Imagine this: you’re on holiday, sitting on the beach with a book in hand. You begin to read, but soon find yourself simply gazing at the ocean. No reading, no scrolling, no doing, just being. You notice the waves, a lone surfer in the distance, and the soothing rhythm of the tide. For a moment, your mind is at rest. You’re truly present. 

Moments like these are rare but can we not produce them in our working lives?

The Age of Distraction:  Are We Always “On”?

Now, most of us are constantly connected, scrolling, interacting, multitasking, rushing. In the pre-smartphone era, moments of pause were built into our day: waiting for a bus, gazing out a window, letting our minds wander. Those mental breaths have been replaced with screens.

According to a study by Reviews.org (Jan 2024), the average American spends 5 hours and 1 minute per day on their phone, that’s almost 2.5 months per year. In the UK, total screen time can reach 7.5 hours daily, according to the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA), with social media and messaging accounting for over half of mobile phone use.

And it’s not just about time. A study in the Journal of Medical Internet Research found that frequent social media use was linked to increased mental health issues one year later. This rise in screen time correlates with higher levels of anxiety, stress, sleep problems, loneliness, and even social avoidance.

Is Your Life Sustainable?

We are living in a way that is pushing our bodies, our minds, and our natural rhythms to our absolute limits. We’re burning out, mentally, physically, and emotionally.

So the real question becomes: Can we afford to continue this way?

Reclaiming Balance: How Digital Boundaries make a Difference

We’re not going back to a world without phones or laptops, and we don’t need to. But we can reclaim our attention and peace by drawing boundaries. Here are a few ways to start:

Start Your Day Without Your Phone

Instead of reaching for your phone, try a short walk, yoga, Breathwork, journaling, or meditation. This small shift can calm your nervous system and set the tone for a focused, positive day.

Turn Off Notifications

Take back control from the algorithm. Decide when you want to check in. Schedule specific time slots for social media scrolling and work-related browsing.

Unplug Before Bed

This one’s tough, but powerful: turn off your devices 1–2 hours before bed. Read a book. Have a conversation. Notice the difference in your sleep quality.

Stop Swiping, Start Reading

Social media has shortened our attention span, but we can rebuild it. Try paper books, both fiction and non-fiction. Start small and gradually increase. Reading allows your body and brain to absorb information at a natural, self-regulated pace. And with that comes a really satisfying feeling, because instead of staring at random topless bodies or shallow content, you chose something different. You picked something that inspires you, teaches you, or just lets you escape into a beautifully told story.

How can Meditation have a Tangible Impact?

When we disconnect from ourselves, nature, and our inner world, we experience the consequences, anxiety, chronic stress, and even stress-related illnesses like autoimmune disorders and heart disease.

Meditation doesn’t have to mean sitting cross-legged in silence. It’s about pausing, tuning in, and returning to your source, whatever that looks like for you.

Here are some meditation-like practices that reconnect you with yourself:

• Morning walks in nature (no phone), mindfully gazing at trees, flowers or the sky, the colour, textures ect
• Breathwork
• Mindful movement practices like Yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi, or Qi Gong
• Quiet moments of reflection, ratitude journaling, with a nice added ritual including tea, incense, or chilled music

Can Meditation boost Creativity?

10 minutes of meditation can seriously boost your creativity. It helps you relax, clear your mind, and think in new ways, so instead of getting stuck in the same old ideas, you start seeing more possibilities. You don’t have to be a meditation pro to get creative benefits from it. Several meditation techniques can boost your creative thinking even if you’re just starting out. A study by cognitive psychologists Lorenza Colzato and Dominique Lippelt at Leiden University, published in Mindfulness, shows that meditation can positively impact creative thinking and brainstorming ideas. This research suggests that meditation’s influence on creativity isn’t just a quick fix, it can have lasting effects on the way our minds work.

Don’t Wait for Burnout to Make a Change

This is serious: Stress and anxiety are your body’s whisper, signals telling you something isn’t sustainable. Don’t wait until your body forces a full stop.

So ask yourself again:
Can you afford not to meditate, not to pause or reconnect?

If you have any questions or would like to get in touch, you can contact me via this form and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.