In a world that constantly tries to make you feel like you’re not enough, resting can be a very brave thing.
A few weeks ago, I visited Montana to spend time with my family and friends. As I sat in the cabin on vacation, I was uncomfortably aware of the texts and emails popping up on my phone and going unanswered (first lesson: turn off your email notifications when you’re on vacation).
As our worlds become more and more virtual, the ability to take work with us wherever we go becomes more and more possible. We go on vacation, but why not bring the laptop and work while we’re there? We can be productive anywhere these days, even in a secluded cabin.
There seems to be an unspoken expectation to remain accessible. Always. I mean, who doesn’t have a smartphone these days?
The email notifications pop up. The text messages roll in.
Usually, they’re not all that urgent. And, usually, we attend to them as if they are.
As I pushed away the inner urge to pick up my phone and laptop during the trip (and failed a few times and succeeded a few times), I had several realizations:
Resting can feel awkward and foreign.
Not being readily available to others can feel uncomfortable.
Being present with people in real-time is good for our souls.
Most things can wait.
Yet, we live in a society that hasn’t normalized or encouraged rest and pausing.
And so, even when we find ourselves in remote locations surrounded by peaceful nature, it can feel strange to unplug – like we’re breaking some unwritten rule and wasting our week away in the land of unproductivity.
Here is a case for pausing and why it’s more important than rushing to respond to that text:
1. Your nervous system gets a break.
In 6 Ways to Give your Nervous System a Break, Crystal Hoshaw writes, “The nervous system truly craves space and silence. Every activity is a little stimulating. Truly giving our nerves a break means we’re feeding them the minimum amount of stimulation possible and maximizing rest and rejuvenation.”
2. You get to connect with yourself.
When we pause, we create space for reflection and tuning into how we feel. This leads to less knee-jerk reactions and more thoughtful responses.
3. You get to connect with so many other things:
nature, your meal, your breath, your family.
You take some of your power back.
Taking time to pause helps rewrite the story that says you have to be available to everyone all the time. That’s not true, not healthy and extremely draining.
You give yourself an opportunity to find meaning in more than achieving.
I won’t pretend unplugging is easy. Here are a few small ideas that still have the power to add up to big shifts:
A walk around your neighborhood or in nature without your phone
Putting your phone on airplane mode as you begin or end your day
Taking five minutes to close your eyes and breathe. Even one minute!
Making a conscious decision to respond to non urgent emails and texts at one designated time each day vs scattered throughout the day.
All of these acts allow us to become more intentional with our energy, more grounded in our bodies, and, frankly, more relieved.
You are more than what you do.
I felt that as I listened to the rushing river and the chirping birds. As I stared at the magnificent mountains. As I sipped a cup of tea and tuned into the conversations that were happening right in front of me.
