The Importance of Getting Disconnected and Into Joy
“Rest” isn’t what you think it is.
Most people think they’re exhausted because of the workload.
But what’s really draining them is the lack of real restoration.
And no, 10 minutes scrolling TikTok while your brain haemorrhages dopamine does not count as rest. Neither does Netflix in the background while you eat dinner at the counter.
We’ve replaced joy with distraction - and then wonder why nothing fills us up anymore.
You were built for more than consumption.
To move.
To create.
To feel.
To experience life through your whole body—not just your phone screen.
But most of us are running on autopilot:
Wake up and check messages
Scroll while eating
Background noise all day
Numb out at night
Repeat
And we wonder why we feel disconnected from our partners, our kids, ourselves.
Here’s the truth:
Your nervous system can’t recover in an environment it perceives as unsafe.
And “constant stimulation” is perceived as a threat.
So if you’re always plugged in…
always consuming…
always mentally on…
You’re not resting.
You’re just pausing the burnout loop for a second before diving back in.
Want a real reset?
Get disconnected long enough to reconnect.
Find something that brings you joy with no outcome.
No metrics.
No productivity.
Just… joy.
Gardening
Walking without your phone
Painting, dancing, playing, building, reading, cooking, singing
Whatever it is, make time for it like your health depends on it.
Because it does.
Joy is nervous system regulation.
Joy is the medicine.
It’s the thing that makes everything else worth doing.
Don’t let modern life steal that from you.