My Phone Broke... and Taking a Break From My Phone Was a Blessing in Disguise
Updated: Oct 12
OMG! My phone completely broke this weekend. Taking a break from my phone like this had me feeling overwhelmed for a hot minute.
Saturday morning, I was editing content and listening to an audiobook when it started glitching. At first, I thought it was because I had too much on it. Honestly, that would make perfect sense. I have a million pictures and videos because I'm constantly capturing moments to turn into content.
Everything backs up, but I have this weird thing where I don’t like deleting anything from my phone until I’ve posted it. The problem is, I capture WAY more than I post. It’s something I’ve been working on—becoming more efficient in what I capture and for what purpose.
Apparently, storage wasn’t the issue this time because my phone completely shit the bed. I was so freaked out. Our phones are our lifelines. Plus, having no phone when you run businesses online is slightly problematic. But once I realized I wasn’t getting it back immediately—like 4 whole days—I thought, "Digital detox, here I come!"
And weirdly enough? It might have been exactly what I needed. The silver lining…
Apparently I Can Survive Without My Phone
Without my phone, I moved everything over to my computer. I took a break from social media and spent the weekend going through years of content I’ve collected. There are entire adventures sitting in folders that I’ve never shared. Pictures I’d completely forgotten about. Videos I took with every intention of posting and then...never did.
Instead of constantly creating something new, I started looking at everything I already had. I organized content, worked on my blog, and finished shipping my Mizzy's Boutique orders. I began figuring out how I could work more efficiently instead of feeling like I needed to capture MORE. This was part of my mental health revision.
And I got a ridiculous amount accomplished. Who knew? The productivity without my phone was efficient and way easier.
But the whole experience also made me realize how connected I’ve become to my phone and social media. When so much of your business exists online, it’s easy to feel like you need to be connected 24/7.
Turns out, I don’t. And I actually really liked slowing that part of my life down for a couple of days. It was a digital detox in the best way!
I've Been Doing a Lot of Regrouping Lately
The timing of all of this is interesting because regrouping has basically been the theme of my year. September 18 marked seven months since I went back on Lexapro. (I made a mistake in my blog stating 8 months. I have to go back and fix that.)
If you’ve been following along, you already know that earlier this year was ROUGH. My anxiety and depression went through the roof. Since then, I’ve been on a journey to figure out what my healthy place in life actually looks like.
This journey has required changing a lot of things.
My routine changed. My work changed. Spencer and I had to find better balance within our relationship. I’ve looked at my businesses differently. I’ve had to pay attention to what makes me happy, what overwhelms me, and what I actually want my everyday life to feel like.
One of the things I’ve realized through all of this is how easy it is to lose yourself without even realizing it’s happening. You get into the flow of life. You’re working, handling responsibilities, getting through the week, and moving onto whatever comes next. Then suddenly, you look around and realize you’re a little farther away from how you actually want to live than you intended to be.
That’s when you regroup.
I Needed More Balance
One of the biggest things I emphasized this year was that I needed more balance between our lifestyle world and regular everyday life.
Obviously, the swingers lifestyle is a huge part of my life. We own Mindbender Parties. We attend events and have friends within the community. I love having conversations about relationships, boundaries, communication, and all the complicated stuff that comes along with non-monogamy. It is absolutely freeing.
That’s not changing.
But I also told Spencer that I couldn’t live solely in that world. I needed to find work-life balance. I want vanilla adventures too. I want museums. I want history. I want to travel. I want to explore random places. I want interesting food. I want to learn things. I want to go somewhere simply because it looks cool and we’ve never been there before.
I don’t want to choose between those parts of my life. I want both. And I feel like we’re finally finding that balance. We can go to a lifestyle party one weekend and wander around a museum the next. We can travel somewhere for an event and still spend part of the trip exploring everything else around us. Spencer has always found adventure; I just needed more balance.
My Blog Is Starting to Reflect That Too
All of this has helped me get much clearer about what I want MizzyBender.com to become. For a long time, a huge amount of my content was centered around the swingers lifestyle. There will absolutely still be plenty of that because it’s part of my life, and I genuinely enjoy talking about it organically.
But it’s not ALL of my life. I want my blog to reflect the whole thing.
Mental health. Relationships. Travel. Self-love. Books. Adventures. History. Food. Swinging. Random thoughts. Things I’m learning. Places Spencer and I discover.
Basically, if it’s something I’m actually experiencing or interested in, I want there to be room for it here. And honestly, that feels really fucking good. I’m not trying to fit myself into one little category anymore. I’m just sharing my life. Just being me.
Maybe the Broken Phone Was a Blessing in Disguise
Okay, yes, I still want my phone back! But I am so thrilled to have a new way of working. I feel like the universe handed this problem to me to level up, and that is exactly what I am going to do.
What Taking a Break From My Phone Taught Me
What Taking a Break From My Phone Taught Me
I have a ton of content from the years that I can’t wait to share.
I can run much more of my business efficiently from my computer.
Being disconnected made me more intentional.
I don’t need constant social media access.
Balance feels better than constant availability.
I don’t have to be connected to my phone and social media all the time. I don’t have to keep doing things a certain way just because that’s how I’ve always done them. Sometimes you need to regroup.
That’s what I’ve been doing with my mental health. It’s what I’m doing with my businesses. And now it’s what I’m doing with my content.
This week, we’re heading to Canada, where we’re going to have lifestyle adventures AND explore Toronto and Niagara Falls. Honestly, it feels like the perfect example of the balance I’ve been trying to create. I’m excited to see where all of this goes.
But first... I really would like my fucking phone back.
Bold. Unfiltered. Empowered.
Mizzy
Questions About Taking a Break From Your Phone
Is taking a break from your phone good for you?
It definitely can be. Taking a break from your phone can give you space to focus, be more present, and realize just how often you’re reaching for it out of habit. I didn’t intentionally take a break from mine, but being forced to disconnect for a few days made me realize I don’t need to be connected 24/7. Apparently, the world keeps spinning even when I’m not holding my phone. It was an amazing learning experience.
Can taking a break from social media help your mental health?
For me, slowing down my social media use absolutely helped me feel less on the go. When you’re constantly scrolling, posting, responding, and thinking about what you’re going to create next, your brain never really gets a break. Stepping away reminded me that social media can be part of my life without needing to consume my life.
How can you reduce phone use when your business is online?
This was probably my biggest lesson because so much of my business happens online. Instead of trying to stop using technology altogether, I’m moving more of my work to my computer, organizing and scheduling content ahead of time, and using the ridiculous amount of content I already have instead of constantly trying to create something new. The goal isn’t to disappear from the internet. It’s to make my phone a tool again instead of feeling like I have to be attached to it all day. You can reach the same goal by implementing small steps each day.
Exploring Ethical Non-Monogamy
So, you're curious about ethical non-monogamy, or maybe you're already deep into the lifestyle? Awesome! I'm here to spill the tea, share my personal stories, and hook you up with seriously good educational resources. Think of me as your go-to... a judgment-free zone where we connect. Plus, Mizzy's Boutique has got some choice curated novelty products, and Mindbender Parties? Oh honey, those are for experiencing the lifestyle firsthand. Let's do this!
A Little More About Mizzy Bender
Bold. Unfiltered. Empowered.
I'm Mizzy Bender, an entrepreneur, content creator, lifestyle educator, and woman who believes life is far too short to live by someone else's rules.
From self-love and personal growth to sex, relationships, adventures, and everything in between, I'm here to share my experiences, challenge expectations, and encourage you to embrace every beautifully authentic part of yourself.
Whether you're here for a little inspiration, an honest conversation, or a whole lot of adventure, welcome to my world!
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Live boldly. Love freely. Be unapologetically YOU.
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