Dis-Connecting… INto Life!

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In this highly interconnected and chaotic world, it can be nice sometimes to just ‘switch off’.  And switch off is exactly what I did recently when I decided that I needed a sanity break.

I’m an entrepreneur business owner of a successful coaching and professional speaking practice, and a single mum. My life is full and abundant (that’s my reappraisal for crazy, mad, busy with very little time to stop and catch my breath)! 
 
Over the years I have developed habits and routines to ensure I do get the ‘me’ time I need each day to maintain my sanity. I’m up at 4.30am – I meditate and journal for an hour (that’s my ‘me’ time), I post my theme on facebook to share with the world, I walk the dogs, I then commence my day with getting lunches made, breakfasts sorted, files ready to go, kids to school, client work, pick up kids, get dinner organized, help kids with homework, do my admin, collapse into my comfy bed.

That’s my typical day, so you can imagine that when I was asked to attend an interstate wedding recently, in a remote country region with very poor wifi, my initial reaction was ‘yes, great, it’s going to be awesome to switch off for a couple of weeks.’ And I did! 
 
At first I freaked out a little, thinking that the world around me would fall apart, that my clients needed access to me, that my kids would need to contact me, that someone somewhere would want or need to speak with me…..I couldn’t have been more wrong. 

When I arrived, there was no internet signal at all – I actually breathed a sigh of relief. What a novel situation – an opportunity to truly disconnect from the ‘outside’ or non-present world, and to deeply connect with reality and the present moment – every one of them.
 
My attention became expanded and fully focused on what was going on immediately around me. It was delightful. I was able to focus entirely on being present with family, and friends. I was able to truly relax and enjoy the moments I was in. I appreciated the lack of distraction and my ability to tune IN my focus and more deeply connect with the people, places and spaces I was in.
 
There was no pressure to be anywhere else, to see anyone else, to attend to anyone else, to speak with anyone else – I had full permission to simply BE, and to really appreciate where I was, the people I was with and enjoy enriched interactions with no other distractions other than nature’s sounds in the background.

It was bliss. A day felt like a week. A week felt like a month. Two weeks felt like a year!
 
I felt so at peace. I did not feel stressed or anxious. I felt relaxed and my mind felt it had taken a proper vacation from the busy-ness of my life. I decided I would definitely do it again and more often.
 
When I returned home, I decided to start having ‘technology free days’ (TFD) on a regular basis. Sundays are now my sacred TFD  – no tv, no computer, no mobile phone. It’s awesome!

The kids aren’t too impressed, but my mind, my heart, and my soul delights in experiencing Sundays the way they used to be when I was growing up. Sundays was all about family, visiting loved ones, attending to ‘homey’ priorities and preparing for the week ahead.
 
The biggest thing I realised is this: life is simple, we are the ones who complicate it!