Before I had kids, after taking a brief three-year hiatus from tech startups, I learned how to meditate. Every Monday night I drove over the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco to Spirit Rock, a Meditation center in Marin where Jack Kornfield has held group meditation teachings (known as ‘Monday Night Sitting‘) every week for over twenty-seven years. I’d sit in a roomful of strangers as Jack would guide the group through vipassana meditation, or mindful awareness of breath, body, and whatever is arising in the moment. Cultivating awareness and quieting the chatter of the mind is (still) one of the most challenging internal battles one can take on. Try to quiet your mind for even five minutes, and you’ll hear what I mean.

Now that I’m back in the world of startups and immersed in an industry full of 24×7 social media and mobile chatter, the challenge of quieting the mind and the external Noise is even greater. While I meditate for a few minutes every day, there is nothing quite as gratifying or soul-soothing as a forty-eight hour vacation from all external inputs. That includes a full-fledged media fast: no cellphone, email, Internet, Twitter or Facebook (gasp!). The one luxury I allow myself is a phone call goodnight to my husband and kids, my lifeline to human connection while I disconnect from the rest of the world.

My system has been on overdrive lately, and I can feel it in every cell of my body – a result of too many months of too much caffeine, working late nights, Sleep deprivation, one too many work conferences and not enough moments of ‘just saying no’. Juggling startup life, two young kids, and a full social and family life can feel like a double full-time job. And as my dear friend likes to say, “when mom is not taking good care of herself, no one else gets taken care of well.” True!

I’m signing off for a few days to unplug, unwind and turn down the noise to take off on my annual ‘Me Retreat’. I’ll indulge in a good book, eat decadent lunches and dinners by myself, maybe get a massage or two. Perhaps I’ll get to sleep in one morning and work away at that sleep deficit I’ve built up. I know the world will go on without me, and that I’ll be just fine without needing to constantly ‘check in’ to the non-stop feed and frenzy. I know my husband will hold down the fort and appreciate my presence in my absence. I know my kids will miss me but be in good hands, since I’ve scaled myself well (hiring and training competent childcare). And I will be at peace. Even for just a short while.