4 Easy Ways to Get Offline & Give Your Brain a ‘Detoff’ Break

Last week I wrote about The Power of Relaxation and how important it is for our bodies, minds and emotions to unwind.  Our attention is constantly barricaded with a million pieces of information pulling us in a million different directions, at every second, throughout the day. Whether it’s the latest unicorn toast trend on Instagram, your friend’s text messages trying to pick a place for dinner, the television breaking news on another awful tragedy, your after-hours client email thread growing longer and longer, or your family sending photos from their exotic getaway in Asia.

You can only imagine that with so much information to process, the brain doesn’t know what to focus on and this results in a strewed and scattered mind. With our attention pulled all over the place, we can’t be productive. We can’t whip up some unicorn dust whilst replying to Anna’s dinner deliberation, absorbing facts in a news story and answering client’s concerns, let alone think about what the f*ck it would be like to be out on that Balienese sail boat soaking in the sunset with mum and dad.

So what happens? We get stressed. 

The availability of information is overwhelming, yet we put our brains through it morning, noon and night; the constant barrage of flickering images, text, videos, products, etc that all require processing by minds which were designed to hunt in the wilderness and navigate from the stars.

So, how can we give ourselves a break? Get offline for a few minutes each day and allow your brain to ‘detoff in this guided meditation.’

Here are four easy ways to Detoff-

• Morning – don’t check your phone or turn on the tv until you have woken up properly, taken the dog out and had your unicorn latte. This way you start the day by connecting to yourself, not your network. Which means you’ll be much more grounded when you decide to get on it.
• Noon – eat lunch away from your desk and phone. Preferably outside. Give your attention to your food and enjoy the flavors, tastes and nutrition it is providing for you. Allow yourself to chew slowly and focus on each mouthful, this will help clear your mind so you feel much more focused when you get back to it.
• Afternoon – take an afternoon walk around the block without your phone, or somewhere in nature is even better. Take in the sights, views and scenery and imagine you’re seeing each object for the first time. This will bring you back into the moment and you’ll be much more present if you have to get back on it.
• Evening – do some light, restorative yoga poses (without your phone, laptop or the tv on), light some candles, take a bath, meditate and maybe even journal some of your thoughts from the day. This will bring you much more centered and by this point you probably won’t even want to get back on it!

If you are enjoying the calm clarity and productive presence a Detoff will bring, then you will enjoy taking an extra 15 minutes to listen to one of my relaxing, centering and de-stressing meditations or read 4 Simple Ways To Make Meditation A Part of Every Day Life.