My #1 Trick for Managing Stress When Overwhelmed

I’m going to let you in on my #1 trick for managing stress during these highly stressful times…

Ready for it?

Turn off your phone. Get outside. Stop doing anything except for what you want to be doing.

I know, crazy right? I don’t just lock my phone and put it in another room or put it on “Do Not Disturb”, I literally turn it off for 1 hour. (Or more sometimes!)

Let me explain why.

Technology has advanced exponentially in such a short amount of time, which has been wonderful, and given us so many avenues of communication, 24/7. However, this can get distracting and even intrusive at times.

Turning off my phone even for just 1 hour per day allows me to have a true separation from notifications, social media, emails, etc. rather than trying to take a break, and seeing the notifications pile up.

Now, I know what you may be thinking: Are you crazy!?

You may think that by literally turning your phone off, people won’t be able to reach you, you may miss something important, etc.

But let me just remind you: it’s just for 1 hour.

Especially when you are feeling stressed, that 1 hour can make such a difference.

If there is a true emergency, there are still other ways of reaching me, but for the most part — most things can wait 1 hour. And I can’t tell you the relief I felt when I went to habitually check my phone, and it was a black screen.

I could even feel the relief as a physical experience in my body: my shoulders and stomach relaxed and I could breathe more easily.

The dilemma with our phones is that, especially if you work from home, even when you try to take a break by taking a walk, you may be using your phone to listen to music or a podcast.

Sound familiar?

But that means that your phone has to be on, and even if you have some notifications on “Do Not Disturb”, the little red number on the app still adds up.

This is soooooooo anxiety inducing, knowing that while you’re on your break, the work is still piling up.

Kinda undermines the whole intention of a break if you think about it.

Turning off your phone — completely off — for just 1 hour per day can help you get the relaxation that you truly need.

Give it a try and let me know how it goes for you. I just love experimenting like this!