Just unplug.

One of the simplest techniques for temporary stress reduction is to 'unplug'. That is, get yourself away from the many distractions of modern life. I've read about this several times and have actually tried it in a casual way. This usually happens when I take a vacation, since things like the phone and the computer rarely come with me.

Last weekend, the wedding that we attended happened to be at a very nice inn located in an out of the way town on the Maine coast. Because of the nature of the weekend, the activities planned and the inn's lack of 'technological amenities', we ended up unplugging for quite a while. Between Saturday evening and late Tuesday afternoon, we watched no television, read no newspapers and answered no phones. The main 'brain activity' was reading (Natalie Goldberg's The Great Failure: A Bartender, A Monk, and My Unlikely Path to Truth). The limit of technology use might have been the claw cracker used at the big lobster feed on Sunday night.

During all of that time I managed to not think about work, my house, Iraq, George Bush, John Kerry, the Red Sox, the Olympics, terrorism.

One thing is certain: those self-help articles were not foolin' around. It was a calming experience.

Now, did I 'miss' anything 'given up'? Yes and no. The computer: what, are you kidding? Television and phones: no. I watch very little TV and can't stand the phone (a guy I work with described it perfectly "I have to psych myself up to call someone I know"). The newspaper: sort of. I've been reading a daily since I first began lugging around the Hartford Courant bag when in seventh grade. Heck, I like the smell of newspapers.

Just as stress can negatively impact creativity, reduced 'mental noise' levels gives it a boost. All sorts of ideas were popping into my head. Very invigorating (just like the sea air...man, I'd love to bottle that stuff.)

Upon return to 'civilization', most of the bad thought gremlins returned, along with the stress. It made me think that the idea of balance in life just might be more important than I'd realized.

Maybe it's time to build myself that cabin in the back yard.

(First posted on Mark Is Cranky)