Believe it or not, I know exactly what to do when my clients have lost their "center," and come to me "for balance." They usually report feelings of "being wired," or say things like "I just can't seem to shut my mind off at night" or " I'm always on the go." The stress and insomnia are written all over their faces. In my world as an Exquisite Living Designer, these stressed-out statements are commonplace.
What do I suggest? Well, in the world of finding balance, if you're "wired," you've got to pull the plug. I suggest removing or creating distance between yourself and "the wire" to bring you back to your center. Unfortunately, this suggestion is getting hard to achieve these days, and quite frankly, "the wire" is getting harder and harder to physically locate. Wireless technology has blurred the line between where "the wire" is and where it's not.
I used to get the most mileage out of asking my clients to unplug gadgets from their sleep spaces. The sleeping area is the most coveted space to work with because it is where we "press the reset button" on our bodies. We need rest. If sleep spaces are gunked up with electromagnetic and electrical field-spewing objects, trust me, sleep deprivation is happening. And last time I checked, sleep deprivation is listed as a form of torture. When my clients unplug, life starts improving. Sounds too simple to work? If you've got other wireless technology, perhaps it is.
Thanks to Wifi and other wireless technologies like cordless phones, your whole home has become "the wire." And when you are living inside the wire, chances are you're feeling "wired," at least in some area of life. So now what? How do you get out of the wire, or at least minimize your exposure? Here's my hit list: (hold on tight!)
1. Get household corded telephones, and ditch the cordless ones. Check it out. I'll bet your cordless phone says something like 2.4 or 5.8 or higher GHz on it. Do you know what that means? GIGAHERTZ. The tip off that hints of IT'S A LOT is the GIGA part. To get a little perspective, microwave ovens hang out in the 2.4GHz range. Boy, they are getting harder and harder to find, but trust me, for every "mini cell-phone tower" cordless phone you replace with a corded version (that doesn't even need electricity!) your body will breathe a sigh of electro-relief.
2. Turn off the wireless hub. I'll wait if you have to read that one twice, so go ahead. Seriously, if you can't live without it, you've got some thinking to do. Remember good ol' stress hormone Mister Cortisol knocking at your door, right? Yes, it is a tradeoff, I know, but what's more important really, your being able to surf the net in bed, or your being able to do anything else in bed? OK. OK. Can't hang with me on this one? At least turn it off at night while your body is trying to catch up from the micro-wave thrashing it got that day.
3. Peel the cell phone off your head. I know there's no return in this cell phone-wielding era, but PLEASE - limit your exposure. Some say that for every minute you spend with a cell phone to your head it takes 24 hours for your brain to unscramble itself from it. If something like the word Yikes! went through your brain right now, take heed.
4. Don't eat microwaved food. Hey, you wanted tips, you got 'em. If you always do what you always did, you always get what you always got. Putting microwaved food inside your body is operative info just adding insult to injury. If you want to feel like you can think straight, focus, or just plain relax, you've got to start somewhere. I know I'm way out of the currently politically correct wired-up circles with these tips, but denial ain't going to get ya where you want to go, sorry.
5. I'll give you one low tech tip to certainly try alone, although I'd say you'd definitely see quicker improvement if you did all five of these tips at once, and that is BREATHE. Literally and consciously breathe. Try formal meditation, or simply sit for 2 minutes every hour, taking the time to just breathe and be aware of it. From a traditional Chinese medicine point of view, the kidney meridian governs inhalation and the liver meridian controls the lungs. These two also control fear, anger, anxiety and worry. A nourished liver creates a calm mind and nourished kidney energy creates a fortified brain (memory especially,) and adrenals. And, as an added bonus, it also supports your sexual vitality, hormones (take that you nasty cortisol!) and breathing supports it all.
I could go on, with what foods do what to support you, but I'm guessing you're not in the mood right now. Hey look, any movement towards getting out of the wire is taking a step in the right direction.
In case you're wondering, I don't have a wireless router in my home and I can tweet just fine. I don't heat my food in a microwave and I eat just fine. I don't have any cordless phones in the house and I can chat anytime. I'm saying this to let you know it can be done - without any major drama. Experiment. Give it a month. You might learn something about your habits.
Given the complexities of today's business environment, your company may not always be able to prevent information security breach. In the event of a breach, damage control becomes critical. You may be required to notify customers, law enforcement agencies, credit bureaus, and other businesses affected by the breach. Having an action plan in place will facilitate your management of a security breach.
Protecting customers' personal information is a legal requirement. Information security makes good business sense. Implementing simple low-tech tips, such as the ones suggested in this article, will help your compliance with the law. It will also help in consolidating the trust between you and your customers.
Rachel Agheyisi is an economist with over 25 years of business research, writing, and corporate consulting experience. She is the Executive Director of Report Content Writer, a company that specializes in writing white papers and case studies used by IT companies for generating leads in the biotech, financial services, and health care industries.