Unplugging Is Underrated

Unplugging is one of the most underrated American superpowers. We talk about self care and mindfulness as if they are luxury hobbies, but the truth is, most of us just need to turn ourselves off and back on again.

Whenever I go on a trip, the last thing I do, after packing too many shoes and forgetting my toothbrush, is walk around and unplug everything in the house. The lamps. The coffee maker. The air fryer that has not seen a tater tot since May. It is my ritual. Partly conservation, partly paranoia, and partly the satisfaction of knowing I have saved at least eleven cents while preventing an imaginary house fire. We do this for our appliances. We show them more mercy than we show ourselves. Yet we, the thinking, breathing, emotionally overclocked Americans, stay plugged in twenty four hours a day to our phones, our work, our anxieties, and the never ending circus that is modern life.

Meanwhile, nature just rolls its eyes. Animals have it figured out. Bears hibernate for months and somehow wake up thinner. Birds migrate. Even the trees know when to call it quits for the season. They drop their leaves, stand bare, and wait for sunlight to return. No guilt. No productivity podcasts. No frantic catch up lists for spring. Americans, on the other hand, call rest lazy. We schedule our downtime like it is a business meeting. We meditate with apps that send us reminders to meditate.

We fall asleep to the sound of guided relaxation voiced by someone who probably has not relaxed since 2014. But here is the truth. When we unplug, nothing breaks. It resets. The lights flicker back on, brighter. The brain stops buzzing. The soul exhales. And the best part? The world does not stop.

The emails survive. The laundry waits. The earth keeps spinning, blissfully unaware that you took a nap. So the next time life feels like one long surge protector of chaos, do what you do before vacation. Walk around and unplug everything, including yourself. Conservation of money and energy is smart, but conservation of spirit is genius.

A public service announcement for overcharged Americans.