Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you. …….. Anne Lamott
Unplug for clarity, unplug to solve problems, unplug to gain peace, unplug to get centered, unplug to gain understanding, unplug for health, unplug for balance, unplug to recharge, unplug for appreciation.
In today’s environment, news feeds are 24/7. We are in an age of constant updating/uploading new and/or revised information. To keep current, we find ourselves sleeping with devices in our beds or very close –- always on alert. Although we humans are the most sophisticated intelligence on the planet, we have allowed something ‘less than’ to control us! As Katrina Kenison shares in her essay, Why You Must Have Time Alone, “In solitude, we see more clearly. Alone—in moments of prayer or meditation, or simply in stillness—we breathe more deeply, see more fully, hear more keenly. We notice more, and in the process, we return to what is sacred.”
Let go of your devices for one to two hours a day. While cooking and eating a meal, spend that time with a loved one without the aid of your mobile devices. Try it while taking a morning run or walk the dog without your earplugs. Move devices from under your pillow to a table across the room. Unplug for the full effects of reconnecting with you. You’ll find yourself relaxing for the first time in a while. You become more alert and more focused with better clarity.
At first, take small breaks, then increase to one hour a day, then two hours a day. Schedule time to unplug at a set time on the weekends or your days off work. If you are a business owner, it can be nearly impossible; nonetheless, it can be done. Let it be known that you will be off-line/ off the grid during that time. The world will not fall apart during your absence.
Some of the most successful people in the world unplug. They unplug so they can create new ideas and renew their spirit; they unplug for days, even weeks at a time. I once recommended to a client that while driving to her mothers every Saturday, that she turn her phone off for the 45-minute ride. Her resistance was that she makes business calls during the trip, or makes calls for her mother — she would say it is a very productive time spent. It took her a few weeks before trying it out; it only took a couple of weeks before she began to notice the landscape and scenery along the drive. Her weekly visits with her mother became more vibrant with a deeper connection, and she stopped making business calls on Saturdays.
Be kind to yourself and reclaim a margin of stillness in your life. It can make a world of difference and bring you joy. I think you are worth it, don’t you? Unplug to recharge your mind, body, and spirit.
