Why do we persist in doing things that damage our lives? Not only persist but take pride in. Geesh, time to make a different choice. If you find yourself swimming against the stream, well, take that as a good sign. You know what your mother always asked: If everyone else is jumping off the bridge, are you going to jump off the bridge, too?

How about, instead, we start being proud of doing what actually works? And that involves not jumping off that damn bridge with most other humans. 

What is overtaking our lives? Multitasking. Most of us do at least a couple things at once. And at least one of those things involves something technology related. Guess what? That doesn’t make anything better. Not the tasks you’re multi-ing and not your health. Proven fact.

Multitask is a myth, scientists have found. The brain is incapable of paying attention to two things at once. Though it looks like you’re handling several things at the same time, what actually is happening is that you’re making your brain switch constantly back and forth, which only reduces productivity and increases mistakes by 50 percent.

Those problems are only the tip of the iceberg. Multitasking also leads to chronic stress, depression, anxiety and ADD. Chronic stress, of course, drags you down into major illnesses like heart disease and stroke. The others make life damn difficult. Why do that to yourself? You’re not accomplishing anything. Not.one.thing.

In addition, multitasking harms your relationships. If you’re with a person you claim to care about, yet you’re incessantly checking your email, social media and/or texts, how much appreciation of that person are you actually demonstrating? How much of what they want to share with you are you missing? That’s not a foundation for a solid, good connection, which also is an important piece of wellness.

Turn off the buzzes and beeps and chirps so you can focus. Don’t succumb to the illusion that you’re actually more capable by doing so much at one time. Be smarter than that. Everything will flow better when you focus on one thing at one time. And, as a natural byproduct, your health will be saved in the meantime.