The Power Of Unplugging Yourself

"Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you."

— Anne Lamott

Context

Lamott has repeated versions of this line across interviews and her writing for years, often in the context of discussing burnout, depression, and the exhaustion of trying to hold everything together at once. It first gained wide circulation through her talks and essays on creativity and mental health, where she frequently compares the human nervous system to an overworked appliance that needs to be powered down, not fixed. The insight isn't about laziness — it's a rebuttal to the idea that pushing harder solves exhaustion. In a culture that treats rest as earned only after collapse, her plain comparison to unplugging a machine cuts through the noise and makes recovery sound like basic maintenance, not indulgence.

Reflection Question

What is the actual cost — to your work, your relationships, your health — of refusing to stop when you know you need to? Be specific about what you're avoiding by staying plugged in.

Application Tip

Today, schedule one deliberate 10-minute unplug: no phone, no screen, no tasks. Set a timer, sit somewhere quiet, and do nothing productive. Notice the urge to check something or fix something, and let it pass without acting on it. Afterward, write one sentence about how your mind feels different. Repeat this once daily for a week and track whether your focus or mood shifts on the days you actually stop versus the days you skip it.