It feels like there’s this widespread expectation to be available all the time, and not just at work.
I’ve noticed that when people text me, it feels like they’re awaiting an immediate response. Consciously or not, that’s how my brain seems to react to new texts, emails, and messages now. You know what I mean? It’s like there’s this persistent layer of urgency that’s growing more and more rabid the more digitally connected we are. And I do it, too.
This is a topic that friend of the pod, Caleb Walker, brought up recently. Specifically, he’s seeing an uptick in a trend called “kidulting,” where people are returning to hobbies they loved and found joy in as kids, but that they’ve left behind in adulthood.
The Unobstructed Podcast: Episode 33
This episode of The Unobstructed Podcast is about rediscovering joy.
I was psyched to chat with Caleb about this because we both come from a background in marketing where, by day, we’re forced to be very digitally integrated. Likely as a result of that, we’ve been trying to find ways of distancing ourselves from an “always on” vibe when not working. Frankly, it’s hard. It’s also become impossible to ignore the growing connectivity-fatigue that’s showing up online of all places. So, at least we know we’re not the only ones wrestling with it?
The part of our conversation I loved most was talking about how social media skews self-worth. It took a very different turn from the somewhat normally discussed side-effects of comparison culture. Instead, we dug deeper into what we’re seeing this pattern do to the ways we look for affirmation (online and in real life).
Caleb surprised me with a few of the ways he’s making space for analog and low-tech joy. Music and mountain biking I’d expected, but some of the other things he’s getting into got my own wheels turning on how I can tap back into joy beyond digital.
We talk about all of this and more in the episode. You can listen above via Substack and also on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music.
onward.
If you enjoyed listening and want more of this kind of thing, I share reflections on similar topics each day as part of my daily column.
Sign up to get it here.
