There is a quote that Anne Lamont made in a TED talk that struck with me.
“Almost anything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes. Including you.”
– Anne Lamont
This is funny when you think about our electronics.
We’ve all done it.
The system isn’t responding right, we unplug, wait 20 seconds, and plug back in.
9 times out of 10 it works!
Unplugging Ourselves
What happens when we apply this to ourselves?
How might we recognize when our system isn’t responding right?
What are the signs we need “unplugged”, paused, and plugged back in?
When we find ourselves snapping at our spouse, coworkers, or kids.
When we feel stressed and overwhelmed.
When we are digging in to defend a POV that we really don’t care that deeply about.
Or, when we are trying to solve a problem and the solution just isn’t emerging.
These are just a few examples of our personal operating system going out of whack.
Once we start to recognize these moments, we need an unplugging process.
We can escape to a room with complete silence (even the bathroom) for 5 minutes.
Or go outside for a 5-minute walk around the block.
If we can’t leave the space we are in, we can be silent and not speak for 5 minutes.
Or quietly take 5 deep breaths.
Shift our mind to a different topic.
Focus on calm.
Your Turn
Do you recognize times where you should be “unplugged”?
What unplugging strategies could work for these situations?
How can you help others start to recognize when they need to be unplugged?