How do I teach my mind that my fight or flight response is supposed to be for life or death situations, not answering an email?
How do I teach my mind that my fight or flight response is supposed to be for life or death situations, not answering an email?
I saw this quote a few days ago, and it got me thinking about digital anxiety and how, as business owners, we can sometimes sit down, open our laptops and then 🧨, a tangled web of notifications, chaotic inbox, half-finished projects and an ever-growing to-do list.
🥊 Fight mode: You dive straight in, frantically replying to emails, trying to fix everything all at once - your heart races, stress levels spike, and you’re in full firefighting mode.
🏃♀️ Flight mode: You slam your laptop shut, make a cup of tea, and suddenly decide now is a great time to reorganise your bookshelf or find yourself two hours deep in a Facebook group about hatching chicken eggs that you are not even part of (true story) - anything but facing the chaos.
This is digital anxiety - the feeling of drowning in the very systems that are meant to keep you organised. And it’s common for small business owners.
Here’s why it happens:
🌀 Too many tools, not enough clarity – You’ve got Trello, Google Drive, Slack, Asana, Dubsado, Hubspot.. but everything feels messy instead of streamlined.
📥 Inbox chaos – Emails flood in faster than you can deal with them. You flag things for later, but later never comes.
🚨 Constant notifications – Your phone dings, your laptop pings, and somehow, you’re always behind.
📌 Too much to do, no idea where to start – You’re busy, but are you productive? Or just stuck in a loop of half-finished tasks?
All of this contributes to overwhelm, decision fatigue, and the creeping feeling that you’re “not doing enough.”
At this point, I can not stress enough, DO NOT look at others in your field of expertise's “I’m on top of everything” social media posts - trust me!
So, what can you do?
💡 Simplify your systems – More tools don’t always mean more efficiency. Stick to what actually works for you.
📥 Tame your inbox – Archive those emails; this lets you clear the mess without fear of deleting something important. Anything over two years old: DELETE. There's no point in holding on to energy-sapping data server space; it's bad for you and the environment.
⏳ Set boundaries with tech – Not every notification needs an instant response. Turn off the pings, schedule focus time (modern phones and laptops even have this functionality - you just need to switch it on), and reclaim your headspace.
🗂️ Declutter your digital space – A messy Google Drive or chaotic Trello board can feel just as stressful as a messy desk. Time for a digital spring clean?
You don’t have to do it alone.
I help business owners like you tidy up your systems, reclaim your time, and get back to actually enjoying your business.
If digital anxiety is creeping in, book a free call with me: HERE
Written during a writing circle, Dr Katya Miles - Thank you 🙏
#digitalclutter #fightorflightinbusiness
