Posted on
March 24, 2025
by
Karli Fortin
This morning started off the same as most weekday mornings do—except for the soft golden light stretching across the sky a little earlier than last week, and the gentle warmth hinting at spring’s arrival. The air was cool, but not biting, and the scent of damp earth and budding things hung in the air as I stepped outside.
But even with the promise of the season shifting, my body reacted the same. As I glanced at my phone, a jolt of adrenaline surged through me. Instantly, my heart rate jumped to the base of my throat. My chest constricted, and my brain kicked into high gear: Remedy the issue. Answer the questions. Soothe the anxiety of my beloved client.
But this morning was different—and I credit that to a tiny scribble I had added to my mushroom-covered purse calendar the night before:
“This week, my life will be different.”
Lately, calm has been hard to come by. The market is as busy as ever, and with uncertainty swirling around the world, my clients’ nerves are getting rattled. Rightfully so. Every day, we’re blanketed by notifications edged in alarm. We carry around these pocket-sized panic buttons, constantly buzzing us into a state of high alert.
It’s too much.
We need boundaries—not just for ourselves, but for each other, too.
This morning, the texts and emails came calling at 7:15 a.m. I was at the gym, halfway through my warmup, Bluetooth buds delivering 90s party beats into my ears, when the pings began to roll in.
I was already holding the pressure of missed messages from the evening and through the night before, knowing I needed to “get caught up” fast. So when the fresh alerts started flooding in, the tension gripped my chest all over again.
In The Power of Full Engagement, the authors talk about how much more productive—and truly happy—we can become when we stop stretching ourselves over 12-hour workdays and instead make room for rest, renewal, and creativity.
That line echoed in my mind, casting a little beam of insight through the overwhelm. And then the thought surfaced:
"How can I make my Do Not Disturb setting actually work for me—no pop-ups, no pings, just me time?"
I paused. I dug into my phone’s settings, took a quick trip through ChatGPT, and found exactly what I needed. I redefined my working hours (with wiggle room for urgent matters), and I flipped the switch. No notifications. No pop-ups. No distractions. Just quiet.
And then—something shifted.
I finished up at the gym and got my dogs out for their morning walk. Not just a rushed lap around the block, but a walk where I noticed things. The stillness in the trees. The soft hush of my boots on gravel. The deep calm in my bones radiated outward. I looked up, smiled at strangers, felt kindness instead of pressure. My face softened. My jaw unclenched.
And most miraculously—my brain, like it had been lifted up to a sunlit mountain ridge, came alive with ideas. This post was one of them. A spark to share what I learned, so that maybe someone else out there could find a crack of light, a pocket of peace, a door to creativity opening again.
And by gosh, it feels so good.
So here’s your gentle reminder: step away from the phone. Step out of the news cycle, the endless shoulds and shouldn’ts, the pressure to always be “on.” Give yourself time without the possibility of distraction. You are more powerful—more intuitive, more grounded, more resilient—when you are present, joyful, and not ruled by fear or anxiety. The best way to move through these uncertain times is to trust in your deep, human strength. You will make it through. We will figure it out. And in the meantime, check in with yourself. Notice your state. Take a time-out if you need it, and let yourself feel good. Let trust flow through you. What we can control is how we choose to show up. So choose awareness. Choose kindness. Choose creativity and love. That’s what makes the ride worth it.
Photo by Geranimo on Unsplash
