Why does December, of all months, make us feel behind, overwhelmed, and weirdly glued to our phones? You weren’t made to scroll your way through Advent.

It’s supposed to be a season of joy and peace, but instead, we’re juggling gift lists, family expectations, stretched budgets, and late-night scroll sessions that leave us more anxious than rested.

This week we’re talking about why doomscrolling hits harder in December and how you can reclaim peace, presence, and attention with one simple routine: protecting the bookends of your day.

We’re talking about why our screens are so hard to put down in December and how Advent invites us into something deeper than curated joy and Pinterest tablescapes.

Here’s what’s inside the episode:

• Why doomscrolling feels worse during the holidays
• 4 hidden reasons your brain craves your phone at night (and what to do instead)
• How social media distorts your perception of Christmas without you even realizing it
• The truth about Advent waiting, and why your soul actually needs it
• A powerful morning + evening “bookend” practice to reset your attention this month

Let this December be different.

Resources & Next Steps:

🔲 Get Brick: A Digital Wellness Device to Help You Overcome Digital Distraction. You just tap your iPhone to it, and it activates a custom focus mode you’ve already designed. Tempting apps? Blocked. Helpful ones? Still accessible. Want to learn more or try Brick yourself? Get 10% off with my link here:👉https://julianneaugust.com/brick

Take the Screen Time Personality Quiz and get your 3-Day Digital Peace Plan - a free guide to help you reset your screen habits and reclaim your focus. 👉Screen Time Personality Quiz

📲 Grab Your Free Wallpapers Get your free gallery of truth-filled phone and desktop wallpapers, designed to help you pause, reset, and refocus every time you reach for your device. 👉Digital Wallpaper

Let’s Connect! Share your experiences by leaving me a voice message through Speakpipe on my website!

📩 Email: hello@julianneaugust.com

🌐 Website: julianneaugust.com

🎙️I would be so grateful if you followed the podcast and took a minute to leave a written review, it helps this message reach more listeners who need it!

Black Friday wants your money. Your phone makes it almost effortless to give it away. But what if the real cost isn’t your bank account but your peace?

In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on the psychology behind holiday marketing, especially the kind that targets you right on your phone. We’ll talk about why your screen is your biggest vulnerability this season, how shopping “deals” are engineered to hijack your attention, and how to stay grounded when the pressure to buy feels nonstop.

Whether you love Black Friday or dread it, you need a strategy to shop with intention and protect your peace. I’ll give you four simple practices you can use right now to stop impulse buying, keep your focus anchored in Christ and your phone from ruling your holiday mindset.

So, before you hit “add to cart” for the fifth time today… take a pause with me here first.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why your phone is the most powerful shopping tool retailers use (and how they target you)
• How to spot emotional marketing and avoid it
• The spiritual connection between Black Friday and Advent you might be missing
• What Hebrews 13:5 and Psalm 23:1 reveal about contentment in a culture of consumption
• 4 simple, biblical practices to shop with intention, not impulse
• One screen-free habit that can anchor your whole holiday season

Resources & Next Steps:

Take the Screen Time Personality Quiz and get your 3-Day Digital Peace Plan - a free guide to help you reset your screen habits and reclaim your focus. 👉Screen Time Personality Quiz

📲 Grab Your Free Wallpapers Get your free gallery of truth-filled phone and desktop wallpapers, designed to help you pause, reset, and refocus every time you reach for your device. 👉Digital Wallpaper

Let’s Connect! Share your experiences by leaving me a voice message through Speakpipe on my website!

📩 Email: hello@julianneaugust.com

🌐 Website: julianneaugust.com

🎙️Don't forget to follow the podcast and leave a written review, it helps this message reach more listeners who need it!

You open your phone to check one news headline… and before you know it, you're three disasters deep, your chest is tight, your mood’s wrecked, and you’re wondering why you feel so heavy and anxious all the time.

That’s doomscrolling. And it’s not just a bad habit, it’s a brain trap.

In this episode, we’re breaking down why you keep reaching for bad news even when it leaves you drained, how it affects your mental and physical health, and what to do about it. You’ll get real, science-backed tools (no fluff) to shift your habits and start living from a place of peace - not panic.

What you’ll learn:

• The scary reason your brain loves bad news (and how to interrupt the cycle)
• What the “quicksand effect” is and why it explains your screen-time spiral
• Signs that doomscrolling is wrecking your sleep, mood, and even your body
• 3 powerful strategies to break free without needing more willpower
• How to gently help someone you love who’s caught in the scroll
• A better way to stay informed without losing your peace

🎧 This isn’t about ignoring the world’s problems. It’s about refusing to be consumed by them. Choose one strategy, try it this week, and notice the shift. You don’t have to stay stuck in the scroll.

Resources & Next Steps:

Check out Episode 5 and download your FREE Guide to Grayscale with step-by-step screenshots to turn your phone into a calm, less-distracting space. 👉Guide to Grayscale

📲 Grab Your Free Wallpapers Get your free gallery of truth-filled phone and desktop wallpapers, designed to help you pause, reset, and refocus every time you reach for your device. 👉Digital Wallpaper

Take the Screen Time Personality Quiz and get your 3-Day Digital Peace Plan - a free guide to help you reset your screen habits and reclaim your focus. 👉Screen Time Personality Quiz

Let’s Connect! Share your experiences by leaving me a voice message through Speakpipe on my website!

📩 Email: hello@julianneaugust.com 📱 Instagram: @julianne.august 📘 Facebook: Julianne August

🌐 Website: julianneaugust.com

🎙️Don't forget to follow the podcast and leave a written review, it helps this message reach more listeners who need it!

Have you ever convinced yourself you were being productive… while still glued to your screen for hours?

You're reading articles, watching tutorials, downloading podcasts and telling yourself this is different, because it's “educational.” But deep down… you’re avoiding the very thing you know God’s calling you to do.

Yeah. Been there. Still there some days.

It’s called procrasti-learning, and when I first heard that word, it was like someone peeked into my life and labeled this very sneaky, very justifiable form of digital distraction. It looks noble, feels responsible, but it’s quietly stealing our time, focus, and spiritual impact.

In this episode, we're talking about:

• What procrasti-learning is and how it disguises itself as growth
• Why your love of learning could be keeping you stuck
• How screens make procrasti-learning feel productive (and why that’s dangerous)
• What the Bible says about moving from knowledge to action
• The surprising spiritual cost of staying in "preparation mode"
• 4 practical steps to help you stop consuming and start doing

We don’t need more information – we need transformation. And sometimes, the most spiritually mature thing we can do… is just start.

So if you’ve been stuck in a learning loop, bingeing podcasts, books, and free webinars instead of taking action, this one’s for you. It's time to break free from the distraction that doesn't look like distraction.

Resources & Next Steps:

Ready to start tracking your progress and building habits that actually stick? Download your free digital wellness habit tracker now and start small, stay consistent, and celebrate your wins. 👉Habit Tracker

Check out Episode 5 and download your FREE Guide to Grayscale with step-by-step screenshots to turn your phone into a calm, less-distracting space. 👉Guide to Grayscale

Take the Screen Time Personality Quiz and get your 3-Day Digital Peace Plan - a free guide to help you reset your screen habits and reclaim your focus. 👉Screen Time Personality Quiz

Let’s Connect! Share your experiences by leaving me a voice message through Speakpipe on my website!

📩 Email: hello@julianneaugust.com

🌐 Website: julianneaugust.com

🎙️Would you take a minute to leave a written review, it helps this message reach more listeners who need it!

I recorded this episode during a quiet retreat where I finally had space to slow down, unplug, and listen. And it reminded me just how much noise we’ve come to accept from our screens. If you’ve been feeling scattered, edgy, or just not fully present in your own life, this is your reset moment.

These five everyday screen habits might seem small, but they quietly train your brain to live distracted. And when that becomes your norm, it’s nearly impossible to experience a clear mind or focused, Spirit-led day.

In this episode, I’m sharing practical shifts that can help you take your attention back -- one small habit at a time.

What you’ll hear in this episode: • How constant notifications quietly train your brain to live distracted • Why your bedtime scroll is wrecking your sleep and focus • A fresh reminder that self-control is not optional, it’s spiritual

Resources & Next Steps:

Ready to start tracking your progress and building habits that actually stick? Download your free digital wellness habit tracker now and start small, stay consistent, and celebrate your wins. 👉Habit Tracker

Take the Screen Time Personality Quiz and get your 3-Day Digital Peace Plan - a free guide to help you reset your screen habits and reclaim your focus. 👉Screen Time Personality Quiz

Let’s Connect! Share your experiences by leaving me a voice message through Speakpipe on my website!

📩 Email: hello@julianneaugust.com

🌐 Website: julianneaugust.com

🎙️Would you take a minute to leave a written review, it helps this message reach more listeners who need it!

Is Your Attention Being Stolen or Given Away?

If you’ve been walking with me since those first few episodes, then you’ve already taken some bold, intentional steps in your digital life. You’ve started noticing the invisible pull of distraction. You’ve built awareness. You’ve faced the hard truths. Today we’re going even deeper because it’s not just your time that’s being stolen.

It’s your focus. Your peace. Your presence.

And the tough truth is... we’re not just victims. We’re volunteers. Every scroll, every swipe, every buzz we chase, it’s not just happening to us. It’s a pattern we’re participating in. But don’t worry I’m here to help you take it back.

In this episode, I’ll walk you through:

• Why your attention is more valuable than your money (and who’s profiting from it)
• The hidden link between spiritual warfare and digital distraction
• What Scripture teaches us about focused pursuit
• Four surprising culprits that are secretly draining your attention
• Eight practical habits to rebuild your focus muscle this week
• And the powerful payoff of reclaiming your attention

This one gets real. But I promise it’s worth it because once you understand the cost of distraction, you’ll never look at your phone the same way again.

🎧 Hit play and let’s press into what matters most.

Resources & Next Steps:

📲 Grab Your Free Wallpapers Get your free gallery of truth-filled phone and desktop wallpapers, designed to help you pause, reset, and refocus every time you reach for your device. 👉Digital Wallpaper

Take the Screen Time Personality Quiz and get your 3-Day Digital Peace Plan - a free guide to help you reset your screen habits and reclaim your focus. 👉Screen Time Personality Quiz

Let's Connect! Share your experiences by leaving me a voice message through Speakpipe on my website!

📩 Email: hello@julianneaugust.com 📱 Instagram: @julianne.august 📘 Facebook: Julianne August

🌐 Website: julianneaugust.com

🎙️Please follow the podcast and leave a written review, it helps this message reach more listeners who need it!

Hashtags: #DigitalWellness #DigitallyDistracted

Dopamine, Distraction, and the Quiet Voice of God

Is your phone running your day... or is dopamine?

This week, I’m pulling back the curtain on the chemical that's silently driving your screen habits and showing you how to take back control. Dopamine isn’t just the “feel-good” chemical, it’s the reason you can’t stop checking your phone, chasing likes, or refreshing your inbox when you’re supposed to be focusing or praying.

But this isn't just about science it’s about your soul.

We’ll walk through how our brains were wired for survival but are now stuck in “dopamine abundance,” how that messes with your ability to feel joy in everyday moments, and most importantly, how this impacts your relationship with God.

We talk about the spiritual cost of distraction and how to reclaim your attention as an act of worship.

If your brain feels foggy, your spirit feels noisy, and your screen time feels out of control, you’re not alone and there is a simple, practical next step you can take today.

🎧 In this episode, we’ll explore:

• What dopamine actually is and how it fuels your screen habits
• The seesaw or teeter-totter effect: why you crash after every scroll
• How big dopamine spikes make real life feel boring
• Why distraction isn’t just a productivity issue, it’s a spiritual one
• The Bible story that changed how I think about silence
• Simple ways to start a dopamine fast to reset your brain and renew your attention

You’re living in a world that’s built to hijack your brain. But you can take it back, one small step at a time.

Resources & Next Steps:

Take the Screen Time Personality Quiz and get your 3-Day Digital Peace Plan - a free guide to help you reset your screen habits and reclaim your focus. 👉Screen Time Personality Quiz

🔲 Get Brick: A Digital Wellness Device to Help You Overcome Digital Distraction. You just tap your iPhone to it, and it activates a custom focus mode you’ve already designed. Tempting apps? Blocked. Helpful ones? Still accessible. Want to learn more or try Brick yourself? Get 10% off with my link here: https://julianneaugust.com/brick

📲 Grab Your Free Wallpapers Get your free gallery of truth-filled phone and desktop wallpapers, designed to help you pause, reset, and refocus every time you reach for your device. 👉Digital Wallpaper

Let’s Connect! Share your experiences by leaving me a voice message through Speakpipe on my website!

📩 Email: hello@julianneaugust.com 📱 Instagram: @julianne.august 📘 Facebook: Julianne August

🌐 Website: julianneaugust.com

🎙️Don't forget to follow the podcast and leave a written review, it helps this message reach more listeners who need it!

Hashtags: #DigitalWellness #DopamineDetox

Ever wondered what your screen time is actually feeding you? If you’re struggling with screen addiction, reaching for your phone without thinking, or feeling mentally drained after hours of scrolling, the problem might be what’s on your digital plate.

We talk a lot about carbs, calories, and cutting back on sugar...but when’s the last time you stopped to ask: What’s on my digital plate?

This episode will help you reframe your screen habits using a powerful (and surprisingly relatable) metaphor: your digital diet. Because just like food fuels your body, what you consume online fuels your brain and your spiritual life too.

If you’ve been feeling mentally bloated, spiritually drained, or caught in the cycle of scroll-regret, this one’s for you. I’ll walk you through a super practical “digital plate” framework that breaks your screen time into meals, snacks, and junk food, plus give you the tools to bring balance back to your mental menu.

And don’t worry this isn’t about cutting screens cold turkey. This is about simple, brain-healthy habits that actually nourish your mind, body, and spirit.

Let’s reset what we’re feeding our brains, one scroll at a time.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• Why your “digital diet” might be the hidden root of screen addiction
• The 3 types of digital content: main meals, snacks, and junk food
• The spiritual cost of constant digital consumption
• 3 simple ways to portion-control your screen time this week
• Why breaking screen addiction starts with what’s on your digital plate, not your willpower

Resources & Next Steps:

🍽️ Table Talk: 50 Conversation Starters for Screen-Free Family Dinners 👉 Table Talk Guide

📲 Grab Your Free Wallpapers Get your free gallery of truth-filled phone and desktop wallpapers, designed to help you pause, reset, and refocus every time you reach for your device. 👉Digital Wallpaper

Let’s Connect! Share your experiences by leaving me a voice message through Speakpipe on my website!

📩 Email: hello@julianneaugust.com 📱 Instagram: @julianne.august 📘 Facebook: Julianne August

🌐 Website: julianneaugust.com

🎙️Don't forget to follow the podcast and leave a written review, it helps this message reach more listeners who need it!