We are all very connected. I think we all need a bit of professional distance.

Initially this article was going to be about something along the lines of "people hear what others say, but don’t necessarily listen and how communications often wants to make people listen but can get caught up in making people hear on the surface, but lose interest in anything that involves deeper listening." Which is a cynical world-view, and actually is not the fault of any one person at all – it’s because of what we carry with us both figuratively and physically, I think.

This got me thinking about the constant switched-on-ness that life has somehow conjured up to be the norm for everyone. Now, I’m lucky to work somewhere that allows me to switch off fully – but many people aren’t. The little rectangle in our pockets, although impressive, is also a bit oppressive in that it has a shackle to everyone, and everyone is shackled to it in some way shape or form. Apparently, this is called progress.

Progress is a good thing, I’m in no way saying that, but many philosophers are looking at what the role of technology is playing in our lives and how it is affecting us. And you know when the philosophers are looking at something it is generally Bad NewsTM.

With this in mind, I wanted to share something personal about switching off, and take a little look at why I do it. Specifically, how it helps me personally but also, because this is LinkedIn, professionally.

The year before last I got back into the gym. I found it helped to have goals to work towards, and it was something I could do whilst not thinking about anything but the goal for a few hours a week. I focused on lifting heavy things, putting them down again, and lifting them back up again. I reached a goal of a 100kg deadlift, which was satisfying. I then took a step back and thought – hmm, what can I do now. After a bit of thought and discussion, I recently got back into running.

After looking at my body composition and realising that I am, in fact, about 65% leg, I found that I cover distance quite efficiently – running seemed like a good thing to do in place of my burgeoning career as a powerlifter (this is not true). I decided I needed something a little more, however, than a 5 or 10k jaunt to work towards.

So this year I have signed up to two races.

One is the Cheltenham Half Marathon. This takes place in September, and I’m dreading it. Mainly because I find with road running that ideally your cadence is constant – I find it hard to stick to a cadence and get into that runner’s trance. Left right, left right, left right – so on and so forth – is very boring. Roads are also very boring. This year’s route finishes at Cheltenham Racecourse which has a deceiving uphill towards the finishing post – uphills are boring too. But I know that this will challenge me mentally, and having mental fortitude when you are at work is vastly important. I’m hoping to get a time of under 2hrs 15 mins.

The second is a stage race which is 100km over 2 days – 53km the first, 47km the second. I’m running this with my fiancée, and it can be considered an ultramarathon, as each stage is over one marathon in length. This, I am aware, is very silly. At one point last year, when I found myself in a bit of a hole – I also happened to find myself in a YouTube rabbit hole of people that run these races. It looked quiet, it looked calming, and it looked hard. It looked like something I might be able to do.

People who have known me for a while will know that depression follows me around and has done for some while. Unlike other illnesses it doesn’t go away, but you learn how to work alongside it. It may also surprise people to know that although I am a relatively quiet person, my brain is often working overtime thinking about what is, what has been, and what might be. I’m not an elf of the woodland realm like Elrond who can do this without going spare, I am human. What I found when I went out and did my first long trail run, however, was that the ol' brain stopped, and it took on a different life. One that wasn’t full of self-doubt, but one that was full of self-belief. Partly because walking 20km takes a hell of a lot longer than running it, and partly because I want to prove to myself that I am not a powerlifter and I’ve made the right decision on my sport of choice.

The benefit I’ve found is that getting out into nature, no headphones, nothing tethering me to my phone (apart from it tracking my run on Strava, and the odd photo because Nature is stunning) is that there is a reset. It allows a full-on calming, almost meditative, state, which is great when you’re plugged into client work during the week, and the whole news cycle more generally. It also allows some quiet time to reflect on what is going well, what I’m lucky to have, what I’m lucky to be able to do – right down to being able to move my legs multiple times in relative comfort. Mindfulness and being present has almost become cliché over the past few years, but there is a reason it is constantly recommended. I think we could all do with a bit more of it sometimes. Being able to not constantly think about work helps me to be able to really focus properly on work when I need to. It could help you too.

When I started writing these things, I wanted to put forward the idea that LinkedIn, while professional, can also be a person place – because at the end of the day we are all people. So whilst this may not really be that much of a professional article, if it gives someone who might be struggling a little push towards trying something else to help them switch off on the weekends or when they are away from work, then I reckon I’ve done something relatively worthwhile. With that in mind, I want to hear what you are doing. At the risk of sounding like a YouTuber, comment below, I'm genuinely interested.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

Here are some links that you can click and give money to some worthy causes if you are able to:

·??????Macmillan Cancer Support – Ultra Stage Race - BENJAMIN COLE is fundraising for Macmillan Cancer Support (justgiving.com)

·??????CALM - Cheltenham Half Marathon - BENJAMIN COLE is fundraising for CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) (justgiving.com)