Thanks so much for this post. I, too, worked on emailing my references for about 6 months. When I finally did it, I didn't check their responses for a month. Needless to say I couldn't use them for the job I was considering at the time because of my anxiety. wtf.

I also take phone and email breaks that sometimes last for months. Recently I've managed to go no longer than 12 or 15 days. And I never check my voicemail.