Technology is a great thing. It allows us to travel great distances. It allows us the freedom to communicate with friends and family. It lets us know up to the minute information about our weather, our economy, and the very pulse of our society. However, technology has a dark side. The very technology that benefits us so much is threatening the very core of our own existence. By being so connected, we never give our brains a break from analyzing, processing, and acting on information. Even if that action is a simple click of a like button on your favorite social media site. By keeping our brains continuously engaged in this manner, technology affects directly our resilience. Resilience is the process by which we react to stress and bounce back quickly before, during, and after a stressful situation. Our brains need a period of recovery to be able to bounce back. If we let it, technology stops our brains from recovering properly.

Technology comes in many forms. Television, mobile phones, computers, cars, movies, etc. You know what technology is and you know how it can pull your brain away from simply being aware and in idle mode. To practice awareness, you cannot be engaged in technology. That is an impossibility. This week, you assignment is to take one day and start a log and see how much time you spend engaged with technology. Compare that time to time spent fully engaged with humans. How do the two compare? Next, take a day and disengage from technology unless you absolutely have to do it. For work or when you are at home in case of an emergency. That's it. See how you feel at the end of the day.

It's time this week to disconnect from technology to reconnect with your life and help you become more resilient.

Dr. N

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