Eve didn’t realize how worn out she was.
She was always on the move – tasks to complete, customers craving her attention. She had become “the face of the office.” Everyone needed her. Everyone relied on her.
She told herself she was being productive.
But somewhere beneath the performance, she was craving attention too.
Daily, at 5:30 a.m., her phone rang with an alarm and reminders waiting. Emails arrived before her feet touched the floor. Deadlines followed her throughout the day, and by nightfall, she found herself scrolling, not for joy, but to escape the boredom of silence – her life was filled with activity.
She called it productivity.
Her nervous system called it survival.
One evening, caught in traffic, she instinctively reached for her phone to catch up on social media as usual. But instead, she caught her own gaze in the rearview mirror.
Her eyes looked heavy, tired and sleepy.
For the first time in months, she asked herself a question that stilled the noise in her head:
When last did I truly rest?
Eve Unplugged!
Eve decided to unplug – not permanently, not dramatically.
Just long enough to remember who she was beneath the notifications.
That night, eve silenced her phone and went to bed earlier than she had in months. Over the next few days, Eve closed everyday before 5pm.
She took a walk without earbuds.
She wrote her worries down instead of carrying them in her chest.
She spoke honestly about how overwhelmed she had been feeling.
And slowly, something shifted.
Her breath deepened! (Deep breaths are powerful tools to reduce stress by triggering the body’s relaxation response).
Her thoughts softened. Her presence returned.
What began as a quiet evening became something more – a return to herself.
This is a reminder that we don’t always need to escape our lives and keep up with the hustle and bustle of life.
Sometimes, we just need to return and give ourselves the gift of presence, dedicate time to tend to your inner self.
Why Unplugging Is Not Disconnecting
Mental health is a practice, not a destination. Eve’s story is a gentle invitation to that practice. Unplugging isn’t about rejecting technology or abandoning your responsibilities, unplugging does not imply disconnection but a reconnection to one’s self.
It’s about reclaiming the moments that your daily activities often steal from you:
- The pause between thoughts.
- Taking a deep breath before responding.
- The stillness that allows us to hear our own voice again.
We create space for what truly matters when we unplug from pressure, comparison, and the belief that rest is something we must earn.
We reconnect to peace, to purpose, and to ourselves.
Small Switches translate into Big Shifts
You don’t need a long retreat or a radical life change to begin. You just need one honest moment.
Eve found three little switches, and you can too:
- Swap scrolling for stillness.
Try five minutes of silence before bed. No screen. No sound. Just you and your breath!
- Swap performance for presence.
Notice when you’re doing things for approval.
Ask yourself: What would I do right now if no one were watching?
No masking, presence supersedes performance!
- Swap isolation for honesty.
Share how you’re actually feeling.
Name what overwhelms you.
Sometimes, naming it is the first step toward releasing it.
Healing Begins When We Unplug
At Peramind, we believe mental health isn’t always about staying plugged in. Sometimes, it’s about creating space.
- Space to breathe
- Space to feel.
- Space to be human.
Unplugging does not imply disconnection.
It’s a reconnection with that part of yourself you’ve been too busy to listen to.
So tonight, if you’re tired, try what Eve did.
- Pause.
- Unplug or switch off.
- Come home to yourself.
Unplug. Listen. Reset. Heal.
About The Author
