To some 3 days is nothing, but to a blogger and influencer it feels like a month. My job requires me to constantly be on my phone and laptop no matter if it’s checking my social media, emails, editing, or writing. In all honesty, besides last week I can’t remember the last time I unplugged for more than 24 hours.
Now that… that is sad. I guess I just never thought about it until now. I didn’t realize just how much I was on my phone until I lost service and WiFi. Yes, it is my fulltime job. Am I addicted to my phone? I think in a sense yes but more so I’m in addicted to working. I push and push myself to do better and reach higher levels. As a mother and wife, I have struggled with feeling like I am not giving my family my full attention as much as they deserve. A friend reminded me that it is indeed my job and she is right. But I also work 6-7 days a week, with little to no full breaks. That is where I have been messing up and failing. So when we went on our trip this past week we hit a dead zone for phone service and besides down at the check in lodge, there was no WiFi. At first I will be honest, I freaked out. The thought of not working besides covering media for our vacation scared me and for the first day I stressed thinking how behind at work I was going to be. Then it dawned on me, I need to soak this time in and enjoy it. Let me just say, I did just that!
I completely unplugged from all social media, emails, and phone calls for 3 whole days. And boy, did it feel AMAZING! I enjoyed fun adventures with my family, slept in passed 5am, didn’t worry about responding to emails, and as crazy as it sounds, felt less stressed and tension then I had in months. I think I have been so “go, go, go!” with work I had forgotten to force myself to slow down and take in the moments. I enjoyed a fun day with my family going up Tioga Pass and even had to use a map because our gps had no service! I got to sit around the campfire and just talk without any distractions. I got to go hiking and sit by the river catching up and telling jokes. I got to lay in bed and snuggle with my kids instead of working as the mornings are when I do the majority of my work. It felt amazing and made me realize that I need to force myself to unplug more, even if it is just one day a week. I have made a pact with myself to unplug 100% one day a week for a month and want you all to do the same! Leave your phone, laptop, and tablet in your desk drawer and go live. Go explore, go on a date, go to the lake with friends, or even just have a family movie day. But let go of the rest of the world for the day and just be! We only live once. Work can wait. Instagram can wait. Emails can wait. It may sound hard or scary, but I promise you that you won’t regret it.
Xoxo
Christian
Memories With The Mulkeys 