It’s healthy to unplug sometimes!

So, it seems this last week or so, my brain has been hijacked by all things technological and has been in constant ‘learning mode’.  I’m on a rapid learning curve how to set up automated mail newsletters, whilst updating my website and learning about marketing for my upcoming book. At the same time, I’m bouncing around trying to do things to help start my career in public speaking, researching other speakers and their websites, having zoom calls and learning the art of crafting a good speech. (Oh, and maybe watching endless TedX talks too!) When I’m not googling and researching something my head is buried in a book learning ‘how to do something’ … my current read is ‘Newsletter Ninja’. Which as boring as it may sound, I am actually enjoying! 

Because this is all new to me, and because I cannot see ‘results’ for all my efforts, it has probably taken over a little. I have found it hard to put my laptop and/or my mobile down in the evenings and just chill out. 

I’m not getting any younger and whilst I do so love learning, my brain has never been particularly great when it comes to technology. I know the difference between a pdf file and a jpeg but that’s about it! I somehow managed to waste 3 hours trying to work out how to upload photos for an online album which will be my ‘giveaway’ gift to readers of my new book (via a site called bookfunnel). Oh, what a strange world I seem to have entered. I’ve been used to selling beauty products and doing team meetings for the last five years! 

BUT… here comes the good news! I managed to unplug this afternoon. I had a beautiful  reconnection with mother nature and literally felt my somewhat frazzled hard drive finally shut down.  

I was out walking my dogs in the woods and it was a gloriously sunny afternoon. I realised I had left my phone in the car and after a momentary feeling of panic, decided I would leave it there.

As I was limping along with my walking stick I realised how quiet it was; not a soul around apart from me and my dogs. I noticed the sun was streaming through the trees ahead of me and glistening on the soil that I was approaching. I stood still when I reached it and had a moment where I felt totally grounded.  As I felt the warmth of the sun on my face and I breathed in deeply, all I could hear was the birdsong around me. (Oh, and maybe my Labrador Mabel bounding through the undergrowth). 

I realised at that moment how my world had become intensely focused on social media, google search, emails, booking courses, mobile phones etc. and that I had completely lost my grounding with mother nature. Being out in nature brought me back to calm, peace and feeling unplugged from the computer world and connected to the natural world again. I realised that I may have been neglecting these things over the last week. 

I have decided I will take some time off from social media this week whilst I re-establish some balance and focus on the final read-through of my book and let go of ALL the other heavy learning stuff for now.  I will feel so relieved when I finally hit that publish button on Amazon. But even more relieved if you follow the link from my book (if you read it) and receive an automated email that takes you to a landing space with a free gift from me that actually opens! 🤣