Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” (Matthew 11:28-20, NLT)

I don’t talk too much about myself in these posts, because I’m very private, but I do like to get personal when I feel it may be beneficial to you. If you’d ever had the chance to meet me personally, you’d find that I’m very quiet. That’s because I’m a thinker. An observer. I’m an introvert, lol. There are a lot of articles about introverts, extroverts, and ambiverts floating around out there, but that’s not what I really want to discuss. I want to talk about learning to unplug.

As an introvert I get overwhelmed by being surrounded by people on a continual basis. This is why I often hide away at home to unwind, relax, and recuperate after a busy week(end) or day. A few months ago, I realized that my anxiety and exhaustion stemmed from more than just being surrounded by people, but from the constant flow of information via cellphone apps like Facebook and Twitter. Therefore, I made the decision to delete the apps from my phone. O.O (I see the look on your face, lol.)

For the next few days I continued to pick up my phone to scroll Facebook and Twitter, only to put it down when I remembered I no longer had the apps. It was like I was detoxing. Over time it got easier and I felt freer for not being so attached to my phone. I was no longer worrying about what everybody else was doing or saying. I was again, in control of what was filling up my time and thoughts, and what I was spending my energy on.

So, here I am, encouraging you to take some time to unplug. Whether you’re an introvert, extrovert, etc., it doesn’t matter, the fact remains: we need to unplug from the constant barrage of information transmitted through our handheld devices and televisions. We don’t have to be connected to everybody at all times and others don’t need a play-by-play of our day. Some things should be between just us and God (or between us and our intimate family and friends).

So take some time to think, write, pray, study God’s word, and soak in His presence. Often, it’s just what we need to realign our hearts and attitudes with His. Go ahead…unplug.