Arianna Huffington’s — of the Huffington Post Media Group — philosophy is that to be successful you have to have a good night’s sleep. Sleep is important and four hours is not enough, she writes. Also the bedroom should be device-free.
I completely endorse this. The bedroom is your personal space, to unplug from the day’s pressures and get a good night’s sleep. All effective leaders and thinkers know the importance of rest, of the body and the mind.
This is where creativity happens — you simply cannot create new ideas while reading your phone messages.
But we live in an age where multi-tasking is a prerequisite for survival. And we’ve all done it — checking our emails while talking on the phone, or sending a quick message at a traffic signal.
I, too, am a master multi-tasker and have a very busy life roller-skating between the studio, board meetings and my family. So when I got an opportunity to interview Dr Harald Stossier and his wife Dr Christine Stossier of Viva Mayr for The Uma Show, how could I refuse?
Their spa retreat in Austria has a strict no phones, no emails, no sugar, and no caffeine policy. Although tough at first I walked out looking and feeling like a new person.
After returning to Dubai, I couldn’t help speaking to friends who are ‘regular detoxers’ about my trip. Rupam Kapoor, who practises yoga, reaffirmed that detoxing your system is the key to feeling fit. Rizwan Sajan, a prominent UAE businessman, had just returned from a naturopathy institute in Bangalore and highly recommends a detox ‘vacation’. Swedish stylist Teresa feels that a detox is the best thing to reset taste buds and get the load off the digestive system.
The busier you get, the more necessary it is to step back and rest once in a while. Only then will you be efficient. Even if you can’t get away for a detox vacation, start at home. Make the last two hours of your day, Wi-Fi-free — enjoy a book instead or a chat with a loved one or sip a warm glass of milk.
Enjoy those thoughts before you sleep …
— The Uma Show Season 2 airs on Colors every Sunday at 7.30pm and on MTV India on Wednesday at 7pm. Follow Uma on social media on @umagd
