We come home from work, and we keep thinking about work. We are at the gym doing kettlebells, yet one eye is on our work phone just in case it lights up, even when our favorite workout playlist is blasting through our earbuds.  When giving our kids a bath before bedtime, we are eager to be done because we want to check our messages to see if there is anything we missed in the past few hours. We know this is not the way it should be, but it is so hard to turn off. 

What if there was a way for us to have a physical switch to remind ourselves to be present, and in the moment?

In Episode 5: A Soldier, a Doctor and A Mother, Dr. Ashlesha Tawde reflects on her multiple identities - including that of a soldier, and that of a civilian. As she explains it, “Once we step out of that land...when we are home, we just tend to compartmentalize...It’s not relevant here, the kind of life that we lead at the borders. So we just simply close that compartment…Everything changes when you're in uniform. It's the uniform that makes the difference. It brings out that command.”

Although many of us may not have had the honor of serving our country in uniform, the concept of compartmentalizing our different identities based on our attire is worth reflecting on as we all struggle to juggle multiple identities.  Ashlesha talks about the challenges with transitioning to civil life from being in the army, and mentions that in order to be successful, she compartmentalizes the army world away from her home/civilian life. When she is not in uniform, she tucks it away.

The physical switch of clothing, similar to Ashlesha being out of uniform, could be a trigger to help us remember to compartmentalize. 

For those of us in corporate jobs who may have trouble switching off when we get home from work, or feel distracted by the day's problems when we are at home with our families and kids, perhaps we need to adopt Ashlesha's mindset. When we change out of work clothes, we should try and switch off work. When in gym clothes, focus on each muscle you are exercising, or use your music to get into a meditative state. When switching to loungewear at home, be present with your family. Before bedtime, if you need to log in to your laptop, consider throwing on a work shirt or even put on work shoes again, to get out of the ‘home zone’ and into work mode.

This way, based on our ‘uniform’, we can each gently remind ourselves where we are, and what’s most important is right in front of us.