Books, Notebooks and a Slightly Calmer Brain
May 19, 2026
by Morayma MaKay
Writer / Blogger & Content Creator
Adulthood Rewired
Biography: Morayma Makay is a fashion model, mother, and writer. She has
dedicated the last 20 years to working in the fashion and health fields as
both a researcher and content creator.
“Support you mental wellness.”
——-
Technology and innovation can be great, but there’s a certain kind of mental fatigue we all struggle with that comes from spending most of our days on screens. It may not be a massive or dramatic burnout, but it is a low-level feeling of having too many tabs open in your brain at once. You bounce between emails, texts, headlines, videos, notifications, and somehow end the day feeling both overstimulated and completely mentally unfocused. That’s probably part of why physical books and handwritten notes feel so different now than they used to.
Books, Libraries, and Journals…Oh My!
A lot of people notice they absorb information more fully when they read on paper instead of a screen and tend to remember details differently, scenes stick longer, and ideas connect more naturally. It’s a slower experience in the best way. As a matter of fact, plenty of studies exist showing that students retain much more information when reading from physical text (and writing with pen/pencil and paper) than by doing so on-screen…and yet, despite all of the benefits, and the fact that most of us grew up pre-screens, we have gotten so used to consuming information quickly that sitting down with a book can feel slightly uncomfortable at first. It’s as if our attention spans have to stretch back out again, but once they do, there’s usually a noticeable difference in how calm and focused we feel afterward.
Reading an actual book also requires a different kind of attention than what we are used to giving nowadays. When you’re holding something physical in your hands, there’s less temptation to jump around or multitask every few seconds. You’re not one swipe away from checking messages or opening another app, and your brain gets to settle into one thing for a while, which feels increasingly precious and rare.
The Pen is Mightier Than The…..Screen.
Writing by hand has a similar effect as reading physical books. While typing is convenient, handwriting forces your brain to truly focus on the message you want to convey. You can’t move as quickly, so your thoughts naturally become more organized. Whether you’re journaling, making a list, or writing a letter, there’s a level of presence involved that just doesn’t happen when your fingers are flying across a keyboard at warp speed.
Journaling in particular can be surprisingly helpful for mental clarity. Thoughts often feel much bigger and messier when they stay trapped in your head, and seeing them written out on paper changes the scale of them somehow. Things become easier to sort through, and our patterns become easier to notice…which is why many therapists recommend journaling for patients suffering from anxiety and depression…and unlike social media or texting, handwritten journaling doesn’t come with the pressure to perform. Nobody’s reacting to it or interpreting it. You’re not editing yourself for an audience and it’s one of the few places where your thoughts can exist without being polished or filtered. Letter writing feels meaningful for similar reasons, and even a short handwritten note carries a different kind of energy than a quick text message. It takes more time, more thought, and people can feel that when they receive it. There’s something personal about knowing someone sat down and physically wrote something out for you…not to mention those notes, cards, and letters can become priceless keepsakes. Remember the love letters our grandparents used to write each other? That type of priceless.
A Return to the “Oldschool”.
What’s interesting is that these habits don’t just affect memory or concentration…they also seem to affect how we feel emotionally. Reading and writing by hand create a quieter pace mentally because our nervous system gets a break from the constant input that comes with being online all day. There’s something healthy about having a few activities in your life that aren’t optimized for speed…and as we know, a book doesn’t interrupt you every thirty seconds, a notebook doesn’t send alerts, and you can sit with your own thoughts without immediately being pulled somewhere else.
Perhaps that’s why these “oldschool” habits still matter so much…they give your brain a chance to focus deeply, think clearly, and slow down enough to actually absorb what’s in front of you…in the most human of ways.
