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Read this list of words and phrases and then check in with your body and see what’s happening to your heart rate and your breathing.

Constant computer connection—at work, at home, in the car, through your phone - **Facebook messaging; **posting on Twitter; **texting; **ring tones; ** Skype, ** racing against the clock; **speeding off in the car again; **fast food; **coffee, **family; **deadlines; **answer those emails; **kids;**stress; **TV; **noise; **check your voice mail and email again; **oh, no, I forgot my cell phone; **hurry; what if they can’t reach me?  **What if someone posts something and I don’t see it right away?  **Being in a crowd of people and instead of engaging in conversation, you’re in an isolated island of space searching your I-phone for messages, texts.  You have more eye contact with your phone than the person across the table from you.

How do you feel?  Sort of like the proverbial gerbil on a wheel, running faster and faster, afraid to take a few minutes... never mind a few hours... to get away from the phone, the computer, the constant connection to everyone and everything!  This way of life which has become the new normal for most of us has long reaching, damaging repercussions to our health.  In fact, it has been called the Number One Health Hazard of 2012.

When we are this stressed and this constantly engaged with noise, activity, and people on the other end of an electronic device, our heart rate rises, our breathing becomes shallow and rapid, our pulse speeds up, our bodies think we are in a flight-or-fight danger zone and our adrenal glands work overtime to keep us on high alert and stimulated.  The long-ranging health hazards of this way of life take a terrible toll on our bodies, our minds, our emotions, and our spirits.

Now read this list of words and phrases and listen to your body!

**Read a good book, **take a long stroll, **sleep late, **listen to the bird song, **eat nutritious meals, **sit in quiet, **no clocks, **hear your inner voice, **breathe deeply, **listen to beautiful music, **consider your own needs, **enjoy being alone, **have nurturing conversation with a like-minded friend, **nap, **drink herbal tea, **play outdoors, **look slowly and closely at the things of nature, **contemplate life, **escape the clock, **be where nobody can disturb you, **stretch, **relax, **rest.

Do you feel the difference just reading these other words?  Your heart rate has come down, your breathing is deeper and slower, your adrenal glands have begun to refill, you no longer are fearful, you can hear your own thoughts, you’re peaceful, you feel an inner freedom to be who and what you are intended to be.   

It is absolutely crucial to our health, as individuals and as a society, to DISCONNECT for periods every day and tend to those parts of our bodies and souls that need quiet, solitude, timelessness, disengagement.  A retreat from the world, whether here at The Gathering Inn for a few days, or just by turning off your computer and your phone and listening to the silence—even for a few minutes, that retreat time is the most important thing you can do for your health.  All the New Year’s Resolutions in the world won’t give you the health benefit that you will gain from DISCONNECTING!  Time away from the constant connection is not selfish; it’s the best spiritual practice you can engage in.  Start with just a few minutes a day, and see how freeing it will feel.  And that might make you realize you need a lot more of it.  HAPPY UN-PLUGGING!

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Editor’s Note:  Merry Cole is Owner/Director of The Gathering Inn Women’s Spiritual Center and Retreat House.  It is located at 82 Healdville Road, Hubbardston, MA 01452. Visit her website at www.gatheringinn.org. You can also contact her by email or phone:      info@gatheringinn.org   978-820-1139.  Give her a call and she’d be glad to work with you to set up your personal retreat at The Gathering Inn.

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