‘Analog bag’ viral TikTok trend swaps phones for creative hobbies

What if your New Year’s resolution could fit into a carrying case? Social media users are trying out the “analog bag” trend, swapping phones for offline activities.

The trend is largely credited to TikTok creator Sierra Campbell, who shared her own analog bag containing a puzzle book, portable watercolor set, Polaroid camera, planner, and knitting supplies and encouraged her followers to make their own bags.

Her video prompted many people to share their own versions with items like magazines, card decks, paints, needlework and puzzle books.

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“I packed a bag of non-digital activities to keep my hands busy instead of the phone,” Campbell said, adding that the app has significantly cut down on screen time and filled her life with “creative and social pursuits that don’t involve doomscrolling.”

“I created the analog bag after learning that the only way to change a habit is to replace it with another habit,” he told Fox News Digital.

The science of healthier habits

California-based psychiatrist and founder of Amen Clinics, Dr. According to Daniel Amen, research on habit formation supports the analog bag idea.

“Your brain is a creature of habit,” Amen said in an interview with Fox News Digital. “Neurons that fire together wire together, which means that every time you repeat a behavior, whether good or bad, you strengthen the neural pathways that make it easier to do it again.”

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Research shows that habits are automatic responses to certain cues, such as boredom, stress or free time, that often provide some type of reward, according to the doctor. Without alternative behavior, people tend to fall back into the same routine, often without realizing it.

Research suggests that replacing an old habit with a new habit linked to the same cue is more effective than trying to suppress the behavior completely.

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“[When] Cutting out coffee – not just quitting cold turkey, you need to have another drink. This is how the pathways in our brain work, Campbell said.

By changing to a different routine that still provides stimulation and engagement, people can gradually weaken the original habit and create a new automatic response.

Choosing another activity instead of scrolling on your phone can help suppress the urge to reach for that activity. (iStock)

“It is very difficult to simply stop a behavior,” Amen said. “It’s much easier to replace a habit with something that’s better for your brain. That’s how permanent change happens, step by step.”

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If alternatives are available, people will be more likely to use them, the doctor said. “Your brain is much more successful with small, simple actions than with big, vague intentions.”

Instead of saying, “I’m going to stop scrolling today,” the doctor suggests choosing one small habit you can do in a few minutes in certain situations, like knitting 10 rows of scarves during your commute to work or reading a few pages of a book while waiting at the doctor’s office.

“If alternatives are at hand, you are more likely to use them,” said one brain doctor. “Your brain is much more successful with small, simple actions than with big, vague intentions.” (iStock)

Campbell shared her own examples of how to use an analog bag. He said that when he was at a coffee shop with friends, he might come up with a puzzle and ask others for help with the answer when the conversation got stagnant.

Instead of taking dozens of photos on her phone, she uses an instant camera, which limits shots and encourages more intentional moments.

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In casual outdoor settings like a park or winery, bring a small watercolor set for a quick creative outlet.

“I’ve been delighted to see how it resonates with so many people,” Campbell said of the analog bag trend.