It is said that the amount of information a person consumed in a month two hundred years ago is equivalent to what a person consumes in a single day in 2015.
Information is blasted at us, some sought, some not, every hour of the day. From the moment we wake up, we are receiving information. From the radio, from the television, as we check our phones. On the way to the office, we are subconsciously absorbing advertising hoardings above ground and on the platforms and the train carriages underground.
As we read the morning paper we are consuming still more advertisements and insights that cause us to shape our opinions of life.
Even during our favourite TV shows and movies, we are being shown brands and products which reinforce our already established awareness of the world.
Compare that to the man of 200 years ago who would of only had the opportunity to form his opinion of the world through books, gossip and the occasional notice board or 'Town Crier' and it is no wonder that we are living in such a high-consumption world.
With the rise of social media and being part of the 'always on' society it is clear from the amount of people compulsively 'checking their phones' that we are receiving an increasing amount of demands for our attention and brain capacity.
It has become quite normal for people to meet up in a pub or a restaurant yet spend most of their evenings tapping away at their phones whenever there is a drop in the conversation.
Research has shown that this heightened state of awareness is not good for us. In the natural world most animals live in a state of 'natural mindfulness' usually only 'aware of the moment'. It is only when under some kind of threat or need for alertness occurs the brain becomes more 'agitated'. The heart rate increases, hormones kick in and the body prepares it's 'fight or flight' response to the environment.
This perpetual 'state of alertness' creates an increased sense of anxiety and stress in a person who may be compelled to try and 'cram everything in' as more and more information is delivered to us to digest.
As the demands of 'peer pressure' and 'life pressures' increase it is little wonder why there is an increasing interest in calming remedies such as meditation and yoga and that the drug manufacturers are pumping out more anti-anxiety and anti-depression pills than ever before.
Society is rapidly evolving into something different and the demands of the world are on the increase. Are we equipping ourselves with the right life skills for this new society? Do we need to look at different ways of living to reduce the stress in our lives?
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