When the world feels loud: 10 micro-practices to unplug (and actually feel better)

Dear Beautiful Souls,

We’re halfway through September and, if you’re anything like me, you may have noticed a heaviness settling in your body. Not from overworking. Not from lack of sleep. But from something more subtle and insidious: information overload and emotional burnout. Driven by the never-ending loop of news, scrolling, and soul-numbing online discourse.

In last week’s newsletter, we talked about taking radical responsibility for our finances and using this halfway point of the month to reset, refocus, and realign our money intentions. This week, I want to shift that lens from financial to emotional and mental well-being. Because the same principles apply: we must take radical responsibility not just for our income, but for our energy.

Self Check-In Quiz: How Well Do You Know Yourself?

Take a moment to answer these quick yes-or-no questions:

1. Do you feel emotionally drained after checking the news or social media?

2. Do you wake up feeling anxious or already “behind”?

3. Have you noticed tightness in your chest or shoulders more often?

4. Are you consuming content out of habit, not intention?

5. Do you feel disconnected from your joy, purpose, or peace?

If you answered “yes” to three or more, it’s time to recalibrate. And you’re not alone.

The Weight We Carry (And Don’t Even Realize)

Let’s just be honest: the world is loud right now. Polarized politics. Conflict across continents. Uncertainty in every direction. Social media algorithms feed us an endless buffet of outrage and despair. And even when we think we’re just checking in to stay “informed,” what we’re really doing is flooding our nervous systems with stress chemistry.

I used to pride myself on not watching TV or following the news. I had tunnel vision for my goals. But lately, even with all my boundaries in place, I find myself peeking at headlines, scrolling my feeds, and absorbing more than I intended. That “just one post” turns into twenty. And then I wonder why I feel tight in my chest or foggy in my head.

The truth is, we are not built to carry the weight of the world in our hands. We are not meant to know everything, all at once, all the time. And yet, that’s precisely what the digital landscape demands of us.

What makes this so hard is that most of us are sensitive and deeply caring. We want to be informed. We want to do something about the suffering we see. But without discernment, that desire to stay aware becomes a slow leak of our spirit.

And here’s what I know to be true: you cannot pour from an empty heart. You cannot lead, parent, love, or show up in your mission if you are constantly emotionally inflamed. So, let’s come home to ourselves — not out of avoidance, but out of radical commitment to our inner ecosystem.

Your Nervous System Is Your Home

Our nervous system is not designed for continuous fight-or-flight. The modern world pings us with countless micro-triggers a day. It can leave us hypervigilant, disconnected, exhausted, and numb.

I'd like to invite you to something radical, beautiful, and essential: come home to yourself. Even if just for two minutes at a time. Below is your unplug menu — simple practices that bring you from noise back to knowing.

10 Micro-Practices to Reclaim Your Calm

1. Breathe Like It Matters. Try box breathing: inhale 4, hold 4, exhale 4, hold 4 (two minutes).

2. Digital Detox. One evening (or hour) a week, put your phone in a drawer. Light a candle. Be.

3. Curate Your Feed With Fierce Compassion. Mute/unfollow anyone who spikes anxiety. Follow accounts that leave you feeling resourced.

4. Create a Joy List. Twenty tiny joys: watering plants, dancing in socks, reading poetry aloud. Pick one when heaviness hits.

5. Move to Move It. Shake your hands, roll your shoulders, walk one block. Motion changes emotion.

6. Mindful Meals. Eat without screens. Taste each bite. Let nourishment be sacred.

7. Anchor Into Community. Call a friend who makes you feel at home. Join a circle. We regulate better together.

8. Name the Weather. “I feel heavy.” “I feel anxious.” Naming it is taming it. Then offer yourself kindness.

9. Values Check. Ask: Who do I want to be today? Choose one word (kind, steady, brave) and embody it.

10. Daily Recalibration. Candle before Zoom, intention before email, gratitude before sleep.

Boundary Scripts for Sanity

Sometimes the most loving thing we can do is lovingly opt out.

• When conversations spiral: “I care about this, and I also care about my mental health. Can we switch topics for now?”

• When someone sends upsetting links: “Thanks for thinking of me, I’m limiting media this week, so I’ll pass on this one.”

• When you need to leave a thread: “Going offline for a bit to reset. Catch you tomorrow.”

Design Your Media Diet (So It Doesn’t Design You)

Think of media like food: what you consume becomes your inner climate.

• The 3–1–0 Rule (Daily): 3 mindful check-ins max; 1 trusted source; 0 doomscrolling after 8 p.m.

• Contain the Container: News only in a chair at your desk — never in bed, never while eating.

• Flip the Ratio: For every 10 minutes of consuming, give yourself 10 minutes of creating, journaling, sketching, or voice notes.

• Choose Formats That Soothe: Read text summaries instead of watching dramatic videos; opt for weekly digests over minute-by-minute updates.

Try This: A 5-Minute Grounding Practice to Reconnect With Your Center

Sometimes, even the idea of self-care can feel like another item on your to-do list. So here’s something simple you can do right now. Wherever you are.

1. Find a comfortable seat. Let your feet rest flat on the ground. Sit upright, but relaxed. Shoulders soft. Jaw unclenched.

2. Close your eyes gently. Place one hand over your heart, the other on your belly. Just notice your breath.

3. Breathe in through your nose for a count of four… hold for four… exhale slowly through your mouth for a count of six. Repeat this 4–6 times.

4. As you breathe, repeat silently:

I am safe to be still.
I return to myself.
My breath is enough.

5. When you’re ready, open your eyes slowly. Smile softly. Whisper thank you to your body, your breath, your presence.

Journal Prompts to Light the Way

• What is the one piece of news I actually need to know this week — and why?

• Where in my body do I feel overload? What does that part need from me today?

• If I took a two-hour retreat tonight, what would I include?

• What boundaries around media would feel like love?

• What would “coming home to myself” look like between meetings tomorrow?

Challenge for This Week

Pick one day this week and intentionally unplug for two whole hours. No phone. No email. No news. Just presence.

Go for a walk. Cook a meal with music playing. Call your sister. Journal. Rearrange your furniture. Do something soul-nurturing and real.

Then come back and write down how you felt, what you noticed, and what surprised you. If you feel called, share it with me. I’d love to hear. Your nervous system is your compass. Let it guide you home.

If You Must Tune In, Tune In Wisely (5–15–1 Framework)

• 5 minutes to scan a single trusted summary (no autoplay videos).

• 15 minutes to reflect or discuss solutions you can act on (donate, volunteer, vote, set a boundary).

• 1 practice to regulate afterward (breathwork, stretching, tea on the porch).

This turns consumption into contribution, and reaction into response.

Your Wholesome Self Is Waiting

This world will keep spinning. The news will keep breaking. But you? You get to choose what you internalize. You get to decide whether you’ll carry the weight of the world—or just your corner of it, with grace.

You get to return, again and again, to your wholesome self. Your calm core. Your divine center.

This week, I invite you to do one thing a day that makes you feel whole. Not perfect. Not productive. Just whole.

You don’t need to earn rest. You don’t need to justify joy. You don’t need to wait for permission to come home to yourself.

You are already worthy of peace. You are already enough. You are already whole. Let’s live like it.

With love and Abundance,,
Najma Zanelli
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Founder, NAZ Global Consultancy
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