Is Your Brain's “On/Off” Switch Working For or Against You?
- Brainz Magazine
- 11 hours ago
- 11 min read
Noelle Phillips is an I/O Psychology practitioner and trauma-informed mindset coach focused on first responder wellness, leadership, and post-critical-incident recovery. She is the founder of Balancing Act Coaching & Consulting and host of the Find My Footing podcast, supporting agencies with research-based resilience tools.
In a world where work and home life often collide, mastering your brain’s “On/Off” switch is crucial. This article delves into how you can improve your ability to transition between different states of mind, using awareness, tools, and clear boundaries to foster a healthier work-life dynamic.
What is the on/off switch?
Could our brains really work like an on/off switch? Imagine being able to hit a switch on, and suddenly, you are in “work” mode. Then, just as quickly and without question, you are able to shut that switch off and be in “home/family” mode. It is fundamentally problematic to be in a state of “on” when you need to shut it off, and vice versa. Flowing between the different states of “on” and “off” as a CEO, Director, Business Owner, Employee, and so on is not an easy space to navigate. Some industries can leave work at work and home at home, with more simplicity than others. Some require more internal cognizance and diligence to recognize when that switch is still activated or when it needs to be activated. One field, regardless of rank, that I have had the closest personal experience in getting to know the intricacies of this “switch” is with first responders (or public safety personnel). Having worked in the field myself, I had to adapt. By the end of my first responder career, I never quite got that switch figured out, which made things very daunting throughout my career and even as I transitioned into other roles. Having that switch left on easily led to chronic stress, fatigue, burnout, lack of empathy, and disruptions in my relationships. It was not until I learned that this switch has several communications in between being turned on and off that I began to show up differently and see just how effective this “switch” could really be, and how it can serve anyone who wants to apply it. I learned that it is more than a switch, it is about being an internal alert that works under the name of awareness, that a toolbox and tools are useless without proper applications, and that boundaries for work/life balance are only as good as the boundaries we set for ourselves.
How awareness, tools, and boundaries interplay
A state of awareness in things like simple logistics, in communication, while driving, etc., is a standard starting point to understanding how your “on/off” switch is being utilized in your current state, so that you know how and where to move from there. Start noticing the little things. Maybe it’s the way you talk to yourself after an awkward interaction with someone, or how tense your muscles get when you are sitting at your desk for too long. From there, you can build on to noticing more about how your mind and body respond in various complex situations. The integration of tools will then assist you in mitigating your stress and knowing what to do when you need to shut that switch off or dial it down.
Having the right tools and understanding of how to utilize these tools is imperative to building anything in the physical world, and is just as relevant in the unconscious world that we all have the opportunities to build on. Our tools can be developed on our own, by the influence of others, or in collaboration with professionals and friends. The limitations are only the ones we have a tendency to set for ourselves. These tools might be breathwork, like the physiological sigh, they could be mindful movement, or they could be in the form of self-talk. There is also a tool, like a disruptor, which allows your mind to go from a state of anger to a state of peace or from catastrophic thought cycling to clear thinking. Find some tools, then find the go-to tools that have the most remarkable difference with your frame of mind (don’t just utilize these tools when you are in a positive or negative headspace, utilize them with consistency and notice how you feel with each frame of mind), and be honest with yourself when you apply these and how effective they are or are not. Focus on the things you already do, it could be pacing, listening to music, bouncing your knee/tapping your fingers, walking barefoot, doodling, etc. Discover what your strategy is and then tailor it to better fit into your life. As you are able to become more aware and establish these tools with honesty and transparency with yourself, you will likely be able to see with more clarity what your boundaries entail.
Boundaries are mentioned throughout wellness and mental health platforms across the board, and for good reason. Setting boundaries with others is imperative for our success in the fields we work in, as well as for our own personal well-being. Self-boundaries can sometimes get misplaced. We might use them for a while, and then they get placed up on a shelf or pushed under the bed, and we forget about why we were doing them or how useful they once were. How we set boundaries with ourselves is at the forefront of navigating the effectiveness of that switch. If you want others to respect your time away from work when you are away, start by respecting your own time away from work and understanding what that looks and feels like for you. If you want five minutes of peace, find ways to plug that into your demanding world so that it now works for you and with you. It’s hard to understand how we want others to respect our boundaries when we can’t first respect our own boundaries.
Your switches shouldn’t stay stuck and jammed, they should glide from one end to the other, and when they are feeling stuck or jammed, then it’s time for some maintenance. With that, keep in mind that our brains will never be as simple as a light switch, and that should never be the expectation you set for yourself. Our malleable brains work on interfaces much like an electrical system, we have our own map, we have our own responses that organically influence our ability to balance work and life, and we have an innate ability to apply these intricacies with the proper supports in place. Don’t underestimate your own unique abilities.
When the switch feels impossible
I spoke with a law enforcement officer once, who we had as a guest on our podcast (Find My Footing), and I believe that one of the most enlightening and challenging spaces for this switch is in law enforcement and volunteer fire service work. There is minimal space or room for that switch to be shut off, so even in their own homes, that switch is on and activated. As for other first responders (EMS, Firefighters, Dispatch, Correctional Officers, and so on), this switch can stay stuck, even if they are not taking their radios or vehicles home with them. As my understanding of this concept of the “switch” grew through my own self-growth, and through discussions and interviews with first responders, I learned that some of the most fundamental proponents in disengagement from the job include a transition of roles or even identities. This could look like changing clothes or shoes before leaving work or before walking into your home. It could also look like a short decompression time, like sitting in your vehicle for a few minutes before you walk into your home or before you even leave work, utilizing this small window for micro self-care through breathwork, gratitude, or maybe prayer. Whatever brings lightness and peace, or even invites a moment to feel the weight of the day, so you know what heaviness is trying to be acknowledged. Disrupting the thought process of “I have to get this done”, “This task will still be on the table tomorrow, and we have a lot to get started, “Maybe I can work on some things tonight”, or for first responders, the weight of death and dying that they may not want to take home or take to their kid’s soccer game after work. For those working in high-intensity or highly stressful job roles, this process will be beneficial to have at the top of your priority list. You can begin to get yourself on the road to a tactful, resilient mindset that goes beyond “dealing with it” and reshapes into adapting to the experiences, especially those we can’t plan for or those that shake the core of our souls. The human race did not survive by putting things away and moving on as if they were not there, we adapted and shifted with the changing times and environments.
The emergency shut-off switch
Have you ever seen one of those emergency shut-off switches? Oftentimes, they can be found at the gas/fuel station. Emergency switches have a place too, they are the ones that can help to prevent a more major or serious disaster. Just like a disaster, you need to be aware of the risks that are at play in order to prevent and respond to disasters. Something I utilize and have named the “STOP” method works precisely to do that. You Stop, Take a Deep Breath, Orient, and Prioritize. If you notice your mind is bending itself into a cycle of repetitive questions, “what if?”, “Why?”, “I should have”, “They must think I’m an idiot”, and so on. Tell yourself “Stop”, either out loud or in your head. As soon as you tell yourself to stop, take a deep breath, look around where you are, and quickly list the first three things you can think of that you are grateful for or that you feel positively about in life. When this happens, much like an emergency switch communicates by sending electricity to where it needs to go to communicate “off”, you are changing the trajectory of the electrical currents in your brain. However, with your brain, you need to practice this strategy often if you want that electrical current to get stronger and your “switch” to be more immediate. There is a world of evidence that is continuously expanding our understanding of how the brain works. This simple method works by pulling your brain from the primitive, survival mode (which is the state we enter when we are stressed about deadlines, when we have people constantly trying to contact us, when we have emergencies, and metaphorical or actual fires to put out) to the more clear-thinking state that allows us to re-establish a sense of ease long enough to stop the cyclical thinking that does not serve your growth and success. This switch should be used for the more trying moments or the harder transition times, but can truly be used whenever you like (remember, consistent practice will get you results). Understanding of The Survival Mechanism is an important area to lean into for understanding more about these fight or flight responses we can get from stress and how it impacts our ability to function and meet day-to-day expectations.
The different layers of the on switch
Starting the day
Take notice in your waking hours. Beginning with slow progressions into the day will allow lightness to enter your day, and strategic and purposeful thinking to proceed throughout the remainder of the day (depending on how you set your intentions and manage your stress, every person is different). When you work in highly unpredictable or stressful environments, your “on” switch will not always be an “ease” into the process. This is where it becomes important to acknowledge where you are with your adaptability, another awareness component. It is crucial to recognize your own thresholds and how you can begin implementing new strategies to invite continuous growth. Understand how you define adaptability as it relates to this “switch” and how you can utilize this area to better establish a mind that is transitional between work and life. You might find a person, object, animal, or symbol that represents adaptability (you can do the same with resilience), and from here, understand why it is you feel this represents adaptability. Make a list of the core characteristics that your choice embodies, then find ways you can adopt these into your life.
Work with the environment
Colonel Jeff Cooper was a decorated officer with the United States Marine Corps who developed a system called the Color Codes of Situational Awareness in the 1960s. The Color Code is a well-known technique utilized in Law Enforcement professions today and is broken down into 4 colors: White, Yellow, Orange, and Red. Condition white represents a state that has no awareness, condition yellow is an awareness of what the people around you are doing or what might be going on. Condition Orange is when something has entered into your awareness that has the potential to be a threat, but the threat is not yet confirmed. Lastly, Condition Red is the known and confirmed threat that is active. Each of these conditions can translate into our “on” switch. You get to choose what level of “on” you want that switch to be at. If you are at home and relaxing, you want to be in condition white, certainly not orange or red. If you are at home and find your switch is on in condition orange or red, then it might be time for a system check-up and an adaptability modification. If you are leaving work and get an email or a phone call, and you notice your heart rate jumps up, you start getting anxious or agitated, then you are allowing that “on” switch to jump straight from condition white or yellow into condition red. Keeping your system in a regulated state and continuous practice of things like the STOP method can help to alleviate some of these abrupt gear shifts. Condition yellow also holds great value as it is an ideal space to be throughout your working day. In condition yellow, you are aware of what is occurring around you, but there is not yet a fire to put out, so your system does not need to be in condition orange or red. If your switch keeps getting jammed, then consider therapeutic interventions that may help to go into more depth for what it is your mind and your body are needing or trying to communicate.
Map it out
Find ways to visually see your progress with this method as it increases over time, or where there might be gaps in the productivity of this process. You can write about it, you can mark it in your calendar (physical or digital), the days you successfully integrate the STOP method or other interventions, and what it did for you. You can also measure your responses at work and at home, where are your responses becoming reactions? Where/when are your thoughts cycling? What level is your tolerance at, and what level do you want your tolerance to be at?
Last thoughts
If you or your team's (and family’s) environments do not have a decent level of felt safety, then this method likely will not work, or it will be tremendously difficult to successfully implement. You must have a space where these techniques can begin to take shape. As these techniques increase in their durability (the neurons that are connecting will continue to connect, and their pathways will become stronger), you will be better able to apply them in increasingly difficult circumstances, thanks to the findings that Neurons that Fire Together Wire Together. To succeed with these applications, you must consider where your awareness, tools, and boundary limits and expectations are. Consider working with a coach, counselor, or trusted friend to ensure your own accountability in taking these steps and developing an honest awareness. There is tremendous pressure and a lack of resources in many fields, making the demands of high-intensity roles that much more challenging. The difficulties that are often faced do not slow down, but rather require us to adapt into an enhanced mode of existence so that we can continue to prosper and live a life that we fully enjoy. The beauty is in the opportunity we have to change our own mind's ability to evolve in our ever-changing environments.
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Read more from Noelle Phillips
Noelle Phillips, Balancing Act Coaching & Consulting, LLC
Noelle Phillips is an Industrial Organizational Psychology practitioner and trauma-informed mindset coach specializing in first responder wellness, leadership development, and post-critical-incident support. She is the founder of Balancing Act Coaching & Consulting, LLC, host of the podcast Find My Footing, and a trusted partner to agencies navigating high-stakes operational demands. Noelle is a board member for Guardian Initiatives and an active member of SEBOC and the NSLS. Her mission is to help first responders strengthen resilience, reduce stigma, and access research-supported tools for psychological well-being.
