Off the grid, losing your mind: Finding sanity in one person’s world

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in all my years of booking and representing speakers, it’s that there’s always someone who needs something.

always.

I also learned a lot about healthy boundaries (and how bad I am at setting them). As motherhood piles up, you’re faced with a tsunami of overwhelm.

Last year, my special gift for borderless living took hold of me, and I found myself booking two nights in a small house in East Texas in early January. Or, as my husband likes to call it, “a fish tank in a cow pasture”—a nod to its lack of curtains, for reasons beyond me.

I packed my record player, yoga mat, craft supplies, and one of my dogs, threw my phone in the glove box, and headed off for my first annual off-grid weekend. No TV, no Wi-Fi, no one – especially no one who needs anything.

That is, except for me. I quickly realized that I needed to not be wanted—even if it was just for 36 hours.

My brain needs to decompress. My central nervous system needs to calm down. My soul needs to hear a quiet, small voice whisper, “Quiet, quiet.”

Read more: Hey busy meeting planner, are you feeling stressed?

For two full days I listened to records (mostly 70’s classical music), ate vegetable trays and charcuterie, stretched, and wrote a page of a book that I soon realized Never more than one article. Oh, sure, I walked the dog. I perched on a rock and listened to the mooing of the cows and the rustle of the leaves in the wind. It’s adorable and happens to be my favorite part, and I guess my dog ​​does too. He had never traveled so much.

The most surprising thing is that I didn’t think about work—not even once. I cannot remember another time in my adult life when my mind was so completely free of a certain category of thought. This was clearly what my mind needed – and I grabbed it while I had the chance.

After having some of my basic needs taken care of, I returned to everyone who had all their needs. I was greeted home with a note written on my desk by my daughter – who apparently missed the off-grid phone memo in the glove box – which read: “I love you (and I wish you weren’t dead yet) .”Sweet—in its own way.

If you’re reading this article, we’re probably sharing the events industry space – the top three events industries in 2023 (tied with military personnel and firefighters), which defines the crazy growth of the events industry. In this industry, deadlines are the rule, adrenaline rushes, and burnout lurks behind every flag and fern on the stage (PCMA).

Despite the chaos—or perhaps because of it—the event has become a global juggernaut, growing at an incredible rate, rebounding from the pandemic and expected to be valued at $1.5 trillion by 2028 (yes, with There is T)(TrueList). That was a lot of tape guns, name tags, and sleepless nights.

Not surprisingly, the stress has taken its toll. In a fast-paced industry like ours, 76% of professionals report burnout (Stress.org). Still, here I am, 28 years into my journey, walking a tightrope on tight deadlines, meeting impossible client requests, and conjuring magic to turn ideas into reality.

Yet, I keep coming back. For me, this is year 28 of saying yes to chaos.

fair enough. But don’t forget the point about burnout. Boom or not, your brain needs a break. In fact, your whole self is like that. Those who ignore the warning lights on their dashboard face serious burnout. (Don’t tell me you didn’t see them flash.)

listen here: What one thing? Heal your busy brain with Dr. Romie Mushtaq

Determined not to become a stress statistic, I jumped at the overwhelming tsunami this year and planned ahead to find a different tiny home—this time one with curtains in a horse pasture. Two days later, a different dog, a completed vision board, and my brain, nervous system, and soul feel refreshed. I survived again, much to my daughter’s relief.

What about those who have all the needs? They survived, and so did I—refreshed, recalibrated, and ready for year 28.

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Christa Haberstock is the founder of See Agency, a leader in speaker management with nearly three decades of expertise.

The best-selling author of “Becoming a Bookable Speaker,” she occasionally hides out on her ranch in East Texas just in case someone needs something.