
Image credit to ro9drigo00
According to The Economic Times online, the following are the results of technology on our bodies and minds:
- Technology is an addiction.
- The average millennial picks up their smartphones 150 times a day.
- The overuse of tech damages our brain systems connecting emotional processes, attention, and decision-making.
- FOMO is still a big issue. It is a mix of anxiety, inadequacy, and irritation which flares up while skimming social media.
- People have this syndrome of “Phantom Vibration” when their phones are not vibrating or even ringing.
- Our attention span is at an all-time low with the introduction of technology. You’ve heard that saying that we have the attention span of a goldfish? An online barrage of continuous news feeds, videos, social media, and the like for 5 hours a day will leave you with trouble remembering.
- Do you have “Popcorn Brain?” We have become so used to seeing fast-paced streams of images and information we are becoming less aware of just how to handle slower-paced things in life.

Copyright: zinkevych
Technology has altered our human physiology. Our memory, sleep cycles, attention spans, and even our moods and how quickly we are triggered by anger have changed our neuroplasticity. Do you know what that is? It is our brain’s ability to alter behavior based on our experiences. What is something real we experienced vs. something we think has happened due to the constant influx of information and images via the internet?
Substance abuse has gone up due to this rewiring of our brains. People look to alcohol and other drugs to cope with the above-mentioned items.
Since March 2020, when COVID shut down the world and we were told to stay in our homes, the average lifespan has gone done for the first time in centuries.
Our beautiful brains were not designed to be essentially hard-wired to our technology.
We sleep with our phones and are not able to get a full 8-hours of restorative sleep due to the constant interruption of our sleep cycles. This, too, is an addiction behavior that leaves us deprived and lacking the focus and clarity we need in our daily lives to function well.
How many times have you seen a person almost get hit by passing traffic because they are looking at their phone and not paying attention to their surroundings?
“Is There a Solution to this current normal way of living and working?”
Let’s take a look at what https://www.happierhuman.com/unplug/ has to say about unplugging from our technology.
- Reduce tech by 10% at a time.
- Set up technology-free zones.
- Create a home library, and always keep a book with you.
- Turn off phone notifications for emails and social media.
- Track the time you spend online.
- Go on a digital diet and do a complete detox.
- Have mindful mornings.
- From Me: Observe Global Day of Unplugging; although it has passed for 2023, you can still observe it any time of the year. How about while you are on vacation this summer? Just turn off your phone and keep it in the hotel room safe. Global Day of Unplugging is March 1, 2024. You may check it out here:
https://nationaltoday.com/national-day-unplugging/.
In 2014, I was interviewed 70 times that year about setting priorities and how we make decisions to improve our lives. In every one of these interviews, I talked about having “Technology Free Zones” in our homes. Here are some of my suggestions to the interviewer and their audiences:
- No technology 2 hours before going to bed.
- No technology at meals and at the table either at home or eating out or at someone’s home.
- Unless it is absolutely necessary, a home library/study room where books are available is a first choice to study and find knowledge vs. always going directly to the internet to research.
- When you leave the office for the day, sign out of technology saying this: All email, texts, and phone messages will be handled at the start of the next business day.
- Now in 2024, your technology will tell you how much time you spend on your phone, laptop, or other technology.
- Unless it is an emergency from a family member, start telling your circle of friends and acquaintances you are unavailable on the weekends, in church services, birthdays, anniversaries, and so on. You build your own wall of protection to protect your life.
- Observe Global Day of Unplugging; although it has passed for 2023, you can still observe it any time of the year. How about while you are on vacation this summer? Just turn off your phone and keep it in the hotel room safe. Global Day of Unplugging is March 1, 2024. You may check it out here: https://nationaltoday.com/national-day-unplugging/.
- Spend some time in the morning and not look at your phone the very first thing.
- Keep your phones and other technology on another floor and outside of the ear shod of your bedrooms. That means kids rooms too!
If you feel like you are living an abbreviated life, then you are out of balance in all areas of your life. Get out in nature. Take your dog for a walk. Play at a playground with your children. Picnic at a local lake or park. Take a weekend and pack your backpack with snacks, lunch, and water and hike around your local area. Technology is not your connection to the world; it is the drain on your life.
My name is Janice Bastani. I am a certified coach, mentor, trainer, speaker, and published author since 2003. My joy is to help others work through their challenges and realize their dreams. If you are looking for a partner to walk beside you, please contact me.