Why Your Body Won’t Let You Disconnect
Guest post by Amanda Campbell, CEO Resilience Coach & Kinesiologist at Bend Like Bamboo
When Eli invited me to write for the Offline.now community, I jumped at the opportunity. Not because I’m a digital wellness expert—I’m not. But because I work with so many leaders who are implementing every strategy Eli teaches… and still can’t actually disconnect.
They’ve set up app blockers. They’ve created boundaries. They’ve time-boxed their email. And yet, their hands still reach for their phones without thinking. Being offline still feels uncomfortable, almost anxiety-inducing. Their minds race. Their bodies won’t rest.
If this sounds familiar, this post is for you.
Because what I’ve discovered through 16 years of working with burned-out leaders is this: Your struggle to disconnect isn’t just in your head. It’s in your body.
The Morning I Couldn’t Move
Let me take you back to the moment that changed my entire understanding of resilience, stress, and what it actually takes to heal.
I was 29 years old. I woke up one morning and couldn’t move.
Paralysis had taken over my body over a slow cruel 10 days. I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at age 24. The message was clear: this might be permanent.
Lying in that hospital bed, I became obsessed with a question that now drives all my work: Why do some people recover when they’re not supposed to? And why do some people, despite doing everything “right,” still get sick?
The answer I discovered wasn’t what I expected.
It wasn’t about willpower. It wasn’t about positive thinking. It wasn’t even about following the medical protocols (though those mattered too).
It was about learning to listen to my body’s wisdom and work with my nervous system, not against it.
Through intensive work with kinesiology, nervous system regulation, and what would eventually become my BAMBOO Method, I didn’t just regain mobility, I went on to build a thriving coaching practice, and help hundreds of leaders who are facing a different kind of paralysis.
The paralysis of burnout. Of digital overwhelm. Of being unable to stop even when you know you should.
I’ve been in remission for 16 years now. And the lessons I learned in my recovery are exactly what many of you in the Offline.now community need to hear.
Why Your Digital Strategies Aren’t Sticking
Here’s what I see repeatedly with the high-performing leaders who come to my THRIVE program:
They’re brilliant. They’re implementing all the right strategies. They understand intellectually what they need to do.
But their bodies won’t cooperate.
They set up app blockers, but find themselves disabling them “just this once.” They create offline time, but feel anxious and restless the entire time. They know they should rest, but their bodies won’t downregulate. They try to be present with family, but their minds are elsewhere.
Sound familiar?
This isn’t a failure of willpower. This isn’t even a failure of strategy.
This is a dysregulated nervous system that’s been trained by years of chronic digital stimulation to believe that vigilance equals survival.
About Amanda Campbell
Amanda Campbell is a CEO Resilience Coach, Sports Kinesiologist, Author and keynote speaker & Founder of Bend Like Bamboo, a Melbourne-based wellness practice. After recovering from paralysis at age 29, Amanda has been in remission for 16 years and now helps high-performing leaders avoid the burnout she understands intimately.
She operates two main programs:
- HEAL: For individuals with chronic symptoms and autoimmune conditions
- THRIVE: For executives and CEOs experiencing burnout
Using her signature BAMBOO Method combining resilience training with kinesiology, Amanda has worked with organizations including Lululemon, Mind Australia, Australia Post, and Minter Ellison. She also hosts the Bend Like Bamboo Resilience Podcast featuring conversations with leaders about building sustainable resilience.
Connect with Amanda:
- Website: www.bendlikebamboo.com
- Learn about THRIVE: www.bendlikebamboo.com/thrive
- Podcast: Bend Like Bamboo Resilience Podcast
Reference
Campbell, Amanda, 2023, Bend Like Bamboo: Transform Your Life with the Power of Flexibility
*Disclaimer: Offline.now offers educational coaching tips, not medical or therapeutic advice; please consult a qualified health professional for personal, clinical or health concerns.*
