I used to have a hard time putting my phone aside…what if I missed something? What if someone needs me? What if I am left with my own thoughts for too long? I’ve found that checking out by scrolling on my phone, left me anything but calm. I was stressed out, over stimulated, short tempered + missing out on the wonderful things happing right in front of me. So, here’s some things that have helped me + I hope they will be helpful for you as well!
It’s Ok to Not Respond Right Away: I used to stress about getting back to people right away, but I’ve realized that most people honestly don’t care. I have friends that text me back days or weeks after I text them + I don’t get mad. I do try to respond sometime later the same day or the next day, but I don’t feel guilty about that. I typically don’t start my response with “I’m sorry it took me so long to respond….” nope, I just respond, no apologies, no excuses, it is what it is. I’m a busy mom, I’m homeschooling my kids, I’m running a business, I have a lot of balls in the air + there is no reason to feel bad about not immediately responding to someone’s message. In our world where we can instantly get ahold of anyone at any time we can blur the lines of personal space, but I think this is a good boundary to re-establish.
Pick One Day a Week to Take a Pause: Mine is Sunday, I don’t open any social media apps + honestly I barley pick up my phone at all that day. Occasionally family or friends will text + I’ll respond when I get to it, but for the most part, there’s no pressing needs on my phone on Sunday. It feels really good to have a break.
Put Your Phone Away in the Evening: Make it a habit to unplug in the evening. When my kids go to bed, I use my phone to play a short bedtime story + then I leave it alone. So if someone texts me after 8 pm, I won’t see it or respond till the next day. Its amazing the clarity I get from doing this. I have been sleeping better + I feel less rushed during the day because I have realized I don’t have to be attached to my phone all the time. That angst of rushing + needing to constantly be doing, is put in perspective by regularly putting my phone in it’s proper place.
Tone Down the Notifications: There are very few apps that I get notifications for. I don’t like grabbing my phone + feeling like there’s instantly a bunch of things I need to do or respond to. So first thing to do, in your phone’s settings + you can change how you get notifications + from which apps. Turn most of them off, only keep the ones that are really important to you. The ones you do keep, do you want an actual sound? or just a badge? I opt for the badge only because I don’t like hearing the sound + feeling like I NEED to go check my phone, if it’s a banner, I’ll see it when I choose to look at it. Now, when it comes to noise I’m going to tell you my FAVE hack! You can silence all text messages + then go into individual contacts + give them their own sound! Only 2 people have a sound when they text me. One is my husband, the other is our babysitter. If my husband texts me through out the day I want to know about it + often it requires a quick response about something going on. Likewise, if I’m out on a date night with Hubby + the babysitter needs to get ahold of me, I absolutely want to hear her text come through. Everyone else I will see a banner on my lock screen when I decide to look at my phone.
These boundaries have been so good for me + I hope they will be a good inspiration for you too. Let me know in the comments which ones you are going to work on! And share with a friend who would find this helpful. Rooting for you friend! xo- Kristine
Yes! So much can be unseen + yet so purposeful + foundational for life.
This is so refreshing and reminding of the goodness God is doing that isn’t always seen.
Awe! Thank you! I’ve always enjoyed writing! Glad I can use it for good!
I was reading this and remembering how much potential you had as a child with what you wrote. Here’s to…
Thanks for sharing Corrine! I agree that getting those things done for our own well being like Dr. appointments is…
Self care for me means stepping away from the norm and doing something that seems like I’d like to do…
Thanks! Feeling refreshed is a great way to put it! Thanks for sharing your faves! ♥️
One of my favorites is to paint my nails! And I agree…CBS, bible study time and walking with friends…leaves me…
That’s a great perspective! Fear of failure can hold us back so much! Keep failing forward + finding the freedom…
I love your word! My word for 2022 was ‘fail’, in that I wanted to fail more instead of only…
Thank you! I love that story! I need to be more diligent in writing it out! I will have to…
Kristine, I have done the word for the year for a long time. When we were in business, I would…
It’s easy to forget about cleaning them 🤣 glad you enjoyed the videos!
Love your video on how to clean the diffusers! A good reminder that I definitely need to go around and…
This is so encouraging & such a great goal! Thank you for reminding us we can unplug Xoxo!!!
thanks! glad it inspired you! I know you will cultivate beautiful traditions!
Love this!! Such a fun, beautiful idea to establish fall tradition! Thanks for sharing your idea~ hoping to make it…
I love your pumpkin day idea!! That is amazing! And I’m sure your kiddos will have the best memories!!
Thank you!!! Happy harvest!! ❤️
This is such a sweet tradition! We have a special pumpkin day at our house every fall… all things pumpkin…
Love it … Autumn is definitely a colourful season in so many ways! Love your whole presentation: your writing, photos,…
Thanks! The playlist is seriously so fun!! Enjoy!
Always a good idea to have a party ❤️ I love your moms teapot!!
Love this reminder to go slow and rest…for everything will bloom in season! Thanks for the fall plays lists too~…
Love this. Thank you for reminders to slow down and have a “party” with some friends. 🙂 Also, I spy…
Joyful Oiling Mama 
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