You know that feeling you sometimes get, being overwhelmed with even the tiniest of things? Feeling bleugh and blue? In my personal experience it can really help if you step away for a moment. Walk away from what you´re doing and begin something completely different, even if it´s for a short amount of time. I´m calling it ´ going into human airplane mode ´, and today I´m sharing my five favourite ways of going from yuk to yay by zoning out!
My Five Tips
- Phone on Airplane Mode – It might be the most obvious one (ok, yes, it IS the most obvious one) but… Simply turn off your mobile phone for the day. Or even for a few hours. Nowadays SO MANY stimuli are coming from your phone, it’s crazy. You have phone calls (although those get rarer and rarer, thank god, not a fan lol), text messages, emails, WhatsApp messages, DM´s & notifications from Instagram/TikTok/Facebook/Twitter, current news streams etc. We aren´t built to digest this constant influx of info 24/7 and by simply turning it ALL OFF, you´ll immediately feel way more relaxed. The other weekend I went to the beach for a couple of hours WITHOUT MY PHONE and you know what? I survived! Or may I say, I even thoroughly enjoyed it! I felt so free.
- Yoga/ Meditation – Do a quick session of Yoga, Meditation or Stretching. You can find fantastic free sessions, for instance on You Tube. Just type in: ´20 min yoga stretch exercises´ or ´10 min mindful meditation´ and all kinds of options pop up. There are also great apps available. One of my favorites is Insight Timer – Lots of guided meditations and breathing sessions on there, and again… all free!
- Reading/Watching TV – To completely refocus your attention, just turn on the TV or sit down with a book and watch/read for 30 mins. This will divert you from whatever you´re thinking about & feeling and your mood might have increased a little bit afterward.
- Hobby – Spend an hour or so on doing something that makes you happy. For instance, journaling. Or writing. Or, like me, I fell in love with Padel Tennis (Padel Tennis is a sport originating from Argentina and it’s played a lot in Spain; it’s a combination of tennis and squash). Whenever I play (which is a lot!) I’m totally in the moment and forget everything else around me.
- Walking/Nature – Gardening, walking or forest bathing (yep, that´s a thing!) are amazing ways to get a clear head and get your happy hormones going. It has been proven that being in nature for at least 30 minutes lowers stress, (mild) depression and anxiety and can make you feel more inspired and connected. I personally don´t do this one often enough but it´s high on my ´want to do better in 2023´ list 😉
So… these are my Top-5 Tips to get into your own personal Airplane Mode and hopefully help you to go from yuk to yay in no time!
