Does anyone else feel like life is a big series of fight or flight moments lately? Are you like me and feel like there is an unnamed urgency with everything? News. Social Media. Schedules. Activities. Phones. Notifications. Sounds. Noise. Everywhere.

I don’t know about you, but it is overwhelming to me, and lately I have become keenly aware of a technique I use to self-sabotage myself. Maybe I am the only one, but maybe I am not?

Stick with me here. Am I the only one that turns to my phone when I feel overwhelmed? Life comes at us and we aren’t quite sure how to handle it. Will we hang in there and try to sit in the problem and come up with a solution? Or will we escape to Dopamine City to be pacified by our phones? Phone addictions are so easy to fall into because they allow us an escape. A few moments away from reality. Or a few hours after getting lost in the labyrinth of social media or news. You know they want you to never leave, right?

What if we chose to hang in there instead? What if we chose, in those fight or flight moments of our lives, to try to learn from them? To try to come up with a solution, do the work, complete the task, make the phone call, have the conversation? Or just be still.

What if instead of picking up the phone, we chose to be quiet and sit with our thoughts for 5 minutes? What if we took a walk around the block? Or picked up a book? Or wrote in a journal? Or said a few things you were thankful for? Or even simply asking ourselves why we are picking up our phone?

Life can feel so urgent at times. But we don’t have to give in. At those times when we are most frantic, why would we choose a device designed to up our anxiety and keep us hooked? Because it is easy. But east isn’t often what is best for us.

Life is going to keep coming at us fast. I think we can all agree on that. But we don’t have to be passive participants. We can do something ourselves. We can weather the storm. And be more equipped for the next one!

Simple inputs. Big results. Fight or flight is here to stay. But you’ve got this. You are stronger than you think you are!

#WINtheNOW