Have you ever wished your life had a pause button? Or that the world would freeze like a computer when you become overwhelmed so you can get your thoughts and emotions in check and all other people see is an error message on your forehead? While being hyperaware of every meal your colleagues eat because of Instagram or never missing the latest cat video your Facebook "I think I knew you but I don't think we were friends" friend from high school shared with your entire graduating class to keep everyone in touch may seem like a great idea--sometimes your sanity is jeopardized by all the alarm snoozing, iPhone clock checking, and notification nagging. You may even nostalgically think back to a time when you were little and you existed in a no streaming, uploading, downloading, or hash-tagging zone.
Life on remote control--like in the Adam Sandler movie Click--seems like a great potential solution, but this article does not have "buy one get two free life controller" offer at the end of it. What it does offer is some very real options for you to hit your pause, sleep, or restart setting should you need to.
1. Pull the plug...
While it is easy enough to say, "Let's switch off", let's actually switch off. Solitude is a great way to gather yourself in order to achieve the state of recharge you'll need to detach from technology and the demands of other people for as long as you need. Give yourself permission to fuel all of that energy and attention into one sole source--you.
2. Be a professional at being disconnected...
Doctors, nurses, counselors, yoga teachers are all masters of knowing where this on/off switch is--the ability to connect with people to listen, help, or heal while also staying disconnected from their negative or hurt energy. Become mindful of not sharing too much of your emotion with others and, more important, not swallowing too much of other peoples emotions.
3. Tap into your inner energy...
The art of closing your eyes to recollect a state of being has been a practiced art since the beginning of time--use it. By allowing yourself space to close off, breathe deeply and slowly, and rest your stress, anxiety, or worries, you instantly disarm the internal alarm, disconnecting from the stress security system. The passcode is an easy one to remember: breathe.
4. Go off the grid...
No willpower to not check your phone? Easy--go for a walk somewhere where there is no service. Take a walk, jog, hike, or swim at a distant beach or a park and remove any connections from your life. Even the art of driving in your own company with the radio off can be a peaceful way to start every morning. Who knows, traffic jams could become your place of bliss!
5. Get a ritual...
Try a variety of things over the next few weeks when you feel you the need to disconnect and make note of the ones that left you feeling great. Make an effort to make those things part of your daily or weekly rituals. It could be something as simple as a lavender bath, a 20 minute daily meditation, or simply an hour a day where you turn off all things that have a power plug or a battery. Make disconnecting a ritual to help you reconnect with a peaceful, healthy, and happy state of mind.
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