Explorer Log: Entry 7 - What I learned from 10 days unplugged
It’s hard to believe it’s already July, we’re beyond the half-way mark of this calendar year. And yet, at the same time, it has been a long six months.
Plans set for 2025 have been upended.
The market is wild.
Uncertainty has spiked.
Volatility is the new normal.
Political violence is on the rise.
Unexpected personal and professional challenges abound - health, family, loss, financial, more - for myself, for most people I know and for many clients I work with.
I have been working to develop community, to support my people, to be present with my clients. I’ve started new partnerships - The Community Table, The Uncertainty Advantage Collective - provided for and held space for others who are struggling in some of the same and many different ways.
I have been struggling with the ebbs and flows of maintaining a business, with securing volunteers for organizations I work with, with my own inner work. So many doubts that I thought I had overcome have come creeping back in from the corners of my mind, inner monologues of concern, worry, questions of value and identity. Nothing so severe to warrant serious concern, and I gather a pretty standard solopreneurial rollercoaster, but certainty taxing.
I was exhausted, on a deep level. I made a stupid but material mistake on a collaborative project. My emotional capacity dropped. I was short with my husband and kids. I felt physically tired. I had hit a wall. It was time for rest, to soak in the power of the pause that I recommend to so many others.
And so I went to the mountains with my family, a place that I have a deep connection to and where the closest neighbor is a mile away. There is internet (only connected in 2021) but, with rare exception, I managed to stay blissfully free from my computer and most of my phone connections. We also had no real agenda. We moved slowly, walked freely, napped, swam, read books, played games, and simply enjoyed the openness of the days.
Coming back after about 10 days unplugged, my energy is back and I have a restored sense of calm. More interestingly, I also feel like I’ve stepped back into someone else’s life. This refreshed me is grounded, doesn’t rush, and is wondering why the older me ever thought she could try and cram so much into a single day? No wonder I hit a wall.
It took me going away and completely unplugging to reconnect with myself.
Since coming back, I’ve reflected on what this time away and now re-entry into ‘normalcy’ has illuminated. Below are some of the learnings (or re-learnings) that I’ve had. I’m curious if there’s anything here that resonates with others and would love to hear your thoughts.
I had been abdicating power to my Calendar Troll - In working with my own coach, it came to light that there is part of me that clutches on to a false sense of control and achievement by scheduling every minute of every day. I now playfully call this part of me my Calendar Troll, sitting under my desk yearning for more obsession over the colorful grid that is my Google Calendar. But just this week, another part of me - the part that I reconnected with when unplugged - whispered, ‘what if you didn’t schedule that one thing? What would happen if you felt into it instead of jamming it into your calendar?’ Yikes! The thought of trusting myself in this way made my Calendar Troll jump. I don’t have an answer yet but I’m loosening the Calendar Troll’s grip on my anxieties and leaning into feeling to give my intuition more attention.
I deeply crave physical movement and outside time for overall health and wellness - Coming back to my desk (even a standing desk) and the demands awaiting me there, even in just two days, has brought noticeable hip joint discomfort and nightly headaches. Wow! I’m sure these pains were there before, but I was too busy to notice. I miss regular walks, movement and time outdoors. These are things I believe we all need more of and crave more than we realize, myself included.
Nurturing a connection to something greater is powerful grounding - It is so easy to slip into the busyness of our daily lives, the myriad demands on our time and attention, both personal and professional. Urgency can start to trump importance when we’re mired in lists, calendars and pinging device alerts. Picking our heads up from this myopia and reminding ourselves of something greater - unique to all, but for me is deeply rooted in nature - is a vital step to ground into a deeper connection with self, others, and our world. Nurturing this in your own way can help challenge and re-focus priorities, what’s important, and even our sense of time.
No agenda holiday time is different from planned holiday time - I love a full holiday plan, seeing the sites, moving around, eating all the local highlights, etc. We tend to have fairly active family holidays. Indeed, I don’t remember the last time I had an extended no-agenda vacation. But wow, did my nervous system need it. I felt restored in a way I often do not when we have a planned holiday. Note to self: More no-agenda time off, please!
I relearned how to connect with my body, to listen deeply and honor what was there - When I was tired, I rested. When I want to work out, I moved my body. When I didn’t want to work out, I didn’t. The “shoulds” melted away. It helped that we were in such an isolated place, but I do not want to let go of the reminder to be still, to let things be quiet, and to notice what’s there. It doesn’t have to be formal, meditation, or even alone. Just the remembering to pay attention to the wisdom in my body was powerful.
I know what I need - I often resort to looking to external sources for guidance; that latest podcast, recommended book or even to what others are doing (hello, Linkedin). This is something I’ve talked with my coach about several times. In unplugging and pausing, I found what I needed. We all have more internal wisdom than we realize, I say this to clients regularly. What I re-learned, is that pausing and finding quiet amidst the noise is where the answers are.
I’m sure that I will need to return to this list regularly as these learnings are overshadowed by normal life. But these are significant reminders that I will work to hold on to with this renewed sense of self that I’m coming back with.
At this midpoint of the year, I encourage you to pause in your own way. What do you need today, this week, this month? What is one action you can take to honor what it is that will help make you whole?
⭐️ I am deeply invested in you being the best leader that you can be, and partner with clients on three things:
✅ Bringing calm to the chaos
✅ Having clarity in decision making
✅ Maintaining confidence in their leadership
That’s what you get when you work with me - ✨ calm, clarity, and confidence. Interested? Curious? Know someone who might benefit from this work? Let me know and let's explore, together.
Schedule a free introductory call: https://calendly.com/mcl_coach/30min
Copyright 2025 MCL Coaching & Consulting LLC
