Hellobee

I recently finished reading the book Hands Free Mama by Rachel Macy Stafford and I could not wait to come back here and share it. This book was so incredible and it honestly prompted a lot of changes in my life that have had a major, major impact. The book is all about learning how to let go of perfection, slow down, and step away from the reliance on technology and social media that so many of us have. Stafford runs the blog Hands Free Mama (which I also recommend wholeheartedly!) and has so many amazing things to say about this subject, and she writes with an honesty and openness that really hits home for me.

I was given this book for Christmas last year – I was so excited because I love Rachel’s blog dearly and have been reading for years. I am always looking for ways that I can reduce my reliance on my phone, the internet, and all of the things that leave me distracted, so I was incredibly excited to dive in. In the introduction, Stafford recommends that you read the book over the course of a year – there are 12 chapters and each one is broken down into four sections, so you can easily read one short section per week.

Normally I struggle to keep on track with this sort of thing, but this book was so engaging that I greatly looked forward to reading the new section every Saturday evening. I often found myself nodding along in agreement or tearing up at the truth of the words on the page in front of me. I found myself in so many of her stories and they stuck with me long after the book had been closed.

Throughout the book, Stafford shares anecdotes about her life before she was “hands free” and how much of a perfectionist she used to be. Her description of her past self rings very true for me at times – always in a rush, trying to get from one thing to the next, working all the time…it sounds like me and a lot of other people I know! Stafford shares these little stories about her children and how they unknowingly taught her how to let go of the need for perfection and embrace a more slow, quiet, and hands free life. At the end of each little section, she shares a challenge that relates to the topic for that week – for me, having that challenge to read every week was such an impactful way to help me continue thinking about my goals long after I had put the book down.

Over the course of the year, I can’t tell you how many times I noticed myself getting distracted or missing important moments with Jackson and was able to stop and walk away thanks to the reminders in this book. More than anything else, it helped me to be aware of how distracting my phone and my laptop can be and how important it is to just step away from them and focus on the tiny little moments with my family instead.

At this point, one year into my “hands free” journey, I can tell you that my attitude towards my phone and other technology is completely different than it was at this time last year. I still struggle with distraction and missing out on moments with my family because I’m checking Instagram for the 5th time in an hour, but overall I find myself leaving my phone behind more and more and not hesitating to set my computer to the side when Jackson asks me to play with him.

I don’t believe in the least that technology or social media is a horrible thing that needs to be avoided – I love surfing Facebook just as much as anyone else, but I do think that my reliance on it had gotten to a point that I’m just not comfortable with. I hated that I would get stressed if I didn’t have my phone on me or that I couldn’t sit through an hour-long television show without checking my email. Now? I typically leave my phone on the table by our front door and don’t grab it unless I’m doing something specific. Mr. Garland sometimes even gets annoyed with me because I never have my phone on me anymore when we’re in the house and sometimes I have no idea where it even is. It’s so freeing to not be quite as attached to social media, and reading this book was a huge push in that direction for me.

I still have a long way to go and a lot of progress to make, but I can’t gush enough about this book and how life-changing it was for me. Stafford has a new book that just came out called Hands Free Life and it’s on my must-read list now!

Have you ever heard of the “hands free” movement? What are the ways you work towards being more present in your day-to-day life?