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1. The Book You Didn’t Know You Needed. A Refreshing, Realistic Approach to Tech Well-Being
   “Reclaim Your Mind” isn’t about guilt or going off-grid. It’s about balance. Jay Vidyarthi understands that technology is woven into our lives, and instead of demonizing it, he offers a refreshing, pragmatic approach to using it with intention rather than against our well-being. It’s something we all need today.What stood out to me was how practical and empowering this book is. Instead of vague advice or extreme rules, Jay provides simple yet effective strategies rooted in both personal experience and broader societal context. It made me more aware of the nuance in my own tech habits and journey. No shaming, no unrealistic expectations—just real, actionable insights to help reclaim focus, joy, and presence in a hyper-connected world.If you’ve ever felt torn between wanting to unplug and needing to stay connected, this book is for you. It’s not about digital detox—it’s about digital balance and building a healthier, guilt-free relationship with tech. Highly recommend!

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2. Finally, a middle way! Super interesting & helpful!
   You may have rolled your eyes at tech optimists arguing that tech will solve all our problems. You may have scoffed at hippies telling you to get a dumbphone. Reclaim Your Mind is the first book to propose a middle way. Jay shows you how to enjoy tech while maintaining your sanity. I couldn’t stop sending quotes to my family and friends! Reclaim Your Mind is the first realistic and actually helpful theory and practice of tech wellbeing. It’ll bring joy to your life and unlock your potential.

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3. A Healthy Relationship to Technology
   I’ve been trying to manage my addiction to my phone and technology for years, and this has been a breakthrough moment for me. Reclaim Your Mind lays out a practical approach to having a healthy relationship to technology. It’s fun and fascinating read

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4. Navigating technology from a place of wisdom, not fear
   Too many books/advice givers suggest either/or approaches to technology that either don’t work or that are largely fear-driven. This book and the wisdom of Jay Vidyarthi is something else: a middle path that marries wisdom from mindful meditation and a realistic appreciation for what technology can offer us. A must-read for those struggling to find a healthy path forward in our modern world of technology.

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5. Finding a middle path for tech
   Thanks to Jay Vidyarthi, Still Ape Press, and NetGalley for providing me with a chance to read an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.I struggle a lot – particularly these days – with doomscrolling through news and social media feeds, to the point that it crowds out activities that bring me joy or strengthen me. But I’ve also made important friendships and had valuable experiences online. Jay Vidyarthi gets both sides of this issue.This book doesn’t minimize the way that tech is designed to take ruthless control of your attention or the downsides to tech overuse, but it also is clearheaded about the ubiquity of tech in modern life and the genuine enjoyment it can bring. You won’t be scolded for being attached to your phone here, but you will be encouraged to turn mindful attention on your technology use – to figure out when it’s serving you and when you’re serving it. Experiential activities are included to help guide a more mindful approach to tech.I came away from this book wanting to implement more of its strategies moving forward. I do wish he’d said more about how tech affects different types of brains – there’s an aside about his arguments and techniques maybe not applying to people who are neurodivergent, and I wish he had fleshed that out more. Some parts of the early book feel repetitive. But overall this is a worthwhile read. I can see myself recommending it to my therapy clients.

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6. Really insightful and useful book
   In a generation where there is constant tech guilt paired with tech addiction, this book gives really helpful insights, reframes and exercises to create a healthy relationship with tech. Really highly recommended for the content itself, and for the writing style. Jay walks the talk on this topic, and this book reflects that.

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7. A Great Perspective From A Nuanced Friend In Your Corner
   I come to you as someone who didn’t think he had more to learn in this space, but I was wrong. I’ve used Screentime for years. I was a beta user of Freedom and other apps that helped me navigate the space. I’ve been mostly off social media and consistently ensure I spend time more meaningfully online.But Jay manages to go significantly beyond what I’ve seen before. He navigates the conversation about technology in a human and mindful way. Without shame or explosive rhetoric he advocates a “middle way” without it feeling like a failure. His beautiful stories about how he’d gotten addicted to tech and then rebelled against it mirrored my story. His way of taking techniques of meditation I’ve practiced my whole life and beautifully describing how to use them in reference to these daily distractors was well done.Especially, what’s most important about this book is it encourages you to take your power back. It’s easy to oscillate back and forth in between blaming tech companies for manipulative design and feeling helpless to avoid them. Jay shows us how to use them as a way to empower and understand ourselves. I made a couple changes that will probably save me hours a week and help me reflect on the hours I still spend. Thanks Jay!

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8. So insightful
   Powerful read

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9. Wow! This book opened my eyes to the many invisible habits I have developed around tech — and most of them are not that healthy. But I never felt judged or like I was facing some insurmountable challenge. Throughout the book, Jay is like an encouraging partner, gently giving me tools I could try to ease my tech guilt and develop healthier habits.I found myself nodding along with Jay’s personal anecdotes as he described his own relationship with technology, and how it had changed over time. I felt so seen! A lot of his struggles are things I’ve struggled with too, like that feeling of emptiness after a TV binge session (even when you think it will relax you!), or wanting to check email notifications just one more time before bed and getting sucked in.The concrete strategies at the end of each chapter were so, so helpful. Each one approached a different aspect of tech, and gave me insight and awareness into how I interact with it, followed by suggestions for improving my tech habits.This is going to the top of my “Gift List” for lots of loved ones next year!

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