The watch

I’m approaching one year with an Apple Watch and I’ve grown to really like it. I was incredibly ambivalent about this purchase, so I got the cheapest one I could, an SE with no cellular capabilities. It turns out, this is the device that has helped me get away from screens more than anything else, which was unexpected.

I’m no longer on a computer all day long as I was at a different point in my life and I haven’t talked about that much, because I’m not sure how much I want to share about this new phase, but it’s definitely been a change. And the watch has allowed me to still get the important notifications without any sound or having to be near my phone or machine and I love that.

Not having cellular capabilities has also been wonderful, I can track my walks without hauling around the phone but also without any interruptions. It’s great! And when I’m out and about with my phone, it doesn’t need to leave my bag. But I’ll admit it, the fitness and health tracking is what I use the most. I didn’t realize how much I would find that helpful, but as I age, it’s good to know if I’m moving enough.

The other feature I use a lot is the heart rate monitoring. I don’t have heart issues, but it’s suprising how much keeping an eye on my heart rate has helped me recognize when I’m anxious and may need to do some things to deal with that anxiety. I didn’t even think of this before getting the watch, but I’m grateful for how much it’s helped me with mental health as well as physical health.

For a tiny device that sits on my wrist, I’ve found it helpful. I’ve almost no notifications on, the same set up as my phone, and so it rarely taps my wrist, interrupting me. But it’s tracking things as I go through the day and I’ve found that more useful than I would’ve imagined.