Do you switch off properly?

Draining your battery…

All things stress-related drain your battery. This could be work, relationships, training, travel, worries or even relentless thinking.

We need to properly recharge our own batteries regularly and effectively to ensure we are performing at the level we want to be, both professionally and personally.

A great way to do that is to switch off.

And I mean off off.

But is your off switch broken?

I realised my off switch is totally broken when these things happen/ed to me…

• I took 2-3 days of my holiday to really wind down
• I felt/feel guilty for not working
• I continually think of the ‘next job/task’ which I need to do, even when resting
• My calmest moments are on a plane travelling when it’s impossible to be connected
• My rest isn’t restful. It’s training or watching a film, doing some housework or doing a different work task.
  • It isn’t full rest or recovery, it’s another wired task which I want to do but tends to amp me up not calm me down

How do you fix your broken off switch?

With difficulty, discomfort and kicking away your crutches as discussed in last week’s newsletter.

I had to apply some firm rules with myself and ultimately decide what ‘rest‘ actually is.

For me, I had to take some intentional. steps and be strict, I also had to sit down and write out what was restful/cup-refilling and what was me just numbing, putting a sticky plaster on a broken leg and point blank amping me up not chilling me out.

Different things give you energy and everyone is different in what gives and takes their energy. Here are 5 things I have implemented (so far so good) in the last 2 weeks that have impacted me.

1. Cut out alcohol completely-yet to feel the much-hyped impact of this but I am sure it is doing its thing under the surface
2. I created a vision board (post coming on this soon) and I now sit and stare at that before bed, first thing, and anytime I want a social media hit (it stops that ‘need’ in its tracks)
3. Put on a hypnosis/mediation before sleep as opposed to aimless scrolling
4. Moved social media apps to 4 swipes away on my phone. This one has been huge
5. This one is multi-pronged but all involve limiting access to stressors. Screen time down/removed. I’ll head for a walk with no phone. Sit in silence for a set period of time-uncomfortable at first but liberating after some time.

There are more I have been experimenting with, but these are the 5 which have been consistent and impactful for me.

Everyone is a work in progress.

But for us to make that progress we need the head space, which comes from regeneration.

Maybe fixing your off switch can really help you as it has for me.

Josh Fletcher
The Practitioner Wellness Guy