Feeling Overwhelmed? How To Put Yourself Into Low Power Mode To Find Calm

Rubin goes into low power mode (LPM) when she’s on holiday. “There’s no one right way or wrong way to do it,” she says. “For some people, it’s useful to switch off completely during holidays. For others (like me) trying to switch off completely creates more stress than it relieves – I find it more relaxing to go into LPM, so I stay connected, stay in the loop, but just in a far less active way.”

Rubin says she will check emails occasionally and do an hour or two of work – but not at the pace she would usually push herself. She also goes into LPM when she’s in a time of great change. When she has a book that’s about to hit the shelves, she doesn’t make lunch dates or plans with friends – she reduces the number of events in her social calendar to get prepped for what’s coming up. 

Fancy giving it a go? Here’s how to get started:

Decide What Low Power Mode Looks Like For You

It’ll be unique to each individual – while one person may stop saying yes to every social invitation, for another it may be about not logging into work emails after dinner. Think about what aspects of your life you can remove or reduce that may give you headspace. “Decide for yourself what you will and won’t do when you’re in LPM,” says Rubin. “Do you check your email over the weekend? Think about what you could ditch.”

Try To Keep Away From Distractions

Focus on one thing at a time, suggests Chloe Brotheridge, hypnotherapist and coach at Calmer You, and author of ‘The Anxiety Solution’. This means staying away from distractions – “They create more stress and overwhelm you as you battle to keep your focus,” she says. “How can you arrange your environment so that it’s clutter-free? Can you take yourself away to a quiet cafe to do some work away from your colleagues?”