Civilized societies have long been adaptive to new technologies and include many of these new technologies as “must have” items. At what point do we need to put down our gadgets and concentrate on one thing at a time? Many people feel this is only a millennial problem or overstimulation only plagues young people, but studies show that 50+ individuals are just as distracted as their teenagers. How many meetings or dinners have we attended where the phone is ever present on the table? What would our grandparents say?

According to AARP those over 50 are most at risk for distraction. This development aptly titled “culture of distraction” or “information-fatigue syndrome” or simply “modern life” affects everyone. Those over 50 are much more susceptible because normal brain changes, including small blockages to the brain’s blood supply and drop in nerve-signaling chemicals, can make it harder to tune out distractions.

“We’re really facing the limit of human ability to cope with stimuli in our environment,” says Maggie Jackson, author of Distracted: The Erosion of Attention and the Coming Dark Age. The stimuli is only growing too, University of California-San Diego researchers found on average, Americans hear, see, or read 34 gigabytes worth of information a day—about 100,000 words from TV, Internet, books, radio, newspapers and other sources.

Humans are continuously paying partial attention to every thing; we skim furiously hoping not to miss something. Ease stress levels by trying the following tips:

• Study your habits – ask yourself throughout the day if you are focusing on the appropriate things
• Limit your inputs – limit aimless web and channel surfing. Open ended/purposeless cruising can cause you to lose track of time and goals
• Exercise your “concentration muscles” – focused activities such as reading an engaging book or meditating will sharpen attention and relieve stress
• Leave a trail – when you think of something to add to your ever-present “to do list” or a web article that catches your eye, make a note of it and return to it later rather than shifting focus from the task at hand
• Go outside – it seems so simple, yet so hard at the same time. Unplug and meet a friend for coffee or take a walk (without the phone)

Understanding your media consumption habits will make you aware of the less important stimuli and make you a less stressed, more productive individual.  Take a week and keep a journal of your habits and use the following week to make changes in your habits for a healthier and more fruitful life.