so much entertainment, so many different things pulling our attention in all different directions.

It's like we go to sleep and wake up to find ourselves back on this treadmill of constant stimulation.

Lately, I've been feeling really overwhelmed and I couldn't really pinpoint why.

Even though I've always made a conscious effort to meditate, go for walks, and slow down as much as I can, this has felt more like a quick fix to a much bigger issue.

It might bring me moments of silence, but the rest of my day is filled with noise, too much information and too many moving parts.

Don't get me wrong. Stimulus can be good.

But in our tech-driven information-rich world where the stimulation is constant, I think it's important to know how to regain balance.

If you can relate to this in any way, I think this video will be helpful.

Here are some things I'm working on to help break the cycle of constant stimulation and regain a sense a balance in my life.

When I was trying to correct my shopping habit, the thing that helped me the most was doing a low-buy challenge.

It was my way of hitting the big reset button, and that really did help me to reestablish my shopping habits.

Well, digital detox is the same concept but with our tech devices.

We can eliminate or reduce our usage for a period of time to see how it feels when we're not constantly engaged with tech.

And of course, you can make up your own rules.

It could be just putting a limit on your screen time, implementing tech-free mornings, removing social media apps, or if you're able to, fully unplug.

I recently took a long trip to Korea and exploring and spending time with my family without being constantly connected felt like the fresh a breath air that I needed.

I realized at that moment that so much of my stimulus comes from my phone and my laptop.

And just by eliminating those two things, I felt more in present.

I'm back online now but I'm way more mindful and I plan to do a digital detox every so often.

I'm hoping that it will not only reset my habits but over time slowly lessen my dependency on it too.

When I'm doing chores or doing some kind of mundane activity, I used to always reach for my headphones.

I usually put on music, podcast, audio book, YouTube video, and rotated them depending on what I needed to catch up up on.

It seemed harmless at first, but then I noticed that I started to reach for my headphones while cooking, eating, brushing my teeth, until it became second nature just to have my headphones on all day.

I got to a point where I had to ask myself: why do I feel the need to always have background noise.

Sure, it's more entertaining.

But honestly, it was doing more harm than good.

After a while, all the content started to blend into one giant noise, and I couldn't even process or remember all that I had listened to.

I think it's so important to let our minds rest.

To provide space so that our minds can wander and recover from the constant downloading.

Like I said, it helped me immensely to set aside some time to meditate, go for long walks.

But it's just as important to be mindful in everything we do throughout the day.

This for me, meant ditching the head head phone, turning off the background noise, and just focus on doing one thing at a time.

I recently visited Seoul and I was fascinated by the city.

The flashing lights, the cool architecture, the bustling 24/7 atmosphere.

But at the end of the day, I noticed that I felt really exhausted.

It felt like a sensory overload, because there was just so much going on at all times.

Whether we realize it or not, we absorb so much information throughout our day.

And I think that's why our environment is so important.

Especially if you're highly sensitive like I am.

We feel things much deeply than others so we have to be even more selective and intentional about what we're exposed to.

And of course, sometimes we can't change this like where we live, or where we work.

But we can focus on creating a peaceful environment within our homes.

My suggestion is to do an entire home declutter.

Specifically pay attention to how you feel in each room, and see if there are things that are getting in the way of your inner peace.

I avoid labels, and words, loud paintings, and I even got rid of graphic Ts too.

This might sound extreme, but I wanted my house to feel like a break from all the stimulus that's inevitable when I go outside.

It's our own responsibility to know how to take care of ourselves.

And I don't think it's as easy as reading some online article or watching a video on self-care, but it's more of a process that we all have to go through on our own.

We have to be open-minded, try different things and see what works and what doesn't.

One of the major ways that I practice self-care is by creating balance.

When I have a lot going on at work, I have to put in 10 plus hours sometimes.

But I still make sure to take lots of breaks, exercise, and eat healthy.

When I feel like I've been glued to the screen all day, I try to spend a lot of time outdoors to give my eyes a break.

And when I feel like I'm socially burnt out, I clear my schedule and become a hermit for a while.

I think we all need some stimulus in our lives.

I know that I need to be exposed to new ideas, different places and people, to be engaged in life.

But on the other side of that, I think it's important to know when it's too much, and also know how to recover from it too.

My husband is someone who can fall asleep anywhere at any time.

And I like to tease him about it of course, but I actually envy him so much because I've struggled with falling asleep for as long as I can remember. 

Maybe that's why I started caring so much about evening routines.

I sometimes start 2 to 3 hours before bedtime because I know that my mind can't run a million miles a minute and just come to a screeching halt.

I like to drink my herbal tea, take a hot shower, sometimes take a bath, journal, breath work.

I know it sounds really simple but having this routine really helps me to wind down and it reduces mental clutter from the day.

Sleep is so vital for our mental, physical, emotional health.

And instead of treating it as something that we have to do, I think we all need to make it more of a priority.

So if you struggle with sleep or just shutting off that monkey brain, try to cut back on the stimulus way before bedtime and set a solid evening routine.

If you have been feeling overwhelmed, I hope that this video was helpful.

I know that I've been gone for so long, but it definitely was the break that I needed.

I'll be back next week with another video. Thank you so much for watching, guys, and I'll talk to you soon! Take care.