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Free your mind...and the rest will follow

Pauline Henderson

I heard on a podcast a few months ago that we now take in more information in 1 day than we used to in 1 year. No wonder we're feeling burned out!


The digital age is amazing and allows us to do things quickly, and keep in touch with people all over the world. But like everything else, if we don't have controls in place it can become overwhelming, leading to stress and anxiety!


How often do we automatically reach for our phones without thinking - during a commercial break, when waiting on kettle to boil, when we wake up in morning, in the queue in a shop etc. Mindless scrolling at things we're not really that interested in, all for quick dopamine hit. It's an actual addiction and is now being added into medical textbooks alongside other addictions and mental health disorders 😲


I'm taking a few steps to help me take back control and get more headspace back:


Reducing screen time

I'm working on spending less time on my phone/laptop at the moment to free up more headspace and time.


Sometimes, I still slip up and mindlessly reach for my phone. But I have started leaving it another room when watching TV etc to avoid that.


There's also a societal expectation that we should always answer calls or reply to a text immediately. I often hear my phone and feel I should reply immediately, even if I am in the middle of doing something. That's a bad habit and part of our instant gratification culture. So I am pulling back from that too and replying when it is convenient for me.


Digital declutter

Those who know me, or have followed my page for a while, will know I love a good declutter. This week I am having a digital declutter. Doing this not only frees up space on our devices (which helps them work faster/better and preserves battery life), but it creates headspace too and reduces that overwhelm.


Here are some tips that may help you too:

Unsubscribe from email lists

When you buy something online from a retailer you get bombarded with emails thereafter. I used to find myself spending time every day and getting annoyed at all the emails I'd have to delete. Now before I delete an unwanted email, I consider if I want to hear again from that company, and if not I unsubscribe before I delete. That saves me time!

Move important emails

Move emails that you want to keep into folders (easy to set up). That way your inbox will only be for new emails that you need to read, or existing ones that need follow up action

Clear out your photos

How often do we take several pictures of the same thing to get it right but don't delete the other ones? Or take pictures of things that we upload to social media but never look at them on our phones again? Only keep photos on your phone that you will want to look at again and capture your fab memories. Remember to empty your deleted items folder to free up space.

Turn off social media notifications

​We get notifications for likes, comments, friend requests, someone we know's birthday, a page we follow has uploaded a video, your old schoolfriend has just had their dinner. OK I made that last one up but it's only a matter of time 😜 Constant pinging of notifications on your phone, or that little number on the app, distracts your attention away from other, probably more important, things. Unless you need notifications on for business then turn them off (or at least go into your settings and disable the notification categories you don't need)

​Review the apps on your device

Delete any unused apps. Also sort your related apps together – either grouped together or sort into a folder (e.g. all your social media apps together, all shopping apps together etc). It will cut down on clutter, memory space and save time trying to find an app again.

Have a social media clearout

Be more in control of the content you see and spend your precious time looking at. Are you really ‘friends’ with everyone on your friends list - would you meet up with them for dinner or drinks? Just because you went to school with someone or used to work with them, or once met them on holiday or at a workshop, doesn’t mean you actually keep in touch or want to know what is going on in their lives. People won’t be notified if you have unfriended them. Also, look at what pages you follow (shops, holiday sites, etc) – if you’re scrolling past them most times, rather than being interested, then unfollow the page.

Delete unnecessary text/ whatsapp threads

​Do you keep all messages ever sent to you – that text from a retailer updating you on delivery, a thread with a family member or friend? These can take up a huge amount of space on your device, but also create an instant feeling of overwhelm when you go into your messages, and your brain sees all the information (it doesn’t know what’s been dealt with and what hasn’t)


These are just a few tips that may help you (there's tons more online). By decluttering, and spending less time on your device, you can free up much need headspace, as well as device space. This will help reduce feelings of stress, overwhelm, and anxiety. Free your mind and take back your power!


Pauline x

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