It’s often a simple solution that can work wonders for us, and freeing ourselves from “always-on” may be the key.

Young adults and wellness enthusiasts have started adopting the “analog bag” as their new accessory trend. An Axios article describes a tote or backpack filled with physical things rather than digital devices and applications. Items include everything from reading material to knitting or art supplies — whatever the person enjoys doing in their free time.

Why items other than our trusted digital gadgets? Simple. It’s to free ourselves from what we have failed to see as an invisible “prison” of sorts, as we doom scroll or experience FOMO. Are you a “prisoner?”

Few of us realize how much of our time is taken up with these things and how much we may have lost in terms of just being able to relax and not always be looking for information or a call from someone or whatever. What’s wrong with just sitting and musing? Nothing. As a matter of fact, research has shown that that’s a good thing to do occasionally.

People choose to use analog bags because they want to try a digital-free living while they focus on their mental health. The “analog bag” movement reflects a desire to experience physical things, as digital distractions split our attention across multiple things. This idea of the “analog bag” movement combines traditional values with modern psychological understanding.

What Goes Into One?

Users can select physical items from their bag to start engaging with the world through hands-on activities like drawing or taking pictures with film cameras, or even digital cameras. Let’s not bemoan the fact that we don’t have film cameras in use much these days. Digital is great and allows you to take more photos than you ever dreamed of. I can remember coming back from a vacation and someone asking me if I took photos. I responded, “Yes, I took 800 photos.”

According to Axios, the number of TikTok posts with #AnalogLife increased by more than 330% during the first nine months of 2025 compared to the same time period in the previous year. The trend appeals to young people who experience digital exhaustion because they want to protect their mental attention from external control.

The first mental health advantage of using an analog bag emerges from its ability to help people control their attention while developing mindfulness skills. Research indicates that people who spend too much time on screens experience poor sleep quality, increased stress levels, and decreased life satisfaction. For kids, it might even affect their reading skills, attention span, or even their creativity. When was the last time you knew a young child who was learning a skill that was not digital-related? Hi

Recently, I watched a documentary on Long Island’s bay houses. You may think this is just a throwback to when people were clamming on that island, but there was a way of life that people still revere, and digital is not part of it

How to Use It

Research participants who limited their smartphone usage to less than two hours per day for three weeks achieved moderate to small improvements in their depressive symptoms, stress levels, sleep quality, and overall well-being. The analog bag system works according to behavioral-habit theory because it replaces the automatic phone-checking habit with physical activities like journaling, film photography, and knitting. How many of you realize that men have taken up knitting? If we think back to the seafaring days, men made all of that incredible scrimshaw and macrame. Knot tying was something they did. Today, we limit it to Scout activities. Not a good idea.

Through sensory experiences, deliberate pacing, and physical barriers against digital interruptions, the analog bag provides a framework for being present in the moment. Users can experience different textures through paper handling, camera shutter sounds, and yarn touch.

Research in psychotherapy indicates that people who practice grounding activities through their senses achieve better emotional control and reduced mental wandering when their attention is divided. The practice of carrying an analog bag enables them to pursue their creative interests through writing, drawing, and photography. When was the last time you allowed yourself to be creative?

The concept of accessibility is a significant benefit because users can practice it without joining retreats or purchasing specialized equipment, simply by carrying a bag and choosing different activities. The bag provides a portable solution for people who experience screen alert overload and deadline pressure, creating small moments of digital-free time.

All wellness trends come with specific drawbacks that need to be considered. The main drawback of this approach emerges when people use the analog bag as a status symbol instead of an actual mindfulness practice.

The value of the analog bag decreases when people use it to display their mindfulness status through their tote bag. Do we always have to concern ourselves with the trappings of status? Can’t we free ourselves from that practice, which is disingenuous?

What Are the Benefits?

Research shows that screen time reduction leads to better well-being, but the studied effects remain limited to small to moderate improvements, and people struggle to maintain these changes. Participants achieved maximum benefits from screen time reduction, but their screen time levels returned to pre-study baseline after the follow-up period. The analog bag provides no guaranteed benefits because users need to maintain consistent usage and make actual behavioral changes instead of just displaying the bag as a fashion item. It’s like having a treadmill in your home and never using it except to hang clothing on.

Digital tools don’t automatically create negative effects because many users do find mental health benefits, social connections, creative outlets, and cognitive stimulation through their digital activities. The absolute rejection of screens fails to recognize individual differences between people. Is it worth a try? Is your mental health worth a try? Most of us would say, “Yes, it is.”

Anyone who experiences clinical anxiety, depression, trauma, or disordered attention needs therapy, medication, and structural support instead of depending on a bag for their treatment. How, then, should you look at this new distraction? It functions optimally as an attention-management technique that supports existing practices but doesn’t serve as a standalone treatment. No, there’s no “treatment” here, only substitution for something else.

People should select specific items for their bag that bring them genuine pleasure, including sketching, writing flash fiction, photography, knitting, and reading. The bag should remain accessible at all times because people should use it during their boredom, fatigue, or idle moments. They can track their progress rather than focus on perfection, noting their feelings after using the bag and its impact on their attention span and scrolling behavior.

Research also indicates that people who intentionally disconnect from digital devices experience better attention skills and lower stress levels, and develop better self-awareness. The analog bag functions as an actual tool that people can use in their collection of digital wellness strategies.

The bag prompts us to examine what items we store in our daily attention containers. Our minds function as carriers of ourselves, or do we use them to navigate through life? The bag symbolizes our ability to make choices as we slow down to engage in physical activities and creative pursuits rather than scroll endlessly.

The small change of using a notebook instead of a feed or a camera instead of a scroll can create positive effects that lead to better sleep quality and reduced stress and more detailed creative output.

So is this just a gimmick one of those hyped wellness techniques or does it have real utility for you or most of us?Only time will tell and only your experience will tell you if it is worthwhile for you. Don’t run with the pack. Consider what you need.