Have you ever found yourself lost in the quagmire of the internet?
Those times when you decide to quickly check facebook for 5 minutes or quickly check email, and you look up and realise that an hour or even two has disappeared.
It really does take some diligence to use our technology time wisely, and stay productive in a healthy way. This becomes essential when you are trying to bring yourself back from a stressed state into a more relaxed state.
Here are 5 smart ways to help you use technolgy in a way that will decrease your stress and add to the relaxation response in your body. Personally, I’m still trying to get more of a handle on number 4 below. Yes, I need to learn what I am teaching!
1. Work with only 1 or 2 Tabs Open on Your Computer
I’m sure you know this one. You click here, click there, you’re feeling a little scattered and maybe stressed, and it can be so easy to end up with 10 or 15 tabs open on your computer!
Let me assure you, this alone is sending your system into hyper-alert mode, because all you see on your screen are the tons of things you need to get to.
Come back and practise focusing on that one thing that you are doing.
This alone will help you to breath a big sigh of relief and subsequently help you create more of a relaxation response in your system.
2. Segment Your Time
Get really clear about the types of things you need to work on, whether this is work or personal, and do it in related chunks of time. For example, do a bunch of paperwork all in one go or make a few phone calls you need to make back to back.
You could also check your email all together 2 or 3 times a day instead of 5 times an hour!! (and just as a little aside, oh pleeeeease turn off those dinging devices that go off every time you get an email).
Always remember, that an email is most often something that someone else wants you to do, not something that is necessarily a high priority for you.
Choose certain times during the day to go through your emails in batches.
It may take some time to develop this new habit but oh so necessary to stay out of that all too often stress response (fight-or-flight).
3. Switch Your Phone to Silent
Let your phone be a tool that you check when it feels good for you. Again, that constant ringing and dinging on a stressed system will further arouse that stress response within you, even though you may not think it does.
It’s time for a new way folks. It’s a little like the email thing. You don’t have to jump and react everytime a ring or a ding goes off.
Rather choose to respond, and call or text at times that feel good for you.
This is about taking back control of your life, and being there for you.
4. Create a Technology Curfew
Ok like I said above, this is something that I am still personally working on.
BUT there is so much research now which shows that the effect of looking at screens like tv’s, computers, ipads, phones etc before going to bed will disturb the quality and quantity of your sleep. If you are dealing with adrenal fatigue and issues with stress, this really is the last thing you need.
I highly encourage you to create at least a 2 hour window between using or watching on these devices, and allow your brain some time to relax and unwind before sleeping (take longer if you need to).
Getting quality sleep is one of the single most important things you can do in alleviating stress symptoms in your body, and this is defintiely not something to gloss over.
If all you did was focus on getting a high quality and quantity of sleep each night, your life would transform.
In fact go back now and reread this section (me included), and don’t scan, but read it (unless you’re about to go to bed!).
5. Take Control of Your Technology Day
Consider before your day starts how you can best use your day and technology in a way that really serves you and your life.
Practice forming new behaviours that don’t involve things like scrolling facebook every spare minute or constantly checking email (and yes I have been at fault with this too!). Just notice how if you stopped doing this for a day (gosh even a few hours) how much more relaxed and calm you would feel.
Practice cultivating the habit of simply allowing some space to be there. You will get used to this. Take a few minutes here and there to simply be with yourself and breathe. Getting your system physiologically relaxed as often as you can is so, so, so, so, important………. need I go on………………
Remember that this is the place that your body heals from – this relaxed state. It does not heal from the place of filling up every few minutes of your day with doing yet another quick thing.
Make a promise to yourself that when that space appears each day (and it will), that you will consciously choose to relax your body and simply breathe and be for a moment.
These kinds of simple acts done consistently over time, are life changers. They are healers of the stress symptoms within your body, and bringers of a life that I know you yearn for. 🙂
You can do this, one piece at a time.
Start with one area and practice it for the next 30 days.
Print out these 5 suggestions as a reminder.
Breathe, and create space for yourself.
All my love
Lisa
