Technique #1: Unplug
Technology: it’s
everywhere. Yes, it increases our productivity. Yes it helps us to stay in constant contact
with family and friends. Yes it allows us
to track the activities and whereabouts of our favorite celebrities from dawn
to dusk. And yes, in enables us to anonymously
keep tabs on old high school crushes. Plus,
with an entire world of information at our fingertips, we all are now subject
matter experts on every conceivable topic from making a perfect Apple Brown
Betty to replacing the solenoid in a 1973 Buick Electra, or performing a DIY
root canal.
Make no mistake, however – technology is changing who we are. Studies have shown that technology is rewiring our kids’ brains, organically intertwining their minds with the devices they use, and causing them to process information in an entirely different, more computer-like way. My twelve year old, for example, can set up a home entertainment system faster than I can tie my shoes, and my sixteen year old becomes anxious when she’s without her phone for more than five minutes, as it has become the sole portal into her social existence.
Technology: it’s
everywhere. Yes, it increases our productivity. Yes it helps us to stay in constant contact
with family and friends. Yes it allows us
to track the activities and whereabouts of our favorite celebrities from dawn
to dusk. And yes, in enables us to anonymously
keep tabs on old high school crushes. Plus,
with an entire world of information at our fingertips, we all are now subject
matter experts on every conceivable topic from making a perfect Apple Brown
Betty to replacing the solenoid in a 1973 Buick Electra, or performing a DIY
root canal.
Make no mistake, however – technology is changing who we are. Studies have shown that technology is rewiring our kids’ brains, organically intertwining their minds with the devices they use, and causing them to process information in an entirely different, more computer-like way. My twelve year old, for example, can set up a home entertainment system faster than I can tie my shoes, and my sixteen year old becomes anxious when she’s without her phone for more than five minutes, as it has become the sole portal into her social existence.
The American Academy of Pediatrics blames overexposure to
media as a leading contributing factor in aggressive behavior, obesity, poor
school performance, sexual promiscuity, cyber bullying, and hemorrhoids
(kidding). And while visual media are
fast replacing old fashioned textbooks in the classroom due to the greater ease
in keeping instructional materials up to date, Psychology Today suggests the
act of reading printed media tends to develop reflection, critical thinking,
problem solving, and vocabulary better than the electronic counterparts.
So in the new year, I challenge you to unplug. Pick a day – even a half day to start – and
shut off your electronics. See how you
feel. Based on personal experience, at
first you may feel out of touch, uninformed, alone, and desperate for a drink. Then, ever so slowly, the quiet becomes cozy,
almost comforting. When nothing bad
happens, you relax, coming to realize you’re not really missing out on anything
important. Your stress level goes down;
your happiness quotient creeps up. What
do you have to lose (except maybe your hemorrhoids)?
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