpDudeRdVYA">here</a>.
Free <a href="https://hannahbrenchercreative.com/unplugged">"unplugged hours" tracker</a>.
Follow Jon: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jonseidl/">@jonseidl</a>
Order the new book,&nbsp;Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.christianalcoholic.com">www.christianalcoholic.com</a>.
Watch this episode and get daily motivation: <a href="https://www.theveritasdaily.com/">www.theveritasdaily.com</a>

Jon Seidl is the bestselling Christian author who became an alcoholic, not the other way around. It's usually the other way around. Or is it? "Confessions of a Christian alcoholic" (based on the book by the same title) is all about real stories, radical vulnerability, and remarkable comebacks of people who have struggled with alcoholism and addictions of all sorts. The show features interviews with fellow addicts and alcoholics as well as professionals in the fields of trauma, faith, and addiction recovery. Because let's be honest, we're all addicted to something. "Confessions" is a place for the desperate, the downtrodden, the destitute, and especially, the drunk. But it's also a place of hope and healing. Jon found sobriety after decades of struggling, but more importantly than finding sobriety, he found Jesus. In every episode, he gets radically vulnerable as he explores what it looks like to be on this journey of messy sanctification. Visit christianalcoholic.com for more resources.

Jon Seidl is the bestselling Christian author who became an alcoholic, not the other way around. It's usually the other way around. Or is it? "Confessions of a Christian alcoholic" (based on the book by the same title) is all about real stories, radical vulnerability, and remarkable comebacks of people who have struggled with alcoholism and addictions of all sorts. The show features interviews with fellow addicts and alcoholics as well as professionals in the fields of trauma, faith, and addiction recovery. Because let's be honest, we're all addicted to something. "Confessions" is a place for the desperate, the downtrodden, the destitute, and especially, the drunk. But it's also a place of hope and healing. Jon found sobriety after decades of struggling, but more importantly than finding sobriety, he found Jesus. In every episode, he gets radically vulnerable as he explores what it looks like to be on this journey of messy sanctification. Visit <a href="http://christianalcoholic.com/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://christianalcoholic.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1747239325727000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1G-752Q-1dyjq6GN5gt7xw">christianalcoholic.com</a> for more resources.

Jon Seidl is the bestselling Christian author who became an alcoholic, not the other way around. It's usually the other way around. Or is it? "Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic" is all about real stories, radical vulnerability, and remarkable comebacks of people who have struggled with alcoholism and addictions of all sorts.

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